Paradiso (1966 novel)

Paradiso (1966 novel)

infobox Book |
name = Pradiso
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = José Lezama Lima
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = Cuba
language = Spanish
series =
genre =
publisher =
release_date = 1966
english_release_date =
media_type =
pages =
isbn =
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"Paradiso" was the only novel by Cuban poet José Lezama Lima to be completed published during his lifetime. The narrative consists of the childhood and youth of José Cemí, told in a highly baroque experimental style, and depicts many scenes which have remarkable resonances with Lezama's own life as a young poet in Havana. Many of the characters reappear in Lezama's posthumous novel "Oppiano Licario", published in Mexico in 1977.

In the novel, José Cemí struggles with his mysterious illness, the death of his father, and his developing homosexuality and poetic sensibilities. He lives in the world of pre-Castro Havana, and the Cuban Revolution only appears as a secondary plot. Because of the graphically homosexual scenes and its ambivalence towards the political situation of the day, "Paradiso" encountered controversy and publication problems. Today it is widely read in the Spanish-speaking world but has not achieved the same fame in English-speaking countries despite an excellent translation by Gregory Rabassa.

Despite having written one of the most accomplished novels in Cuba's history, Lezama said he never considered himself a novelist, but rather a poet who wrote a poem that became a novel. "Paradiso" can thus be considered a kind of long poem, just as well as a neo-baroque novel.

References

"Interrogando a Lezama Lima." Recopilación de textos sobre José Lezama Lima. Ed. Pedro Simon Martinez. La Habana: Ediciones Casa de las Américas: 1970.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Paradiso — may refer to: * Paradiso (band) or Paradisio, a Belgian dance act * the third cantica of The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri * Italian or Latinized version for Heaven or Paradise * Paradiso (Amsterdam), a music venue in Amsterdam * Why Worry?… …   Wikipedia

  • 1966 in literature — The year 1966 in literature involved some significant events and new books.Events*February 14 Dissident writers Yuli Daniel and Andrei Sinyavsky are sentenced to hard labour for anti Soviet activity . * In a landmark obscenity case, the United… …   Wikipedia

  • Latin American literature — Introduction       the national literatures of the Spanish speaking countries of the Western Hemisphere. Historically, it also includes the literary expression of the highly developed American Indian civilizations conquered by the Spaniards. Over …   Universalium

  • Lezama Lima, José — born Dec. 19, 1910, Havana, Cuba died Aug. 9, 1976, Havana Cuban poet, novelist, and essayist. After studying law in Havana, Lezama was associated with several literary reviews and later with a literary group that published the work of young… …   Universalium

  • José Lezama Lima — Infobox Person name=José Lezama Lima caption=From the collection of Eloisa Lezama Lima and her book Una Familia Habanera birth date=December 19, 1910 birth place=Havana, Cuba death date=August 8, 1976 death place=Havana, CubaJosé Lezama Lima… …   Wikipedia

  • Italy — /it l ee/, n. a republic in S Europe, comprising a peninsula S of the Alps, and Sicily, Sardinia, Elba, and other smaller islands: a kingdom 1870 1946. 57,534,088; 116,294 sq. mi. (301,200 sq. km). Cap.: Rome. Italian, Italia. * * * Italy… …   Universalium

  • Italian literature — Introduction       the body of written works produced in the Italian language that had its beginnings in the 13th century. Until that time nearly all literary work composed in the Middle Ages was written in Latin. Moreover, it was predominantly… …   Universalium

  • Dante — /dan tee, dahn tay/; It. /dahn te/, n. (Dante Alighieri), 1265 1321, Italian poet: author of the Divine Comedy. * * * (as used in expressions) Busoni Ferruccio Dante Michelangiolo Benvenuto Dante Alighieri Rossetti Dante Gabriel Gabriel Charles… …   Universalium

  • Mario Monicelli — Born 16 May 1915(1915 05 16) Rome, Latium, Italy Died 29 November 2010(2 …   Wikipedia

  • Cuban literature — Life in Cuba Art Cinema Cuisine Culture Demographics Education Health Holidays Human Rights Literature Mu …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”