Also In Translation…

By Staff -- Críticas, 6/1/2005

Fiction

Bataille, Georges.
El azul del cielo.
(Blue of Noon)
tr. by Ramón García. Spain/U.S.: Tusquets Editores, dist. by Urano Pub. 2004. 190p. ISBN 84-8310-959-X. pap. $12.95. FIC

Set against the backdrop of Europe's slide into fascism, Bataille's acclaimed 1957 novel takes readers on a nihilistic journey through sexual depravity and madness. As the protagonist, an alcoholic and a womanizer on the verge of despair, wanders through the pubs of London, Paris, and Barcelona, Bataille dissects the obsessions with violence, power, and death that mesmerized an age.

Chevalier, Tracy.
La dama y el unicornio.
(The Lady and the Unicorn)
tr. by José Luis López Muñoz. Mexico/U.S.: Alfaguara: Santillana. 2004. 312p. ISBN 970-7700386. pap. $17.95. FIC

Like her best-selling Girl with a Pearl Earring, Chevalier's latest novel explores the mystery surrounding an extraordinary work of art—in this case, the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries that hang in the Museum of the Middle Ages in Paris. In this New York Times best seller, Chevalier plays on the legend of the unicorn laying its head in the virgin's lap, as her protagonist, artist Nicolas des Innocents, uses the myth to tempt women to give up their maidenhood.

Murakami, Haruki.
Crónica del pájaro que da cuerda al mundo.
(The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle)
Spain/U.S.: Tusquets Editores (Andanzas). 2001. 683p. ISBN 84-8310-1718. pap. $23.95. FIC

Originally published in Japanese in 1994, Murakami's most ambitious work to date follows an unemployed 30-year-old paralegal named Toru Okada in a surreal, sprawling search for his missing wife. Part detective story, part history lesson, and part satire, this critically acclaimed novel explores the senseless violence and political evils, past and present, that haunt Japan.

Sandoval, Lynda.
Desesperada.
(Unsettling)
tr. by Ana del Corral. U.S.: Rayo: HarperCollins. 2005. 336p. ISBN 0-06-075149-5. pap. $12.95. FIC

Although she is a tough Denver drug cop, Lucy Olivera is terrified to tie the knot with the man of her dreams. So when she bolts from her own wedding, her three Latina best friends decide to take her on a road trip to New Mexico in search of a fabled curandera ("healer").

Selinko, Annemarie.
Désirée.
tr. by Johannes Franze. Spain: Entre Libros, dist. by Lectorum. 2004. 607p. ISBN 84-933883-6-X. pap. $23.99. FIC

This massive international best seller, originally published in 1951, brings to life the passions and intrigues of Napoleon Bonaparte's court through the eyes of the emperor's first lover, Désirée.

Chopra, Deepak.
El libro de los secretos.
(The Book of Secrets)
tr. by Herardo Hernández Clark. Mexico/U.S.: Alamah: Santillana. 2005. 312p. ISBN 968-1914171. pap. $16.95. SELF-HELP

For Chopra, the answers to life's most difficult questions—from how to find a soul mate to how to live a life with meaning—are already hiding within us. In this latest book, a New York Times best seller in English, the spiritual guru offers 15 revelations that will help readers decipher who they really are.

Kelsang Gyatso, Gueshe.
Introducción al budismo.
(Introduction to Buddhism)
2000. 156p. index. illus. ISBN 84-920943-6-2. $11.95.
Cómo solucionar nuestros problemas humanos.
(How to Solve Our Human Problems)
2005. 178p. index. ISBN 84-933148-3-8. $12.95.
ea. vol.: tr. by Mariana Líbano. Spain/U.S.: Tharpa Pub. pap. REL

These fine Spanish translations of the acclaimed books by best-selling author and meditation master Kelsang Gyatso are finally available in the United States. While the first book presents a concise, accessible introduction to the life and teachings of Buddha, the second, recently published in English, focuses on the Buddha's popular Four Noble Truths. There are not many good, Spanish-language titles on Buddhism available in the States, so these are likely to do well in libraries and bookstores.

Ueland, Brenda.
Si quieres escribir.
(If You Want to Write)
tr. by Zulema Moret. Spain/U.S.: Magoria: Obelisco. 2000. 158p. ISBN 84-7720-751-8. pap. $NA. HOW-TO

First published in English in 1938, Ueland's best-selling classic on the process of writing states that anyone can write well once the imagination is freed from self-consciousness and fear of failure. Addressed to both beginning and experienced writers, this fresh approach to creative endeavors also applies to life.