Buenos Aires: A Cultural Guide

by Nick Caistor

The architect Le Corbusier once called Buenos Aires “the capital of an imaginary empire.” From its foundation in the sixteenth century, Argentina’s main city has been a place of the imagination as well as the scene of many striking historical events. From foreign invasions to more modern-day coups d’état and dictatorships, the city’s turbulent history has been paralleled by a vibrant popular culture born out of the hardships of immigration and longing for a lost homeland. This cultural guide looks at the impact of history and the efforts of men and women to build a city that would fulfill their dreams, as well as bringing today’s Buenos Aires vividly to life for the visitor. From the new skyscrapers along the front of the huge “river of silver” to the picturesque portside La Boca where hundreds of thousands of immigrants first faced a new continent, Buenos Aires has created its own legend, lived out today in tango bars, on football pitches, in cafés where intense debates take place, or where people simply watch the ever-changing parade of passers-by. Nick Caistor takes the reader to the insider’s Buenos Aires. He shows how the past has shaped its streets, how Argentine politics has left its mark on almost every corner, how each wave of new inhabitants has added to the city’s cultural mix. He explores the complex legacy of Spanish colonialism and Peronism as well as considering the city’s representation by writers from Darwin and Humboldt to Borges and Cortázar. Analyzing the foundations of Porteño culture, he reveals a city obsessed by nostalgia yet rich in music, dance and spectacle. • Compact cultural guide to Buenos Aires with color illustrations • Author is a long-term resident of Buenos Aires and has reported for the BBC/WGBH from there • Looks at the city’s rich literary and musical heritage

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Nick Caistor is a British journalist, non-fiction author, and translator of Spanish and Portuguese literature. He has translated Cesar Aira, Paulo Coelho, Eduardo Mendoza, Juan Marsé, and Manuel Vázquez Montalban, and he has twice won the Valle-Inclán Prize for translation. He regularly contributes to Radio 4, the BBC World Service, the Times Literary Supplement, and the Guardian. He lives in Norwich, England.

Reviews

[Stefano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rispetto al libro di Emiliano Guanella, questo tende a essere più lungo e coprire maggiori aspetti della città, dall'architettura alle migrazioni, dalla letteratura passando per l'arte. Inoltre, è corredato di immagini e di citazioni. È più completo e storico come libro, mentre quello di Guanella è principalmente scritto per turisti.

[Ramya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written book about a single city from it's settlement about 400 years ago through this new century. Makes the city and it's characters infinitely interesting by simply relating events in clear manner and timeline. Really like how he was able to succinctly synthesize the implicated political life of the city against the backdrop of the developing nation. Also, was amazed he tackles the violent side of the city in a chapter by itself and clear about the political players in that as well.