Mention Books As El Paraíso en la otra esquina
| Original Title: | El paraíso en la otra esquina |
| ISBN: | 8466313230 (ISBN13: 9788466313230) |
| Edition Language: | Spanish |
| Characters: | Paul Gauguin, Flora Tristan |
Mario Vargas Llosa
Paperback | Pages: 592 pages Rating: 3.82 | 3765 Users | 292 Reviews
Define About Books El Paraíso en la otra esquina
| Title | : | El Paraíso en la otra esquina |
| Author | : | Mario Vargas Llosa |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 592 pages |
| Published | : | May 1st 2004 by Punto de Lectura (first published 2003) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. European Literature. Spanish Literature. Cultural. Latin American. Literature. Art. Novels |
Narrative In Pursuance Of Books El Paraíso en la otra esquina
¿Dónde se encuentra el Paraíso? ¿En la construcción de una sociedad igualitaria o en la vuelta al mundo primitivo?Dos vidas: la de Flora Tristán, que pone todos sus esfuerzos en la lucha por los derechos de la mujer y de los obreros, y la de Paul Gauguin, el hombre que descubre su pasión por la pintura y abandona su existencia burguesa para viajar a Tahití en busca de un mundo sin contaminar por las convenciones.
Dos concepciones del sexo: la de Flora, que sólo ve en él un instrumento de dominio masculino y la de Gauguin, que lo considera una fuerza vital imprescindible puesta al servicio de su creatividad.
¿Qué tienen en común esas dos vidas desligadas y opuestas, aparte del vínculo familiar por ser Flora la abuela materna de Gauguin? Esto es lo que Vargas Llosa pone de relieve en esta novela: el mundo de utopías que fue el siglo XIX. Un nexo de unión entre dos personajes que optan por dos modelos vitales opuestos que desvelan un deseo común: el de alcanzar un paraíso donde sea posible la felicidad para los seres humanos.
In English:
In 1844, Flora Tristan embarked on a tour of France to campaign for workers' and women's rights. In 1891, her grandson Paul Gauguin set sail for Tahiti, determined to escape civilization and paint primitive masterpieces. Flora died before her grandson was born, but their travels and obsessions unfold side by side in this deft, utterly absorbing novel.brbrFlora, the illegitimate child of a wealthy Peruvian father and French mother, grows up in poverty, and after fleeing a brutal husband, journeys to Peru to demand her inheritance. On her return, she makes her name as a popular writer and a champion of the downtrodden, setting herself the arduous task of touring the French countryside to recruit members for her Workers' Union. Paul, struggling painter and stubborn visionary, abandons his wife and five children for life in the South Seas, where his dreams of paradise are poisoned by syphilis, the stifling forces of French colonialism, and a chronic lack of funds, though he has his pick of teenage Tahitian lovers and paints some of his greatest works.
Rating About Books El Paraíso en la otra esquina
Ratings: 3.82 From 3765 Users | 292 ReviewsJudgment About Books El Paraíso en la otra esquina
Whenever I see this novel on my shelf, I get that strange feeling reserved for rare pieces of fiction, that feeling of: "Yes, that is why we read, why we write, why we fight, why we paint, why we live!" In an interconnected story, Vargas Llosa describes the lives of Gauguin and his grandmother fighting for art and for women's rights respectively. While using historical facts accurately and offering convincing psychological portraits of the two protagonists, the writer himself emerges in every2.5 starsAn interesting read though not gripping enough and a bit too long to keep me interested. At a certain point it became too repetitive to hold my attention and I was longing to finish. Also I didn't like the switch between the "present" and the past, even within a chapter which made it confusing and tiring. I think had it been like 150 pages shorter I would have given it one star more, but as it is now I can't give it more than 2.5 stars.
A masterpiece of historical fiction: shows 2 different roads to Paradise (here, on Earth). First - Paul Gaugin, the painter, who is searching his paradise in Polynesia; second - Flora Tristan, his grandmother, searching for Paradise thru creating (or believing) in utopian society in which women enjoy basic human rights. Attention: therere a number of characters and the chapters told from different perspectives. Beautiful writing (style), a joy to read.
The Way to Paradise splits its time between the painter Paul Gauguin--after hes abandoned Europe and his family for Tahiti--and Gauguins grandmother, Flora, a social reformer traveling around France decades earlier, trying to inspire workers to band together and stand up for their rights. I usually enjoy Mario Vargas Llosas books both his writing style and his choice of subject matter and Gauguins story is a fascinating one (see also Maughams The Moon And Sixpence). Gauguin is a daring choice
"The way to paradise" an clever double biography written as a novel, it took me a couple of chapters to realise what i was reading; biographies of Gaugin and his grandmother. I couldn't put this down.
BOOK 3 - Around the World Read - PeruMario Vargas Llosa was born in Arequipa, Peru and as of this book's publication in 2003, lived in London. I pulled this off the library shelf at random, having never heard of it or of the author. Then at home I turned to the text and started reading. I went in knowing absolutely nothing about this work, and sometimes that makes all the difference.SUMMARYA woman, Flora Tristan, fights for worker's and women's rights in Europe while her grandson, Paul Gaugin,
Maricarmen wrote: "Loved your review. Inspiring as usual!"Thanks, Maricarmen!
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