Made in Saturn
Published on 23. January 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
176 pages
978-1-911508-60-1 (ISBN)
Description
A generational portrait of Latin America in its post-revolutionary come-down, through the eyes of a recovering heroin addict and artist.
These are the children of revolutions, and this is their story. This is the Caribbean. This is ArgenisLuna: an artist who no longer paints, a heroin addict who no longer uses, and an overgrown child trying to make sense of his inheritance in a country where his once-revolutionary father is now part of the ruling elite. Thrown out of rehab in Havana, with Goya's tyrannical god Saturn on his mind, Argenis picks his way through the detritus of an abandoned generation: the drag queens, artists, hustlers and lovers trying to build lives amidst the wreckage. Mesmerising and visionary, Made in Saturn is a hangover from a riotous funeral, a rapid-fire elegy for the revolutionary spirit, and a glimpse of hope for all who feel eclipsed by those who came before them.
'A book that is, in a strict sense, good. Very good. Modernist...as well as classic. A Duchamoian Goya, we might say.' El Pais
These are the children of revolutions, and this is their story. This is the Caribbean. This is ArgenisLuna: an artist who no longer paints, a heroin addict who no longer uses, and an overgrown child trying to make sense of his inheritance in a country where his once-revolutionary father is now part of the ruling elite. Thrown out of rehab in Havana, with Goya's tyrannical god Saturn on his mind, Argenis picks his way through the detritus of an abandoned generation: the drag queens, artists, hustlers and lovers trying to build lives amidst the wreckage. Mesmerising and visionary, Made in Saturn is a hangover from a riotous funeral, a rapid-fire elegy for the revolutionary spirit, and a glimpse of hope for all who feel eclipsed by those who came before them.
'A book that is, in a strict sense, good. Very good. Modernist...as well as classic. A Duchamoian Goya, we might say.' El Pais
Reviews / Votes
'Nothing human is alien to Ms. Indiana. Like France's brilliant punk-realist Virginie Despentes, she sees through the costumes of class and ideology. Her characters are raggedly real [...] A wild and liberating book.' Sam Sacks, Wall Street Journal ----'Dominican writer Rita Indiana made a splash in 2018 with the unclassifiable Tentacle. Made in Saturn, the tale of a drug-addicted artist going clean, promises to be less baffling but equally hip.' Suzi Feay, Financial Times ----'A deeply nuanced, atmospheric, and graphic depiction of mental illness, drug addiction, and recovery.' Kirkus Reviews ---'Award-winning queer Dominican author Rita Indiana makes a blazing comeback to the rap game...Her critically acclaimed novels, such as Tentacle, thoroughly dissect the relationships between gender, class and race in Caribbean society...Her sixth novel, Made in Saturn, is due for release in 2020 via British publisher And Other Stories.' Suzy Exposito, Rolling Stone ----'Captures the Caribbean setting and complex political history with vibrant detail.' Book Riot ----'A powerful but quiet story about a young artist lost in the shuffle of politics and revolution; an artist who cannot be saved by his talent, who cannot find solace in the hedonism of drug use, and still must find a way to be a human being in a turbulent world. A vibrant, yet complex take on the "sad young literary man" story and another brilliant work by an author whose stature in world literature will only continue to grow.' Josh Cook, Porter Square Books----- 'Rita Indiana, with Tentacle, already showed that she could fulfill the promises made in Papi. Would it be possible to go further? How far would her narrative power go? Made in Saturn is the answer to these questions, and it is not only a book that's new, like all of Indiana's works, but it is a book that is good. Very good. A Duchampian Goya, we might say, if it wouldn't be scandalous to some. [...] Argenis Luna, the protagonist of this novel, is both a mythological figure and a pariah on Earth. After living with him for ten pages we understand and love him. His contradictions are our own. He will live beside us forever.' El Pais ----'Rita Indiana...is a voice with power and personality. She demonstrates it in her latest novel Made in Saturn, in which the children of all the revolutions that promised a free Latin America but ended in failure are embodied in Argenis, a character as real as he is magical.' UDL Libros link: Udllibros.com ----'Each of her novels is marked by a concept; each is part of something larger. Made in Saturn, for example, is positioned as complement to Tentacle, and the author has announced that there will be a new novel to complete the trilogy. What unites these books is the critique of power. It is a contemporary and rebellious art, ready to fight.' El Tiempo ----'Compared to Tentacle, which drew on science fiction and were you could sense the influence of Lovecraft, Made in Saturn practises a kind of scathing hyperrealism in a Caribbean setting weighed down with corruption, ideological ruin and outrageous consumption.' Revista de Letras ---'Through her stark portrait of the protagonist and her unmistakably Caribbean prose, Rita Indiana shows why she is one of the most attractive voices in Latin American literature today' Sin Embargo ----'Ovid told the story of the god Saturn who, for fear of being dethroned, ended up devouring his children. Many centuries later, Francisco de Goya painted the scene in one of his most emblematic works. And, now, Rita Indiana has borrowed, once again, the myth, to revisit it in fiction. In her latest novel, the deity appears to be the very revolution that aimed to bring freedom to Latin America and failed in the attempt, leaving multiple and abandoned children around her. Offspring like Argenis-protagonist of the story with which Indiana, one of the most talented voices of current Caribbean literature-portrays that lost generation that continues to struggle so as not to be devoured.'ABC----'Rita Indiana's voice is lyrical and transgressive, attractive and original. Siren songs, her books' irresistible force captivates readers from their first lines and doesn't let them go. Made in Saturn is a wonderful, absorbing read, and both classic and modern. El CulturalMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
High Wycombe
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 200 mm
Width: 131 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
192 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-911508-60-1 (9781911508601)
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Schweitzer Classification
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Persons
Born and raised in the Dominican Republic and now living in Puerto Rico, Rita Indiana is a driving force in contemporary Caribbean literature and music. She is the author of three collections of stories and five novels. Three of her novels have been translated into English. Papi made World Literature Today's 2016 list of 75 Notable Translations. Tentacle, published by And Other Stories, won the Grand Prize of the Association of Caribbean Writers, the first book written in Spanish to do so. Sydney Hutchinson is an ethnomusicologist, folklorist, and pianist by training. She has published several books and numerous articles in both Spanish and English on Latin American and Caribbean music and dance. Currently living in Berlin, she spends her spare time yodeling and playing protest music on accordion.