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Malena
Publishers Set during Argentina's Dirty Wars of the late 1970s and early 80s, Holzman's stunning debut novel follows two men clamoring for a woman's heart as they weather the country's descent into brutality. As Captain Diego Fioravanti dances with Inés to their favorite tango, "Malena," his thoughts pirouette from the woman in his arms to his dreaded impending rendezvous with a high-ranking military official. Entangled in a web of mistrust and state-sanctioned atrocities, Diego is desperate to escape the rogue military. Meanwhile, Kevin "Solo" Solórzano, an American interpreter stationed in Washington D.C. and who spent time in Argentina in his youth, struggles in the midst of a divorce and a tumultuous joint-custody suit for his children. But when an assignment from the Organization of American States sends him to Argentina, he jumps at the chance to rekindle the flame with the woman he left behind 16 years ago. As the number of los desaparecidos rises, Diego and Solo must overcome their rivalry in order to survive, but neither wants to relinquish their love for Inés. Holzman, an Argentinian himself, has crafted a beautiful tale grounded in history and propelled by fast-paced storytelling.
- GenresHistoryHistorical
368 pages, Paperback
First published April 10, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 19, 2012
Malena is not an easy book to read. It is not meant to be.
And that statement, in itself, is a testimony to its power.
Debut author Edgardo David Holzman pens the book that he was born to write – a heartbreaking tale of unspeakable crimes-upon-humanity that takes place during the Argentina Dirty Wars in the late 1970s. This war against its own people was carried out with full complicity of the police, the courts, and some of the highest levels of the Catholic Church. The United States not only turned its back, it acquiesed. In fact, many of the torturers use the same techniques that were learned at the U.S. School of Assassins. The fact that this is all true is chilling.
In many ways, the Dirty Wars mirror the very worst of the historical genocides: books are burned, innocent people disappear and are savagely tortured in the most unimaginable ways, the legal establishment and court system turn a jaded and blinded eye, babes are ripped from their mothers and are given to the government faithful, and property is transferred even after huge ransoms are paid. No Argentinean is safe if he or she is remotely suspected of not supporting the military government. And Jews, who comprise only one percent of the population, represent ten percent of the victims, in the worst slaughter since the Holocaust.
Mr. Holzman – a human rights attorney and one-time interpreter who had access to the historical record behind Argentina’s 1975-1983 military dictatorship – writes with the ring of authenticity and his recounting, while painful, is also page-turning. His story revolves around a triangle: Kevin Solorzano, known as Solo, an American interpreter who travels “back home” with the OAS in the era of the Carter Administration. The story is interwoven with that of Diego Fioravanti, an Argentine army captain who has had a stomach full of the evilness that has engulfed his government and is striving to break free from the army. Both are in love with the same woman: Ines, who once loved Solo and now loves Diego.
The most memorable portrayals are Solo and Diego. A fault of the novel is its reliance on certain contrivances, which tie in Solo’s personal and professional lives, defying coincidence. Although this would normally turn me off, the novel was so gripping and courageous that it was hard not to be swept into his larger messages and overall plotting.
Mr. Holtzman says, “Fiction, paradoxically, is the closest thing we have to real life. It seeks to stir the heart as well as the head. It’s where readers can inhabit characters, feel what those characters feel, experience their world. My hope is that people who never look at a human rights report will nevertheless read Malena.” Indeed, this reader has been transformed through reading Malena and I suspect many others will as well.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I must add that when I first opened it, I did not anticipate that an unknown debut writer and a small and emerging press (Nortia Press) to publish a book with this kind of haunting power. If this is any example of what Nortia Press is intending to publish, it’s a reason for literary readers to rejoice.
And that statement, in itself, is a testimony to its power.
Debut author Edgardo David Holzman pens the book that he was born to write – a heartbreaking tale of unspeakable crimes-upon-humanity that takes place during the Argentina Dirty Wars in the late 1970s. This war against its own people was carried out with full complicity of the police, the courts, and some of the highest levels of the Catholic Church. The United States not only turned its back, it acquiesed. In fact, many of the torturers use the same techniques that were learned at the U.S. School of Assassins. The fact that this is all true is chilling.
In many ways, the Dirty Wars mirror the very worst of the historical genocides: books are burned, innocent people disappear and are savagely tortured in the most unimaginable ways, the legal establishment and court system turn a jaded and blinded eye, babes are ripped from their mothers and are given to the government faithful, and property is transferred even after huge ransoms are paid. No Argentinean is safe if he or she is remotely suspected of not supporting the military government. And Jews, who comprise only one percent of the population, represent ten percent of the victims, in the worst slaughter since the Holocaust.
Mr. Holzman – a human rights attorney and one-time interpreter who had access to the historical record behind Argentina’s 1975-1983 military dictatorship – writes with the ring of authenticity and his recounting, while painful, is also page-turning. His story revolves around a triangle: Kevin Solorzano, known as Solo, an American interpreter who travels “back home” with the OAS in the era of the Carter Administration. The story is interwoven with that of Diego Fioravanti, an Argentine army captain who has had a stomach full of the evilness that has engulfed his government and is striving to break free from the army. Both are in love with the same woman: Ines, who once loved Solo and now loves Diego.
The most memorable portrayals are Solo and Diego. A fault of the novel is its reliance on certain contrivances, which tie in Solo’s personal and professional lives, defying coincidence. Although this would normally turn me off, the novel was so gripping and courageous that it was hard not to be swept into his larger messages and overall plotting.
Mr. Holtzman says, “Fiction, paradoxically, is the closest thing we have to real life. It seeks to stir the heart as well as the head. It’s where readers can inhabit characters, feel what those characters feel, experience their world. My hope is that people who never look at a human rights report will nevertheless read Malena.” Indeed, this reader has been transformed through reading Malena and I suspect many others will as well.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I must add that when I first opened it, I did not anticipate that an unknown debut writer and a small and emerging press (Nortia Press) to publish a book with this kind of haunting power. If this is any example of what Nortia Press is intending to publish, it’s a reason for literary readers to rejoice.
May 14, 2012
The sentence" Beware of fools with initiative" runs like a thread through Edgardo David Holzman's debut novel about "love and moral choices". Set primarily in Argentina, the author delves deep into the dark period of his country's recent past: the military dictatorship of the nineteen seventies and early eighties and its so-called Dirty War. Many may want to forget and put behind them the perturbing and harrowing events of those years. Yet they still carry many secrets demanding to be revealed so that those responsible are brought to justice. The image of the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo - the mothers and grandmothers of the "desaparecidos", the "Disappeared", will forever stay in the minds of those who have been in any way involved with the political realities in the Americas.
Holzman, whose familiarity with the horrific events of the time speaks to the reader from every page, has transposed his intimate knowledge and extensive research into a captivating heart-wrenching novel that while grounded in facts, centres on a small group of fictional characters caught up in the maelstrom of Argentine history. With sensitivity and empathy he has condensed the pain of thousands into an intimate emotional story of a few, making it bearable for the reader - most of the time - to cope with testimonies of prisoners and revelations of human brutality that "defies belief" and that, in turn, led to the loss of thousands of innocent lives.
Many details about the military dictatorship's vicious regime have come to light in the last thirty years, starting with the "Report of the Argentine National Commission on the Disappeared of 1984", an important source Holzman refers to. Yet in 1979, the starting date for the novel, the knowledge of the extent of the military's brutality and its collaborators, inside and outside the country, were not yet well known in the wider public. The political leadership and the Church widely collaborated or at least condoned the actions in the name of "fighting communism" while many Argentines continued to live in the belief "it cannot happen to me or my family". However, with increasing frequency and despite efforts of many to adapt to new restrictive policies, such as book burning, more and more families were torn apart and pressure was brought to bear on them to reveal names of potential "subversives" among their families and friends.
The novel follows the two protagonists during a short, yet crucial period in their lives. Kevin "Solo" Solórzano, an American interpreter, accompanies the OAS (Organization of American States) Human Rights Commission to investigate the treatment of prisoners in Argentine jails; Diego Fioravanti, captain with the Argentine army, is attempting to get out before being pulled further into military campaigns. Their stories cross and eventually overlap in more ways than one. They both have emotional ties to the same woman, Inés Maldonado: Solo knew her intimately in Washington DC, some fifteen years ago; Diego recently met and fell in love with her on the dance floor, dancing the Tango "Malena".
The phrase "Beware the fool with initiative" encapsulated for me the focus of Holzman's novel: the danger of acting out of naiveté in circumstances where ignorance and trusting an unknown opponent can and will cost lives. Those who look and behave like considerate and friendly professionals may stab the "fool" in the back at the first opportunity despite assurances to the contrary. Solo, even more so than Diego is confronted with moral choices, with trusting, or not, their friends who might be their enemies. As an interpreter, he has to strictly observe and translate, he cannot or should not act out of his own initiative. The pressure to share what he has observed is constant and Holzman is fully in tune with his character, bringing out Solo's inner struggles. In the end, both protagonists could, through their action, endanger their own lives and that of others. The "fools with initiative" could be either of them...
This is not an easy book to read, yet it is an important one and it takes its rightful place among others that have dealt with the subject matter in similar or different ways. Holzman has given us a fast-paced narrative that integrates fact and fiction successfully, and his central characters are believable and well developed. The descriptions of the military campaigns and the prisoners' testimonies are very realistic and described with vivid immediacy. Other connections between Diego and Solo and the personal relationships each have with family, friends and colleagues are portrayed over the course of the novel. While they add some interesting aspects and a certain complexity to the characters' personal lives and struggles, especially in the case of Solo, I have found them somewhat distracting. They were less well developed and relied to some extent on deliberate turns and coincidences within the story. For me these narrative threads were more or less peripheral to the central theme of the novel.
Holzman, whose familiarity with the horrific events of the time speaks to the reader from every page, has transposed his intimate knowledge and extensive research into a captivating heart-wrenching novel that while grounded in facts, centres on a small group of fictional characters caught up in the maelstrom of Argentine history. With sensitivity and empathy he has condensed the pain of thousands into an intimate emotional story of a few, making it bearable for the reader - most of the time - to cope with testimonies of prisoners and revelations of human brutality that "defies belief" and that, in turn, led to the loss of thousands of innocent lives.
Many details about the military dictatorship's vicious regime have come to light in the last thirty years, starting with the "Report of the Argentine National Commission on the Disappeared of 1984", an important source Holzman refers to. Yet in 1979, the starting date for the novel, the knowledge of the extent of the military's brutality and its collaborators, inside and outside the country, were not yet well known in the wider public. The political leadership and the Church widely collaborated or at least condoned the actions in the name of "fighting communism" while many Argentines continued to live in the belief "it cannot happen to me or my family". However, with increasing frequency and despite efforts of many to adapt to new restrictive policies, such as book burning, more and more families were torn apart and pressure was brought to bear on them to reveal names of potential "subversives" among their families and friends.
The novel follows the two protagonists during a short, yet crucial period in their lives. Kevin "Solo" Solórzano, an American interpreter, accompanies the OAS (Organization of American States) Human Rights Commission to investigate the treatment of prisoners in Argentine jails; Diego Fioravanti, captain with the Argentine army, is attempting to get out before being pulled further into military campaigns. Their stories cross and eventually overlap in more ways than one. They both have emotional ties to the same woman, Inés Maldonado: Solo knew her intimately in Washington DC, some fifteen years ago; Diego recently met and fell in love with her on the dance floor, dancing the Tango "Malena".
The phrase "Beware the fool with initiative" encapsulated for me the focus of Holzman's novel: the danger of acting out of naiveté in circumstances where ignorance and trusting an unknown opponent can and will cost lives. Those who look and behave like considerate and friendly professionals may stab the "fool" in the back at the first opportunity despite assurances to the contrary. Solo, even more so than Diego is confronted with moral choices, with trusting, or not, their friends who might be their enemies. As an interpreter, he has to strictly observe and translate, he cannot or should not act out of his own initiative. The pressure to share what he has observed is constant and Holzman is fully in tune with his character, bringing out Solo's inner struggles. In the end, both protagonists could, through their action, endanger their own lives and that of others. The "fools with initiative" could be either of them...
This is not an easy book to read, yet it is an important one and it takes its rightful place among others that have dealt with the subject matter in similar or different ways. Holzman has given us a fast-paced narrative that integrates fact and fiction successfully, and his central characters are believable and well developed. The descriptions of the military campaigns and the prisoners' testimonies are very realistic and described with vivid immediacy. Other connections between Diego and Solo and the personal relationships each have with family, friends and colleagues are portrayed over the course of the novel. While they add some interesting aspects and a certain complexity to the characters' personal lives and struggles, especially in the case of Solo, I have found them somewhat distracting. They were less well developed and relied to some extent on deliberate turns and coincidences within the story. For me these narrative threads were more or less peripheral to the central theme of the novel.
August 3, 2015
A finely done political thriller, about Argentina's Dirty War, by a novice writer...a man in retirement, who had a fine book growing in him (presumably) for years.
February 2, 2024
It is was a one-of-a-kind, moving experience to read this book while also exploring many of the sites mentioned throughout it. While it was painfully heartbreaking, I really appreciated having it as a precursor to my trip. Holzman does a wonderful job of highlighting some of the gut-wrenching history of Argentina while also encapsulating it within a thrilling narrative of love and loss. Despite the disguise of the genre, I felt the truth behind every word.
The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars is because I felt like the plot didn't get enough time for resolution. I loved a lot of the plot twists towards the end but as they when on, it started to feel like they were all piled up. Diego's death was particularly confusing because it felt sudden and rushed. I instead would have liked to hear more about how the family restructured and started healed (if that is even possible).
Nonetheless, thank you Holzman for telling this story and for ending it with a hopeful message despite the darkness of it all.
The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars is because I felt like the plot didn't get enough time for resolution. I loved a lot of the plot twists towards the end but as they when on, it started to feel like they were all piled up. Diego's death was particularly confusing because it felt sudden and rushed. I instead would have liked to hear more about how the family restructured and started healed (if that is even possible).
Nonetheless, thank you Holzman for telling this story and for ending it with a hopeful message despite the darkness of it all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2025
Brutal is the word I'd use if I had to describe this in short. Argentina's Dirty War was terrifying state-sponsored terrorism against dissidents and anyone it perceived as threats or nonconformists, and the novel makes no effort to hide it. Kevin Solorzano, an American interpreter who lived in Argentina and is a member of the OAS, is an interesting character. He lives in a world of thoughts and feelings that get lost in translation or those that must be concealed and perverted to serve the interests of those in power. But his childhood in Argentina and his love for Ines combined with the evil he sees challenge him.
Diego is even more interesting in that he tries to abandon the military after a painful struggle with his conscience. His account of events is explicit and quite difficult to read, but it's also the rawest and feels the most authentic.
Malena, the name of the tango Ines and Diego dance to and also one of Solo's favorite, is also the name of the woman who figures out secrets about Operation Condor and . This twofold presence haunts throughout the book.
Your song
Has the chill of the last encounter
Your song
Grows bitter in the brine of remembrance
Who is to say
If your voice is a flower of sorrow...
While I do think Ines could have been written better and some supporting characters aren't quite well developed, the fast-paced narrative, crisp prose, and Solo and Diego's characters make for a difficult yet wonderful read.
Diego is even more interesting in that he tries to abandon the military after a painful struggle with his conscience. His account of events is explicit and quite difficult to read, but it's also the rawest and feels the most authentic.
Malena, the name of the tango Ines and Diego dance to and also one of Solo's favorite, is also the name of the woman who figures out secrets about Operation Condor and . This twofold presence haunts throughout the book.
Your song
Has the chill of the last encounter
Your song
Grows bitter in the brine of remembrance
Who is to say
If your voice is a flower of sorrow...
While I do think Ines could have been written better and some supporting characters aren't quite well developed, the fast-paced narrative, crisp prose, and Solo and Diego's characters make for a difficult yet wonderful read.
March 15, 2018
THIH BUC IS AMASING. IT RILI JELPED UIZ MAI SPELING
Por cierto, hay una niña de mi curso q se llama MAlena, y es una hdppppp
no para de seguir a la gente y corre como un burro en gimnasia.
ASIQUE CHICOS Y CHICAS
OS VOY A SACAR UNA CONCLUSION DE ESTA HISTORIA COMO EL PATRONIO
Y MI CONSEJO ESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
NUNCA OS ACERCEIS A UNA NIÑA Q SE LLAMA MALENA EN EL COLEGIO KINS KOLS ( es un colegio chino que esta en china)
Por cierto, hay una niña de mi curso q se llama MAlena, y es una hdppppp
no para de seguir a la gente y corre como un burro en gimnasia.
ASIQUE CHICOS Y CHICAS
OS VOY A SACAR UNA CONCLUSION DE ESTA HISTORIA COMO EL PATRONIO
Y MI CONSEJO ESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
NUNCA OS ACERCEIS A UNA NIÑA Q SE LLAMA MALENA EN EL COLEGIO KINS KOLS ( es un colegio chino que esta en china)
June 24, 2023
Edgar Holzman's debut novel, "Malena," offers a compelling exploration of love and survival amidst the backdrop of Argentina's Dirty War. Set in the late 1970s and early 80s, the story weaves together the experiences of Captain Diego Fioravanti and Kevin "Solo" Solórzano, two men entangled in a web of mistrust and brutality, as they vie for the heart of Inés. Holzman's skillful storytelling and deep understanding of the historical context make "Malena" a captivating read.
July 18, 2018
A very haunting heavy piece that is still throat-stuck. Suffocating me ; it takes a long long time to digest. This thick substance is surely a stand out. Begins as a lighthearted drama and the story eventually takes a dark turn . The scar it created in my mind is deep.
July 1, 2021
"Malena canta tango como ninguna y en cada verso pone su corazón"
Un retrato casi real, casi exagerado, casi todo, de lo que fue la seguida ola de dictaduras militares en Latinoamérica. Ya quisiéramos todos conocer todos los crímenes así de fácil.
Un retrato casi real, casi exagerado, casi todo, de lo que fue la seguida ola de dictaduras militares en Latinoamérica. Ya quisiéramos todos conocer todos los crímenes así de fácil.
September 29, 2022
I watch the movie, Malena. Every time I feel like I am watching for the first time and there is more to understand. Now I want to read the Malena book. Really penman has a considerable aptitude to persuade the reader throughout the Argentina blood combat.
March 15, 2018
El nombre no me gusta. Pero la portada si. A ti te gusta 50 sombras de grey? A mi yes
April 29, 2014
Interesting to read the reviews of others who have read this book - and how much I am in agreement. This is not an easy book to read. It goes into gruesome details about the cruel torture of the military junta in Argentina through the eyes of a military man who is horrified and wants to get away and the people - victims and perpetrators - with whom he interacts. The book is hard to put down; the story and the characters carry it along rapidly. The characters are believable, touching and horrifying. At the end of the book, what was worst for me - as someone who vividly remembers that time - is that we now know that the US is guilty of the same tortuous behavior as the junta.
June 3, 2014
A trip to Argentina to visit a companion church outside Buenos Aires led me to read this book. It confirmed what a human rights group in Chicago has been working towards for years: closing of the School of the Americas. I urge everyone to read this book, not only to learn what had transpired in Argentina in fairly recent history, but to be aware of our culpability in the world's discontent.
It's a work of fiction based on horrifying fact. It's a little difficult to get into, but stick with it.
It's a work of fiction based on horrifying fact. It's a little difficult to get into, but stick with it.
December 11, 2012
Excellent- once I started it I found it very difficult to put down! I must admit that I knew very little about this period in Argentina prior to reading, so I was, of course, horrified to be reminded and further educated about the actions taken in the name of God and country, but I found the development of the characters and their storylines to be beautifully and engagingly written. I'm looking forward to more from this author.
May 18, 2012
reading this and interviewing the author about the argentina dirty war
here is the resulting interview and my thoughts on it
http://sbutki.newsvine.com/_news/2012...
here is the resulting interview and my thoughts on it
http://sbutki.newsvine.com/_news/2012...
March 11, 2014
A powerful and often brutally uncomfortable read. This book opened my eyes to this dark chapter in Argentinian and Latin American history. A true testament to the human spirit when confronted with the worst in human nature. Highly recommended.
February 16, 2013
Powerful story about the crimes, tortures, kidnappings and killings of thousands of suspicious citizens in Argentina in the late 70's. Not an easy read, but a well told story.
May 30, 2013
Incredible story based on factual events. Wow! And this is a debut novel by this writer. Based around the Dirty War in Argentina. Criminal!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews