Distant Palaces: A Novel

by Abilio Estévez

With passion and eloquence, master craftsman Abilio Estevez brings to life the mysterious, broken down city of Havana on the eve of the new millennium. Victorio, a lonely, middle-aged gay man, awakes to the news that the ancient palace where he rents a tiny apartment is scheduled to be demolished, leaving him homeless. Wandering the streets in search of a new place to call his own, he meets two unusual people who are destined to change his life: Salma, a young prostitute, and Don Fuco, an eccentric old clown who brings both of them to live in his own refuge, an abandoned theater. In a city riddled with conflict and no longer tolerant of outcasts, the pair find solace in one another and in the dilapidated theater that shelters them, and a renewed joy in their collective abilities to entertain people with their clowning. But when the harsh realities of life intrude on their self-contained utopia, Victorio and Salma are forced back out into the streets, where they struggle to keep beauty and laughter alive.

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282 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Studied Spanish and philosophy. Wrote seven plays and published two volumes of poetry. Tuyo es el reino was his first novel and has been translated in many languages.

Reviews

[João Roque · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este livro consistiu numa muito agradável surpresa.
Não é a primeira vez que uma cidade se torna quase como a principal personagem de um livro de ficção, mas descrever Havana como o faz Abílio Estevez, com uma crueza e ao mesmo tempo uma imensa tristeza mesclada com pinceladas de amor, não é fácil.
Nunca fui a Havana, mas depois de ter lido este livro, parece-me que percorri essa cidade, decrépita, "velha", cheia de uma gente própria que a sente como sua e apesar de a criticar ela (a cidade) está sempre presente.
O livro foi escrito em 2000 e a realidade de hoje não deverá andar longe da que aqui é retratada, embora possa a um curto prazo, haver modificações.
É uma cidade cheia de "palácios", por vezes invisíveis e que apenas personagens tão concretas como surreais, como Victorio (o homossexual), Salma (a prostituta) e principalmente o admirável Don Fusco (o velho palhaço), conseguem vislumbrar e até vivem num deles - as ruínas escondidas de um velho e pequeno teatro - onde tudo pode acontecer...

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this novel six years ago and enjoyed it but I can't say that I was mesmerised or moved by it. If anything I felt a little disappointed or, more honestly, disengaged. I am currently reading Virgilio Pinera's 'Renes Flesh' a novel originally published in 1952 and though comparisons are invidious, I am lost in wonder with Pinera while Estevez simply vanishes from my memory.

I am sure others will treasure this novel but I don't.

[Sónia Cabral · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Heather Ashington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of it I loved, beautiful writing, and some I couldn't get through. I skipped a big chunk in the middle and read the last chapter. Oh well, it happens sometimes.

[Astrid Marte]

( Denne leste jeg på norsk med tittelen «De fjerne palasser», men den utgaven var ikke å oppdrive på Goodreads . Og jeg vet ikke hvordan man legger inn nye bøker. ) Noen ganger tar man bare en bok ut av bokhyllen man ikke har lest før og tenker; "Tja, la meg bare prøve denne." Jeg har blitt litt sånn innbitt leser som velger å lese ut en bok selv om den ikke appellerer så sterkt til meg. Sånn var det med denne. En fabulerende. poetisk, drømmende bok om tre skipbrudne sjeler i Havana. Dette ble en litt vel eksotisk og fjern leseopplevelse for meg med mange referanser jeg ikke har noe forhold til. Nesten litt sånn avantgardistisk tekst til tider. En handling var det jo, men utrolig mye annet også som jeg syns ble litt slitsomt å lese. Er rett og slett ikke vant til å lese slike bøker. Jeg leser nok for lite utenlandske forfattere og beveger meg nok helst i litt mer kjente landskap enn dette. Blir nok lenge til neste gang jeg leser en slik bok. Det ble litt kaotisk og uforståelig. #defjernepalasser #abilioestévez #aschehoug

[Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

another great spanish writer.

[DB · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book with a complex cast of characters. Expect the unexpected and learn to be okay with confusion in the reading of this novel.