1975. The cusp of Argentina's Dirty War. The magnate, Fausto Tamerlan, has been kidnapped by guerrillas, who as part of their ransom demands have stipulated the placement of a bust of Eva Peron in all ninety-two offices of Argentina's leading construction company, Tamerlan & Sons. Tamerlan's head of procurement, Ernesto Marrone, is the man tasked with the job, but he soon finds out that his is a mission for executives of a heroic disposition. His subsequent picaresque journey plunges him into a world of occupied factories, the slums of Buenos Aires and the utopian Evita City. Equipped with his trusty copy of Don Quixote: The Executive-Errant, Marrone is a modern knight who finds himself forced to penetrate the ultimate Argentinian mystery: Eva Peron - that maid of myth and legend whom we know as Evita. A stand-alone novel in its own right but also a prequel to his first novel, The Islands (And Other Stories, 2012), Carlos Gamerro's caustic and utterly original novel is a shattered window onto Argentina's recent past.

A mash-up of revolutionary guerillas and business self help in this hilarious and clever collision of opposites in 1970s Argentina

About the Author
Carlos Gamerro, born in Buenos Aires in 1962, is one of the most highly regarded contemporary Argentine writers. He has written four novels, including The Islands (1998) and An Open Secret (2002), which Pushkin Press published in 2011. He adapted The Islands for a major theatrical production in 2011. Gamerro, who was brought up bilingually in English and Spanish, has translated Shakespeare, Auden, and Harold Bloom, and lectures in 20th century literature in Buenos Aires. Ian Barnett has lived in Buenos Aires since 1991, translating and promoting many Argentinian and other South American writers. He collaborates closely with Carlos Gamerro and has already translated Gamerro's novels The Islands, and An Open Secret. Reviews of The Islands often made a point of praising his inventive, athletic 'feat of translation' (the Observer). Barnett has been translating from Spanish and French into English since 1994. He is a lecturer on the Masters Program in Translation at the University of Belgrano in Buenos Aires.

Reviews

'The more we laugh at the tragicomic hero Ernesto Marrone, this child of rigorous capitalism turned Montonero revolutionary, the more we empathise with Gamerro, the father of this child who is convinced he can apply the sermons of self-help manuals to breathe new life into the Revolution.'

-- Silvina Friera * Pagina *

'The Adventure of the Busts of Eva Peron is a Salman Rushdie-style retelling of a nation's history from the recollections of an oddball individual, as Carlos Gamerro delves back into a vital passage of Argentina's past from the skewed perspective of a man fundamentally unsuited to his own time . . . The result is a comically charged and slyly satirical tale that strips away the high rhetoric of history and politics, and reveals the squabbling egos underneath.'

-- Ross McIndoe * The Skinny *

'Finally, the novel's translation deserves high praise. The collaborative effort between the bilingual Gamerro and Ian Barnett turns colourful Spanish prose into funny, distinctly British English that evokes the novel's working-class bruisers and prim-and-proper business sharks with equal aptitude.'

-- Arthur Di xon * World Literature in Review *

'[A] hilarious political satire . . . Carlos Gamerro provides a comical glimpse into a slice of Argentina's political past. Here we have an entertaining, absorbing and thought-provoking piece of literature with a loveable protagonist.'

-- Dami Okhiria * Buzz *

'[A] masterful work of comic fiction that opens up a fascinating period in international history. By aiming his barbs at all sides of the political spectrum, Carlos Gamerro exposes the inherent corruption of human nature. As the country becomes increasingly unstable, the chapters grow ever more surreal, culminating in a finale of glorious ridiculousness. This is the work of a master satirist and comes highly recommended.'

* Booktrust *

'Gamerro navigates extreme situations of war and . . . crime with a practiced hand and plenty of humour . . . With its eccentric mixture of politics, terror, domestic minutiae, and business rhetoric, the story of Marrone's entrance to the guerrilla echelons is a biting commentary on Argentina's Dirty War . . . a thorough probe at the uglier seams in society, and ultimately, the making of an unlikely hero, The Adventure of the Busts of Eva Peron is satire at its finest.'

-- Karen Ri gby * Foreward Reviews *

'This is a bold and imaginative novel which deserves to be celebrated, a reminder that fiction can still take risks and provide the odd shock.'

-- Tom Cuell * Workshyfop *



Book Information
ISBN 9781908276506
Author Carlos Gamerro
Format Paperback
Page Count 416
Imprint And Other Stories
Publisher And Other Stories