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December Breeze

A masterful novel on womanhood in Colombia
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( 1,362 ratings, 276 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
December Breeze by Marvel Moreno explores the lives of a group of women in Barranquilla, Colombia, navigating personal and social challenges. The narrative intricately weaves through themes of love, betrayal, and the complexities of friendship, offering a vivid portrayal of the tumultuous journey to self-discovery amidst societal expectations. With rich character development, the story paints a poignant picture of life in a vibrant, changing city.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate captivating narratives set against the backdrop of Colombia's vibrant culture. The story offers a rich exploration of personal struggles, societal expectations, and women's resilience, providing a vivid portrayal that resonates with readers who enjoy character-driven tales.

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A masterful novel exploring womanhood, class, and tradition in 1950s Colombia.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

'One of the hundred most influential women in the history of Colombia.' - Cromos magazine

From her home in Paris, Lina recalls the story of three women whose lives unfold in the conservative city of Barranquilla in Colombia. Amongst parties at the Country Club and strolls along the promenade in Puerto Colombia, unfurls a story of sensuality suppressed by violence; a narrative of oppression in which Dora, Catalina, and Beatriz are victims of a patriarchal system living in and among the fragile threads of the fabric of society.

In Lina's obsessive recounting of the past, this masterful novel transforms anecdotes of a life into an absolute view of the world, a profound panorama of Colombian society towards the end of the 50s.

Written from personal memories and historical research, this is a novel that is both precise and poetic, a novel that immortalisesβ€”from the distant perspective of its narratorβ€”the events that took place in a small seaside town.

Distancing herself from her contemporaries of the Latin-American literary boom with a boldly feminist narrative, Marvel Moreno has created a world that both mirrors the close-up, private lives of the people of Barranquilla and the human condition itself.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

December Breeze by Marvel Moreno has been praised for its furiously feminine and raw narrative style, highlighting Moreno's fierce portrayal of Colombian life. Some reviews note its dense and meandering prose, conveying layers of suffering and humanity's harshness. Considered a significant figure in Colombian literature, the book is particularly appealing to fans of the Latin American Boom.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781787704091

Publisher: Europa Editions (UK) Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 November 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Europa Editions (UK) Ltd

Contributors:

  • Translated by Charlotte Coombe
  • Translated by Isabel Adey

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 135.0mm

Height: 210.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 448

About the Author

Marvel Moreno was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, in 1939. As a teenager, under her father's guide, she began to read the great writers, who would later come to bear a definitive influence upon her writing, including Virginia Woolf and William Faulkner. She maintained a close relationship with the members of the "Barranquilla Group" including Gabriel GarcΓ­a MΓ‘rquez. She is well known in Colombia and is considered one of the most important Colombian writers. Her novel December Breeze was a finalist in the Plaza y JanΓ©s International Literary Prize in 1985 and was translated into Italian and French. In 1989 she received the Grinzane-Cavour prize awarded in Italy for best foreign book. She died in 1995 in Paris.

Isabel Adey is a translator and editor working with English, Spanish and German. A former winner of the Emerging Translators Programme at the Goethe-Institut, her work has been featured in Latin American Literature Today, Art in Translation, and Glasgow Review of Books. She has translated fiction and nonfiction by authors including Ulrike Draesner and Alfons Kaiser. She holds an MSc in Translation from Heriot-Watt University and has taught Spanish-to-English translation to postgraduate level.
Charlotte Coombe is a British literary translator working from French and Spanish into English. A two-time Pen Translates award winner, she was shortlisted for the Valle InclΓ‘n Translation Prize 2019 for her translation of Fish Soup by Margarita GarcΓ­a Robayo. She has translated fiction and poetry by authors such as Abnousse Shalmani, Eduardo Berti, Ricardo Romero, Antonio DΓ­az Oliva, and Jimena GonzΓ‘lez.



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