Description
When it was first published in 1985, Face met with critical acclaim and established Cecile Pineda among the very first Latina writers in the United States to be published by a major New York house. This new expanded edition, which marks the announcement of Face as a 2013 Neustadt Prize finalist, features a foreword by Nobel Prize-winning author J. M. Coetzee and a never-before-published interview with the author conducted by Dr. Francisco Lomeli.
The novel-based on an actual event-tracks the fortunes of Helio Cara, a poor but brilliant Brazilian man. When he hears that his mother is dying, Helio rushes from his shack in one of Rio de Janeiro's favelas to the local telegraph office, only to fall down a steep hillside and literally lose his face, and in turn his identity. He rapidly loses his job, his lover, and his friends-his neighbour's go so far as to burn down his shack-and flees to the Brazilian interior to live as an outcast in his mother's tiny house.
Pineda deftly, hauntingly records Helio Cara's decision to perform self-surgery, using only novocaine, to reconstruct his face and identity. This compelling metaphor for identity, already taught in American and Latino literature courses in numerous universities, stands ready to engross a new generation of readers.
About the Author
Cecile Pineda is the author of several novels, including Devil's Tango, Fishlight: A Dream of Childhood, Frieze, and Love Queen of the Amazon. She is the recipient of the Californian Commonwealth Club's Gold Medal, the Sue Kaufman Prize, and a National Book Award nomination. She lives in Berkeley, California, USA.
J. M. Coetzee is the Booker- and Nobel Prize-winning author of numerous books, including Disgrace, Foe, Life & Times of Michael K, and Waiting for the Barbarians.
Reviews
"There is an immediacy to her narrative, combined with images that startle our senses, that leave us haunted." -San Francisco Chronicle
"A poetic, hallucinatory work, finely and sparely written." -Newsday
"Cecile Pineda is an American original, a literary treasure, and her prodigiously inventive and important work . . . deserves a place in the forefront of American literature." -Bloomsbury Review
Book Information
ISBN 9781609403454
Author Cecile Pineda
Format Paperback
Page Count 184
Imprint Wings Press
Publisher Wings Press
Weight(grams) 286g
The novel-based on an actual event-tracks the fortunes of Helio Cara, a poor but brilliant Brazilian man. When he hears that his mother is dying, Helio rushes from his shack in one of Rio de Janeiro's favelas to the local telegraph office, only to fall down a steep hillside and literally lose his face, and in turn his identity. He rapidly loses his job, his lover, and his friends-his neighbour's go so far as to burn down his shack-and flees to the Brazilian interior to live as an outcast in his mother's tiny house.
Pineda deftly, hauntingly records Helio Cara's decision to perform self-surgery, using only novocaine, to reconstruct his face and identity. This compelling metaphor for identity, already taught in American and Latino literature courses in numerous universities, stands ready to engross a new generation of readers.
About the Author
Cecile Pineda is the author of several novels, including Devil's Tango, Fishlight: A Dream of Childhood, Frieze, and Love Queen of the Amazon. She is the recipient of the Californian Commonwealth Club's Gold Medal, the Sue Kaufman Prize, and a National Book Award nomination. She lives in Berkeley, California, USA.
J. M. Coetzee is the Booker- and Nobel Prize-winning author of numerous books, including Disgrace, Foe, Life & Times of Michael K, and Waiting for the Barbarians.
Reviews
"There is an immediacy to her narrative, combined with images that startle our senses, that leave us haunted." -San Francisco Chronicle
"A poetic, hallucinatory work, finely and sparely written." -Newsday
"Cecile Pineda is an American original, a literary treasure, and her prodigiously inventive and important work . . . deserves a place in the forefront of American literature." -Bloomsbury Review
Book Information
ISBN 9781609403454
Author Cecile Pineda
Format Paperback
Page Count 184
Imprint Wings Press
Publisher Wings Press
Weight(grams) 286g
