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Always from Somewhere Else: A Memoir of My Chilean Jewish Father
In the tradition of her critically acclaimed memoir of her mother, A Cross and a Star, Marjorie Agosin writes the life of her father, Moises Agosin, a doctor, scientist, and classical pianist whose life reflects the lives of so many Jews of his generation, who were destined to be always refugees, always "others"—always from somewhere else.
In Always From Somewhere Else, Agosin’s homage to her father becomes much more than a simple life story; it is a captivating and moving meditation on the boundaries of national and cultural identities, the meanings of exile and home, and the legacies of storytelling, memory, and love.
"In this beautifully composed tribute to the life of her father, Marjorie Agosín first describes the flight of her grandparents, Abraham and Raquel from the war-ravaged and increasingly anti-Semitic Russia of 1917. They lived as refugees in Istanbul and Marseilles, where Moisés was born, before settling with their three sons in Quillota, Chile. In vivid detail, Agosín contrasts the beauty of the Chilean countryside with the ugliness of the entrenched anti-Semitism that made her father a permanent outsider. . . . Agosín paints a moving portrait of a man who, despite his love for his family, his work, and classical music, was, like herself, marked at the core of his identity as a wandering exile."— Publishers Weekly
"This is a haunting work of extraordinary grace and depth."—Claribel Alegria
Marjorie Agosín is author of many volumes of poetry, fiction, and essays. She is winner of the Letras do Oro Prize and the Latino Literature Prize, and is chair of the Spanish department at Wellesley College.
Elizabeth Rosa Horan is an essayist, translator, and director of comparative studies in literature at Arizona State University.
In Always From Somewhere Else, Agosin’s homage to her father becomes much more than a simple life story; it is a captivating and moving meditation on the boundaries of national and cultural identities, the meanings of exile and home, and the legacies of storytelling, memory, and love.
"In this beautifully composed tribute to the life of her father, Marjorie Agosín first describes the flight of her grandparents, Abraham and Raquel from the war-ravaged and increasingly anti-Semitic Russia of 1917. They lived as refugees in Istanbul and Marseilles, where Moisés was born, before settling with their three sons in Quillota, Chile. In vivid detail, Agosín contrasts the beauty of the Chilean countryside with the ugliness of the entrenched anti-Semitism that made her father a permanent outsider. . . . Agosín paints a moving portrait of a man who, despite his love for his family, his work, and classical music, was, like herself, marked at the core of his identity as a wandering exile."— Publishers Weekly
"This is a haunting work of extraordinary grace and depth."—Claribel Alegria
Marjorie Agosín is author of many volumes of poetry, fiction, and essays. She is winner of the Letras do Oro Prize and the Latino Literature Prize, and is chair of the Spanish department at Wellesley College.
Elizabeth Rosa Horan is an essayist, translator, and director of comparative studies in literature at Arizona State University.
264 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2000
31 people want to read
About the author
Marjorie Agosín
125 books75 followersMarjorie Agosín was born in Maryland and raised in Chile. She and her parents, Moises and Frida Agosín, moved to the United States due to the overthrow of the Chilean government by General Pinochet's military coup. Coming from a South American country and being Jewish, Agosín's writings demonstrate a unique blending of these cultures.
Agosín is well known as a poet, critic, and human activist. She is also a well-known spokesperson for the plight and priorities of women in Third World countries. Her deep social concerns and accomplishments have earned her many awards and recognitions, and she has gained an international reputation among contemporary women of color.
Agosín, a passionate writer, has received critical acclaim for her poetry collections, her close reflections on her parents and family, and her multi-layered stories. Within every novel, story, or poem, she captures the very essence of Jewish women at their best. Agosín's works reveal the experiences of pain and anguish of Jewish refugees. She writes about the Holocaust as well as anti-Semitic events that occurred in her native land.
Agosín has many fascinating works and is recognized in both North and South America as one of the most versatile and provocative Latin American writers. Agosín became a writer to make a difference: "I wanted to change the world through peace and beauty," she said. Today she is not only a writer, but also a Spanish professor at Wellesley College.
Agosín is well known as a poet, critic, and human activist. She is also a well-known spokesperson for the plight and priorities of women in Third World countries. Her deep social concerns and accomplishments have earned her many awards and recognitions, and she has gained an international reputation among contemporary women of color.
Agosín, a passionate writer, has received critical acclaim for her poetry collections, her close reflections on her parents and family, and her multi-layered stories. Within every novel, story, or poem, she captures the very essence of Jewish women at their best. Agosín's works reveal the experiences of pain and anguish of Jewish refugees. She writes about the Holocaust as well as anti-Semitic events that occurred in her native land.
Agosín has many fascinating works and is recognized in both North and South America as one of the most versatile and provocative Latin American writers. Agosín became a writer to make a difference: "I wanted to change the world through peace and beauty," she said. Today she is not only a writer, but also a Spanish professor at Wellesley College.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 15, 2013
One person who reviewed this book called it forced, redundant, and repetitive, and did not seem to have much good to say about it. However, I think this person completely missed the point of the book, and as such interpreted it in this fashion. That being said, I would like to move on. This book is more than a memoir: it speaks about the condition of exile and diaspora in a Jewish family, and the sadness and loneliness this condition brings about. Much of it tends to be sad, with short chapters recounting memories of discrimination and hatred of her and her family through countless points in her family's life, and hint at the longing for acceptance and stability, Though the language is simplistic, it flows together quite beautifully, and makes the book hard to put down.
October 23, 2012
Redundant, forced and her poetic style of writing gets tiring after awhile. The book gets hard to read, especially as the same concepts are repeated throughout the novel with little to no change.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews