Mothers And Shadows

by Marta Traba, Gustavo Zalamea (Cover Art), Jo Labanyi (Translator)

Very good in a very good dustjacket - toning to the pages as is common with books by this publisher. Hardcover first edition - New York & Reader's International,, 1986.. Hardcover first edition -. Very good in a very good dustjacket - toning to the pages as is common with books by this publisher.. First English language edition. Posthumous publication of this novel by this Argentinian-born art historian - who was not only expelled from Colombia in the mid-60's, but was also expelled from the US in 1982 as "subversives."

Genres: Spanish Literature, Fiction, Womens, Read For School, Classics

178 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Marta Traba Taín (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 25 de enero de 1930 - Madrid, 27 de noviembre de 1983) fue una crítica de arte y escritora argentino-colombiana, conocida por sus importantes aportes en el estudio del Arte latinoamericano.

Reviews

[dianne b. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written circa the time of the dirty wars in the cone of South America, the book comes from the stories, recollections, shared terror of two women still living in the hell of Chile, Argentina & Uruguay's military dictatorships. Still waiting for news of a son missing days after the coup in Chile, still losing continence at the knock on the front door; i found it riveting. How DOES one go on with life after "surviving" horrible torture and the loss of just about everything and everyone you love? i found myself terrified at bits, written decades ago by a woman who died in the 80s, so perfectly describing the transitions happening in the USA now. How can so many people who think of themselves as gentle and good, ignore the terror going on their name and with their dollars?

[Nicholas Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

The original Spanish title translates literally as Conversation to the South, however the English translation "Mothers and Shadows" relates directly to Mothers of the Disappeared, those children whose bodies vanished never to be seen again and their mothers who day after day registered their silent protest. This novel is an immensely powerful indictment of totalitarian regimes and their ability to harness the latent potential in all of us to put aside all empathy for our fellow human beings and to "buy" into the myth of the "other" and turn a blind eye, if not actively engage in their destruction.

Intense, chilling with a remarkable ability to integrate Latin American (specifically in this novel Uruguay/Argentinian/Chilean) dictatorial regimes with personal political involvement and the harsh results that ensue, it's a tour de force and an essential read. The ending is absolutely devastating. Her other novels have not unfortunately been translated into English yet. Here's hoping!

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dolores is a young woman (student) meeting again her unlikely friend Irene (actress) several years after the meeting in Montevideo during the troubles of 1970s military repression in Chile, Uruguay and Argentina. They each have inner monologues reflecting on their lives and events around their group of friends (inc Tomas, Enrique, Flaquita, Nestor) and lovers cornered in a house with security services . They portray a couple of horrific events such as Dolores being tortured by being stamped on the belly while heavily pregnant. The women live with uncertainty of their sons and partners.

I took the events of terror depicted in a rather reflective, understated feminine perspective really very poignant. I am more used to reading colonial and wars of independence in Latin American literature where the inequity of the situation drives the narrative perhaps I found this lacking in this novel though.

[Cor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story of two women, one younger and one older, primarily taking place in Montevideo, Uruguay & Buenos Aires, Argentina. A flurry of revolutionary pain in a region plagued by turmoil and right wing authoritarianism. I read the English translation & I wanted to give this book a higher rating, but i must admit that while the prose style was unique and fascinating, it was also challenging to stay engaged with it in ways that made much of the read more detached from it's plaintive narrative that otherwise was a story and a voice that i was very interested to read about.

Ultimately I did leave the book feeling satisfied and with a greater understanding/empathy for the experience of living in a conflict ridden region. Even more so of the tenuous relationships that ebb & flow through heartbreak and dehumanization, especially for those who choose to resist.

I truly hope more people in the West of the 21st century read this book.
Do i recommend reading this book?: Yes, but tentatively. I think many people have/will be turned off by the way much of the story is in retellings and the thoughts of the protagonist in a very meandering prose that feels like 1 or 2 continuous strands that must be read over a shorter period of time in order to follow and appreciate it. For those leftists interested in the fallout of US coups in Latin America through the later 20th century and particularly the ensuing reactionary governments' toll on the personal experience of those who live through them; i think they will be able to push through the challenges of reading this and be glad they did.

[Peter Mumford · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional short historical novel, set during the authoritarian repression of the Uruguayan and Argentine governments in the 1970s. It starts on an ominous note, and slowly grows into terrifying and paralyzing fear. The novel gets mediocre reviews because its confusingly written. I think this is an expression of a person coming out of massive trauma, and trying to remember and understand the past. By reading carefully, all the elements and characters came into focus for me.

[Daniel Polansky]

Faulknerian recollections of two women united in suffering caused by the wave of fascism then sweeping across South America. It reminded me of Bolano in the potency of its monologues and in its willingness to stare at the nastiest aspects of the human experience without looking away or degenerating into pornography. Strong stuff.

[Tonje Beisland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utrolig vanskelig og vond å lese, men likevel en veldig god bok. Litt nedtrekk for fortellerteknikk, som er nødvendig for at boka skal fungere som den gjør men likevel gjør det svært vanskelig å følge med.

[Mauqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

Increíble

[Tanya Duah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book about dictatorship, disappearance and most importantly solidarity between mothers through their shared experience under a regime.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read 24/02/2012 - 27/01/2012

I started off moderately enjoying it. The first few pages seemed somewhat mysterious, the intricate descriptions of the thought processes drew me in. However, after those first few pages, the style wore very thin.

I like my books to be split into manageable sections. Generally chapters, but even just larger 'parts' are okay. Unfortunately, this entire book was made up of just two chapters/sections/whatever label you wish to use. Not only that, but each 90-page part itself was made up of long stretches of paragraph. I am not exaggerating when I say that some paragraphs stretched for 3 pages. I know that opinions should be formed based on the content rather than the organisation of the text, but it just made the book feel so long and rambly. None of the text appeared to be emphasised, because it all got hidden inside a long stream of other sentences.

The switching of narrators also put me off. Switching mid-paragraph from third person to first person, and then back again, could have been a stylistic technique that worked interestingly. Unfortunately, in this text, it just came across as unclear as to who was speaking, what time period the events were occurring in, and generally what scene the reader was supposed to be witnessing.

The story itself was not offensively bad - hence why the book received two stars rather than one. It was one of those cases where, whilst reading, I would sometimes being a paragraph and find myself somewhat drawn in to the sentences, and being interested in them and what they had to say, but as the constant drone of single-paragraph writing continued on and on and on, I found my attention and interest waning.

[Vernin]

This was a chance read from a second-hand store that I picked up based on the interesting cover. It turned out to be one of the best fiction books I have read in the past five years. The author creatively weaves together an intricate and lively cross-generational exchanges between women involved in the revolutions in Uruguay and Chile. The first-person descriptions are vivid and switch smoothly from one to the other as the women -- all mothers in one way or another -- view the chaos from their own perspectives and traumas.

It is a short book (less than 200 pages) but a satisfying journey through the mid-century political and social upheaval in South America.

[Syd ⭐️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was written around the time of the Dirty Wars in South America as a group of women advocate for their missing children and grandchildren. A story of friendship, maternal love, and justice (or lack there of). Absolutely heartbreaking, but in a necessary way??

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

20th Century Latin American Novel w/ Doug Weatherford. I don't really remember the book, so the rating is just a guess.

[Seth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and well-written if unambitious.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Que libro tan fuerte e intenso sobre la Guerra Sucia y las dictaduras de Latinoamérica...

[Calen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking and AMAZING.