Novel
Southeaster
Sudeste
Haroldo Conti · 1962
Synopsis
The Paraná delta. For one season, the Boga and an old man cut reeds on the sandbanks and sell them to basket-makers, according to the notice of the English translation. The Boga sails the arms of the river on a dilapidated boat, in search of a solitary freedom that the elements put to the test, writes Eduardo Balestena. Daniel Gigena reports the reading by Débora Mundani, who speaks of the character's anti-Robinsonism, and quotes a sentence from the book: the river is irretrievable time.
Context
The author's first novel, the book won in 1962 the competition of the publisher Fabril, which published it, and appeared in 1963 on the bestseller list of the weekly Primera Plana. Conti had discovered the delta through Dora Campos, whom he married, and he later built his house and a sailboat there, Balestena relates. Jon Lindsay Miles translated it into English in 2015, Jacques Aubergy into French in 2023, under its original title.
Who it is for
A novel in Spanish about the life of a reed cutter in the delta; two recent translations, English and French.
Prizes and reception
Winner of the Fabril Prize in 1962, then ranked among the best sellers.
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