The Luminous Novel

by Mario Levrero

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Description

A writer attempts to complete the novel for which he has been awarded a big fat Guggenheim grant, though for a long time he succeeds mainly in procrastinating - getting an electrician to rewire his living room so he can reposition his computer, buying an armchair, or rather, two: 'In one, you can't possibly read: it's uncomfortable and your back ends up crooked and sore. In the other, you can't possibly relax: the hard backrest means you have to sit up straight and pay attention, which makes show more it ideal if you want to read.' Insomniacs, romantics and anyone who's ever written (or failed to write) will fall in love with this compelling masterpiece told by a true original, with all his infuriating faults, charming wit, and intriguing musings. show less

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Member Reviews

4 reviews
Incredible. I wish I could figure out how Levrero turns what in a lesser author's hands would just be a record of anxiety and navel-gazing into something entirely relevant, relatable, and funny to boot. In other words, something very human, and maybe because it's not at all insistent on drilling anything into the reader. Felt like Knausgaard, but in a much lighter mode. Loved every minute of this book.
Interesting, very, very slow, although I have read that that is purposeful to reflect procrastination in writing.
nice but fittingly inspired me to deeply procrastinate on other things i should’ve been doing

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title
The Luminous Novel
Original title
La novela luminosa
Alternate titles
O Romance Luminoso
Original publication date
2005
Original language
Spanish

Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, General Fiction
DDC/MDS
863.64Literature & rhetoricSpanish LiteratureSpanish fiction20th Century1945-2000
LCC
PQ8520.22 .E9 .N6813Language and LiteratureFrench, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese literaturesSpanish literatureProvincial, local, colonial, etc.Spanish America
BISAC

Statistics

Members
160
Popularity
205,138
Reviews
3
Rating
½ (4.38)
Languages
5 — English, French, Italian, Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
12
ASINs
3