- ISBN: 9780312424381 | 0312424388
- Cover: Paperback
- Copyright: 6/1/2005
These lively and eclectic narratives, by the author ofShadow Without a Name, move from the scorching heat of the Gobi desert to the glacial heights of Mount Everest: here, among others, are the stories of a Scottish engineer who builds an exact replica of the city of Edinburgh in the dunes; of a dying, cross-dressing pilot who allegedly climbs Mount Everest and then mysteriously disappears; and of a monk who conjures the devil to prove the devil's existence. Based on history, legend, and an awe-inspiring power of invention,Antipodesdelights, terrifies, and entrances. Ignacio Padillawas born in Mexico City and is the author of numerous award-winning novels and short-story collections.Shadow Without a Namewas the first of his works to be translated into English. From the author of the critically acclaimed novelShadow Without a NamecomesAntipodes, a stunning volume of fictions that evoke the work of Jorge Luis Borges and Italo Calvino. Here are twelve short stories that effortlessly move across time, place, and culture, from the Gobi Desert to the heights of Mount Everest and the jungles of Java. In "The Antipodes and the Century," a great Scottish engineer, left to die in the middle of the desert, is rescued by a tribe of nomads and inspires them to build an exact replica of the city of Edinburgh in the dunes; "Ever Wrest: Log of the Journey" is the tale of a dying cross-dressing pilot who allegedly climbs Mount Everest and then mysteriously disappears; "Hagiography of the Apostate" tells of a monk who conjures the devil in an effort to prove the devil's existence; and in "A Bestiary," the line between the spectators and the creatures on display becomes alarmingly blurred. Interweaving history and legend with dazzling ingenuity,Antipodesconfirms Ignacio Padilla's reputation as one of our inventive contemporary writers. The result is a work that delights and terrifies as it entrances. "Told with irony and zest . . . All seeming antipodeswhether in tone or the plot detailsare right at home and perfectly natural in Padilla's realm, making for a rich, complex texture against which he weaves his spell."Los Angeles Times "Mixing memory, imagination and inspired lunacy in ways that sometimes recall Borges, the Mexican writer Ignacio Padilla's fine new collection of stories, his first to be published in English, tells of men dancing on edges, falling off and occasionally climbing back only to tumble down again . . . In this silky translation by Alastair Reid, Padillahe is also the author ofShadow Without a Name, a noveltraverses his own edge, on the ramparts of the absurd where the old rules don't apply."James Polk,The New York Times Book Review "Told with irony and zest . . . All seeming antipodeswhether in tone or the plot detailsare right at home and perfectly natural in Padilla's realm, making for a rich, complex texture against which he weaves his spell."Los Angeles Times "Definitely cosmopolitan . . . Padilla is a potent voice in Latin American literature today."The Miami Herald "An elegant translation of a disquieting book of short stories. Despite its length, it manages, in twelve stories, to takes us to locales ranging from the Gobi desert to Mount Everest to the jungles of Java. These imaginary leaps across geographies, characters and cultures make for a reading experience that is both thrilling and unsettling. Reminiscent of the great Latin-American author Jorge Luis Borges, Padilla's collection of short stories have a sense of mystery and confusion, which keep the reader engaged. They often force u
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