Immagine dell'autore.

Miranda France

Autore di Bad Times in Buenos Aires

8+ opere 153 membri 7 recensioni

Sull'Autore

Miranda France was born in 1966 and grew up in East Anglia and Sussex. She studied Spanish and Latin American Studies at Edinburgh University and has lived in Brazil, Edinburgh, and Buenos Aires. She currently lives with her husband and son in London

Comprende il nome: Miranda Frances

Fonte dell'immagine: (AP Watt)

Opere di Miranda France

Opere correlate

Le vedove del giovedì (2009) — Traduttore, alcune edizioni236 copie
Tutti gli uomini sono bugiardi (I narratori) (Italian Edition) (2008) — Traduttore, alcune edizioni189 copie
The Fragility of Bodies (2012) — Traduttore, alcune edizioni50 copie

Etichette

Informazioni generali

Nome canonico
France, Miranda
Data di nascita
1966
Sesso
female
Luogo di residenza
London, England, UK
Istruzione
Edinburgh University
Attività lavorative
Writer
Translator
Agente
Derek Johns (AP Watt)

Utenti

Recensioni

The author writes well. A good mix of personal history, Cervantes, and travel in Spain. About half way through I began to think that I liked the book but not the author as she sounded a bit superior - but she won me over. And I really wonder now whether I have ever read Don Quixote If I did it was a long time ago and this has made me interested.
 
Segnalato
Ma_Washigeri | 2 altre recensioni | Jan 23, 2021 |
The author writes well. A good mix of personal history, Cervantes, and travel in Spain. About half way through I began to think that I liked the book but not the author as she sounded a bit superior - but she won me over. And I really wonder now whether I have ever read Don Quixote If I did it was a long time ago and this has made me interested.
 
Segnalato
Ma_Washigeri | 2 altre recensioni | May 27, 2018 |
Very few travel books, or tales of life in other cultures, can sustain themselves or the reader's interest based solely on the authors observations and reflections. To my mind - at least - a memorable book about 'foreign parts' is a story about a journey to (or from) something, be it a place or a thing or a hope or a memory, and the reader participates with both the author's outer and inner journeys. Twin journeys of the road, and of the soul, as it were.

So Miranda France's story of Spain and Don Quixote has the essential elements. She unfolds the story of Don Quixote as she unfolds the story of post Franco Spain, and that of her uncertain connection with a young man as committed to revolution as he is to avoiding a committed relationship.

The scholarship on Don Quixote and Cervantes is there, and told with enough enthusiasm as to tempt the reader to take up - or take up again - that golden brick of a book (though I'd still stick with the translator Cohen's advice to exercise 'judicious skipping'). As for Spain itself, this is as good an account as you'll find anywhere of the the explosion of political - and sexual - expression that followed the decades of Franco's total repression of what we'd called liberal society, and to some extent of the massive hangover that followed. And as for the author's journey of the heart? Well there's a lot left unsaid, but there's enough left in the text to allow the reader to suppose that this was not the end, but the beginning of something much, much better.

Highly recommended, if you have an interest in Don Quixote or Spain, or have some sympathy with a tale of being in love in foreign parts with a very difficult object of affection.
… (altro)
½
 
Segnalato
nandadevi | 2 altre recensioni | Jul 6, 2015 |
Decidi leer este libro porque me llamo la atencion la tematica: una descipcion de Buenos Aires de lo 90's desde el punto de vista de una anglosajona.

Como Argentina que dejo su tierra natal justo al final de ese periodo tan infame de nuestra historia y que vive hace mas de una decada en Canada, pense me identificaria con algunos puntos de vista de la autora.

Realmente el libro me indigno.

Por un lado, la autora hace unas criticas y observaciones muy validas. Fue una decada jodida y de hecho por eso es que en ese entonces me fui. Es cierto que el gobierno de pizza y champan de Menem daba verguenzaq; es cierto lo del sentimiento generalizado de "broca"; es cierto las quejas sobre las colas, los servicios publicos sin funcionar, el desastroso transporte , la corrupcion, y en general, lo dificil de vivir el dia a dia en esa ciudad "que te mata".

Pero pense que en algun momento la autora iba tambien a erscatar algo positivo de la sociedad portena. En cambio, todo loq ue ella vio fue basicamente una basura. Termina el libro con la imagen de ella sentada en el avion sin ver la hora de volver a su sonada Inglaterra y librarse del castigo que fue para ella vivir en Buenos Aires.

Es increible no que la autora critique todo -- las criticas en general son validas-sino que lo haga 1)desde el lugar de la superioridad anglosajona, b)que basicamente le eche la culpa a la gente de los males que sufre. Como si un porteno viviendo esa situacion coyuntural tan dificil hubiese elegido vivir asi, cuando en realidad la situacion nos excedia. De hecho, yo por eso decidi escaparme a otro pais en la primera oportunidad que tuve. Pero no es justo que ella venga de afuera a criticar asi y luego se las tome sin cambiar nada.

Han pasado ya varias decadas desde entonces y puedo afirmar que la sociedad portena ya no es tan amarga, triste y sin futuro como la autora la describia. Buenos Aires tiene una riqueza cultural increible y miles de visitantes reconocen eso ano tras ano. No hay una sola persona con la cual yo hable que diga lo contrario.

Otra cosa que no me gusto del libro es como esta estructurado tematicamente de cliche a cliche: peron, evita, el tango, el proceso militar, el machismo, las Malvinas. Hay mas de Buenos Aires que eso; es una ciudad multifacetica. Ademas me da la sencacion que la autora corto y pego de sus articulos como corresponsal en Buenos Aires sobre temas "cliches" para preparar el libro y repitio lugares comunes en este proceso. Me parece muy corto de vista.

En resumen, el libro me enfurecio. Confieso que me saltee partes del libro porque ya no lo soportaba.
… (altro)
1 vota
Segnalato
valeriag | 3 altre recensioni | Dec 10, 2013 |

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Statistiche

Opere
8
Opere correlate
3
Utenti
153
Popolarità
#136,480
Voto
½ 3.5
Recensioni
7
ISBN
20
Lingue
2

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