La nada cotidiana

by Zoé Valdés

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"Yocandra, the first-person narrator, was born (like Valdés herself) in Havana in 1959. Now a dispirited, outspoken woman living in Cuba, narrator writes of a reality of 'nothing' that contrasts poignantly with that of a gusana friend in Madrid with whom she exchanges letters. This colloquial, idiomatic translation of La nada cotidiana reflects work's humor and word play. Brief but helpful translator's notes"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.

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11 reviews
Meet Yocandra. She is a woman with an identity crisis. Born Patria, at sixteen she develops a rebellious streak and marries an author turned philosopher who takes her away from her beloved Cuba for some time. She is a wild child, fiery and passionate, just like her homeland. I don't know how to explain the rest of this short novel. Yocandra's second marriage ends in death & so at an early age she is a widow. That doesn't slow her down in the least. She has two lovers, the Nihilist and the Traitor. At best, Yocandra is a handful, and all one can hope to do is just try to keep up with her.
½
A short but compelling read about life in Cuba.
Patria, nata nell'anno primo della Rivoluzione castrista, viene "dall'isola che aveva voluto costruire il paradiso": il grande sogno si mescola alle urgenze del presente, alle difficoltà materiali, agli amori, alla rabbia e all'apatia, in un romanzo di cruda satira e vera passione.
5.0 von 5 Sternen Diese Buch lebt von den Nebensätzen, 4. August 1999
Von Ein Kunde
Rezension bezieht sich auf: Das tägliche Nichts: Roman (Taschenbuch)
Dieses Buch beeindruckt weniger durch die Geschichte, die nicht schlecht ist, als vielmehr durch die Nebensätze. Ganz beiläufig wird man über die Mißstände Kuba's aufgeklärt. Die Natürlichkeit der Beschreibungen und auch der Stil machen es zum Erlebnis. Wo man angesichts der Ernsthaftigkeit des Themas bitteren Zynismus erwartet, feuert Valdez einen Schwall lässiger Nebensächlichkeiten, die an schwarzen Humor erinnern und einen mit der Frage zurücklassen, ob man nun lachen oder weinen soll, ehe man wieder der eigentlichen Geschichte folgt. Es ist auf alle Fälle eines der besten show more Bücher, die ich in der letzten Zeit gelesen habe. show less
Patria nació el año en que la Revolución triunfó en Cuba, y representa la generación de los que crecieron en un sistema que debía desterrar la injusticia. Pero el paraíso prometido se torna un infierno y Patria se sumerge en la escritura para mantener el fuego de la existencia.
Santi oct'24, vitalista, real...

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58+ Works 1,352 Members

Some Editions

Cienfuegos, Sabina (Translator)
Otter, Saskia (Translator)
Toelke, Cathleen (Cover artist)

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title*
Das tägliche Nichts
Original title
La nada cotidiana
Original publication date
1995 (Spanisch) (Spanisch); 1996 (Deutsch) (Deutsch)
People/Characters*
Yocandra
Important places*
Kuba
Epigraph
Why something rather than nothing? -- E. M. Cioran
Fear of the future lessens the fear of death. -- Marguerite Yourcenar
Dedication
For my daughter Attys Luna, born in a periodo especial
First words
She comes from an island that had wanted to build paradise.
Last words*
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Die Wörter, die mich schreiben:
Sie kommt von einer Insel, die das Paradies aufbauen wollte ...
Original language*
Kubanisches Spanisch
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.

Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, General Fiction
DDC/MDS
863Literature & rhetoricSpanish, Portuguese, Galician literaturesSpanish fiction
LCC
PQ7390 .V34Language and LiteratureFrench, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese literaturesSpanish literatureProvincial, local, colonial, etc.Spanish America
BISAC

Statistics

Members
361
Popularity
86,754
Reviews
8
Rating
½ (3.49)
Languages
10 — Czech, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
Media
Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
ISBNs
38
ASINs
3