{"product_id":"simpatia-paperback","title":"Simpatía - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRodrigo Blanco Calderón\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eNoel Hernández González\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator), \u003cb\u003eDaniel Hahn\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRodrigo Blanco Calderón has established himself as one of the great voices of Latin American literature with his debut novel \u003ci\u003eThe Night\u003c\/i\u003e, and his short story collection \u003ci\u003eSacrifices\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eSimpatía\u003c\/i\u003e is a suspenseful novel with unexpected twists and turns about the agony of Venezuela and the collapse of Chavismo. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eSimpatía\u003c\/i\u003e is set in the Venezuela of Nicolas Maduro amid a mass exodus of the intellectual class who have been leaving their pets behind. Ulises Kan, the protagonist and a movie buff, receives a text message from his wife, Paulina, saying she is leaving the country (and him). Ulises is not heartbroken but liberated by Paulina's departure. Two other events end up disrupting his life even further: the return of Nadine, an unrequited love from the past, and the death of his father-in-law, General Martín Ayala. Thanks to Ayala's will, Ulises discovers that he has been entrusted with a mission--to transform Los Argonautas, the great family home, into a shelter for abandoned dogs. If he manages to do it in time, he will inherit the luxurious apartment that he had shared with Paulina. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis novel centers on themes of family and orphanhood in order to address the abuse of power by a patrilineage of political figures in Latin America, from Simón Bolívar to Hugo Chávez. The untranslatable title, Simpatía, which means both sympathy and charm, ironically references the qualities these political figures share. In a morally bankrupt society, where all human ties seem to have dissolved, Ulises is like a stray dog picking up scraps of sympathy. Can you really know who you love? What is, in essence, a family? Are abandoned dogs proof of the existence or non-existence of God? Ulises unknowingly embodies these questions, as a pilgrim of affection in a post-love era.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRodrigo Blanco Calderón\u003c\/b\u003e is a writer and editor. He has received various awards for his stories both inside and outside Venezuela. In 2007, he was invited to join the Bogotá39 group, which brings together the best Latin American narrators under thirty-nine years old. In 2013, he was a guest writer at the University of Iowa's International Writing Program. In 2014, his story \"Emuntorios\" was included in \u003ci\u003eThirteen Crime Stories from Latin America\u003c\/i\u003e, volume number forty-six of \u003ci\u003eMcSweeney's\u003c\/i\u003e. With his first novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Night\u003c\/i\u003e (Seven Stories Press, 2022), he won the 2016 Paris Rive Gauche Prize, the Critics Award in Venezuela, and the 2019 Mario Vargas Llosa Biennial Prize. His story \"The Mad People of Paris,\" included in his 2022 collection, \u003ci\u003eSacrifices\u003c\/i\u003e (Seven Stories Press, 2022), won the O. Henry Prize and was included in \u003ci\u003eThe Best Short Stories 2023: The O. Henry Prize Winners\u003c\/i\u003e, guest edited by Lauren Groff. \u003cb\u003eDaniel Hahn\u003c\/b\u003e is an award-winning writer, editor, and translator with about a hundred books to his name. He lives in Lewes, England. \u003cb\u003eNoel Hernández González\u003c\/b\u003e is a writer and translator. Originally from Spain, he lives in Norwich, England.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 240\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.7 x 8.2 x 5.4 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 26, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41730845212807,"sku":"9781644213650","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/0b8495558eb9d96b0392ba209048146d.webp?v=1734095118","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/simpatia-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}