The Witness
Published on 1. June 1990
Book
Paperback/Softback
167 pages
978-1-85242-184-7 (ISBN)
Description
The Witness is a narrative - in which, in sixteenth-century Spain, a cabin boy sets sail on a ship bound for the New World. An inland expedition ends in disaster when it is attacked by Indians. The Witness is a reflection - on memory, on the role of objects in the construction of our world, on the relationship between existence and description, on foreignness, cultural identity and the Other. The Witness is a prose poem - in the purest, most sensory language that remembers the forgotten contribution made by Indians to the creation of Latin America. And the maginficent whole created by the author is far, far greater than the sum of its parts.
Reviews / Votes
?Haunting and beautifully written... The author?s preoccupations are reminiscent of his fellow Argentinians Borges and Cortazar but his vision is fresh and unique. I can?t understand why, with the interest in things Latin American, we have had to wait so long for a book of his to appear in English? Independent on Sunday ?Mr. Saer?s novel combines elements of the haunting metaphysical ambiguity of Jorge Luis Borges? poetry and Graham Greene?s sensual description of the dark corners of the physical world and the human soul. The evocative imagery and ideas revealed in The Witness are not easily forgotten? Washington Times 'Let me make myself clear: The Witness is a great book and the name of its author, Juan Jos? Saer, must be added to the list of the best South American writers...? Le Monde ?There is no magical realism, no baroque exoticism and not a particle of sentimentality that sometimes colours Latin American fiction, but instead an intensity of poetic description and meditation...Saer?s luminous prose imparts awesome meaning to the word ?discover?? Times Educational Supplement ?Shades of Melville and Conrad? s Heart of Darkness influence an urgent narrative which unfolds through prose which has the terseness of reportage.? The Irish TimesMore details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Profile Books Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 200 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-85242-184-7 (9781852421847)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Born in Santa Fe, Argentina in 1937, Juan Jose Saer is the leading Argentinian writer of the post-Borges generation. In 1968, he moved to Paris and taught literature at the university in Rennes, Brittany. In 1988, Juan Jose Saer was awarded Spain's prestigious Nadal Prize for The Event. His work is translated into all major languages and includes The Witness, Nobody Nothing Never and The Investigation, also published by Serpent's Tail. Saer died in July 2005.