Her work, written in spanish, has been translated into english, italian, portuguese, german, and french. Sep 15, 2016 september 15, 2016 by ann morgan in book of the month, postworld, south america tags. In lina meruanes seeing red deep vellum 2016, it is not the senses, but the emotions of the protagonist that become magnified. Lina meruane is one of the most prominent female voices in chilean contemporary literature. When she was a phd student at nyu, chilean author lina meruane was temporarily struck blind as her eyes haemorrhaged and blood flooded her vision. May 04, 2016 lina actually sees red as her blood vessels burst and block her vision. Lina meruane boza born 1970 is a chilean writer and professor. In the second half of lina meruanes astonishing novel seeing red, the protagonist, lina, lies in the operating room awaiting eye surgery to treat blindness caused by diabetic retinopathy. Lina meruane, our narrator and author, is a young writer of chilean descent, living and working and going to school in new york city when she loses her sight due to complications from a lifetime of diabetes. Lina meruanes novel dissecting the impact on a young academic of going blind is brilliant and.
I found it interesting that this is the third book translated by mcdowell that i have read this month. Lucina, a young chilean writer, has moved to new york to pursue an academic career. Lina meruane is a chilean writer and academic living and working in new york. Mcdowells translation, from deep vellum publishing, is the first work of meruanes to appear in english. The book contains bursts of immaculate stream of consciousness flowing from linas mind, and it is packed with visceral language in each short chapter. Lina meruanes seeing red is a piercing novel of blindness. Aug 03, 2017 buy seeing red main by lina meruane isbn. If meruane begins with horror the profound shock and discomfort of the bloodred burst she quickly descends fully into terror, into the tormenting fear that the blindness will be permanent, the anxiety of which threatens, increasingly, to drive lina mad.
In it, past, present, and future tumble over each other with bloody repetition. In lina meruanes searing autobiographical novel seeing red, the narrator describes what she saw during an ocular hemorrhage that rendered her blind as she navigates this new, uncertain existence with her boyfriendmoving together to a new apartment in new york city, visiting family back in santiago, and undergoing endless. If you love lidia like i do, youll adore lina meruane. Seeing reds spine is a deliciously perverse love story, loaded with surprising, sickening, wonderful erotic material centred in the eyeballs. According to her, this stroke was inevitable and doctors forewarned her of this fate. I bought my kindle back in 2011, and ever since, ive done my best to come to terms with digital books. Apparently the author, lina meruane, had a stroke and suffered temporary blindness, necessitating surgery. At times, the reader is thrown to the end of a sentence, where she unexpectedly stops and. Blending fiction and autobiography, the narrator and meruane both suffer from diabetes, which can cause a. Seeing red, by chilean writer lina meruane, is an exemplary autobiographical novel.
From beginning to end, the chaos of time swirls around each word on the page until, like a vaguely luminous mist, it disappears. The stroke leaves her vision damaged, and the rest of seeing red, translated from the spanish by megan. Lina meruane lina meruane is one of the most prominent and influential female voices in chilean contemporary literature. Seeing red is her fourth novel, but the first to be translated into. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. In lina meruanes searing autobiographical novel seeing red, the narrator describes what she saw during an ocular hemorrhage that rendered her blind as she navigates this new, uncertain existence with her boyfriend. Blindness, my 3rd 2019 mount tbr challenge read and my book of the month for january 2019 how i got this book. Seeing red, by lina meruane, dramatically introduces englishlanguage readers to the acclaimed chilean author. Kindle books kindle unlimited prime reading bestsellers kindle daily deal kindle monthly deals free kindle reading apps buy a kindle content and devices. But seeing red is also the first book ive considered reading in its native spanish.
Her semiautobiographical novel seeing red, set in contrastingly chaotic new york and santiago, spins off from that episode in a searing examination of illness and recovery, anger, dependency. Seeing red focuses less on linas changing physical relationship to the world. Seeing red is a short, autobiographical novel by lina meruane that begins with a bang and doesnt let up. Seeing red kindle edition by meruane, lina, mcdowell. Reading the novel in the first person adds to this sense of the two being indistinguishable and, for me, this. Lina meruane s seeing red is a piercing novel of blindness. Seeing red is the story of lina whose worst nightmare happens at a party one night. Feb 23, 2016 seeing red by lina meruane, 9781941920244, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
At a party in new york city, the main character, lina, suffers from a stroke, which causes the blood vessels behind her corneas to burst. Seeing red by lina meruane, 9781786493156, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Seeing red by lina meruane meet your next favorite book. While roys novel is about the intentional blindness necessitated by economic development, chilean author lina meruanes seeing red takes on the experience of actually going blindsomething that happened to the author herself. In the second half of lina meruane s astonishing novel seeing red, the protagonist, lina, lies in the operating room. Fiction books selectiona penetrating autobiographical novel. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Seeing red is so gorgeous in english, the translation by megan mcdowell maintaining the sense of poetry of language. Jan 01, 2012 seeing red was written by lina meruane in spanish in 2012 and translated by megan mcdowell in 2016. Seeing red has now been translated for the first time into english. Lina meruanes title seems to have a double meaning.
It is a raw, sexy, visceral and sometimes brutal account of a woman losing her sight and. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading seeing red. Author lina meruanes seeing red tests family bonds through crisis. Meruane also explores to what extent sighted people dont actually use their vision. Seeing red is an intriguing blend of fact and fiction where it is impossible to know how much of the narrative actually happened to lina meruane, the author, and how much has been imagined for lina meruane, the fictional character.
Seeing red was originally published in spanish and it comes to life with a strong and beautiful translation by megan mcdowell, who is able to render and magnify lina meruane. Read seeing red by lina meruane available from rakuten kobo. A novelist, essayist, and cultural journalist, she is the author of a host of short stories that have appeared in various anthologies and magazines in spanish, english, german and french. The book opens when lucina, lina, a young chilean writer.
Mark haber, brazos bookstore houston, tx based on her own personal experience, meruanes realistic portrayal of a womans journey of loss, dependency. The 60ish short, uncapitalized chapters are simply titled. Like its author, the books blind narrator is a chilean writer called lina meruane, who lives in new york with her spanish partner, ignacio. Her novels main character, also named lina meruane, is based on the author, also being an author having serious problems with her vision. May 17, 2016 lina meruane s seeing red is a remarkable autobiographical novel about blindness the author appears at powells books on hawthorne may 23, 2016. The literary character literally sees red from the burst blood vessels behind her eye. Meruane, who teaches at new york university, tells the traumatic story of lucina, a chilean writer also living in new york. Written by chilean writer lina meruane and translated by megan mcdowell, seeing red has a complex relationship with autobiography. In lina meruane s searing autobiographical novel seeing red, the narrator describes what she saw during an ocular hemorrhage that rendered her blind as she navigates this new, uncertain existence with her boyfriend. Lina meruane lina, a young chilean academic living in new york, suddenly retreats from a house party, complaining of a sharp pain in her head, right behind the eyes. There are times reading lina meruanes semiautobiographical novel seeing red when you want to look away. Lina meruanes semiautobiographical seeing red is full of rhythmical jolts. Lina actually sees red as her blood vessels burst and block her vision. The tone and setting of the first scene in the book during which lina and ignacio are at a party are unexpected.
It turned out to be good advice because this slender work, my fifth and last pick of the 17 books i read during women in translation month, is a roller coaster of a story the autobiographical novel follows the fortunes of lina, a. Lina begins to speak in terms of sound, scent or touch as she becomes more fluent in translating these senses into her new sight. Ignacio is her partner, her love, the man who stands continually by her side. Seeing red is her fourth novel, but the first to be translated into english. Apr 08, 2016 if meruane begins with horror the profound shock and discomfort of the bloodred burst she quickly descends fully into terror, into the tormenting fear that the blindness will be permanent, the anxiety of which threatens, increasingly, to drive lina mad. Feb 23, 2016 in lina meruanes searing autobiographical novel seeing red, the narrator describes what she saw during an ocular hemorrhage that rendered her blind as she navigates this new, uncertain existence with her boyfriend. Seeing red kindle edition by meruane, lina, mcdowell, megan. Seeing red by lina meruane, 9781941920244, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Aug 20, 2016 seeing red, published by deep vellum, is available at a discount through august 31, 2016, in celebration of women in translation month. She was quite literally seeing red because of bleeding into her eyes that was slowly making her go blind. It speaks to meruanes talent that as driven as lina is she never becomes a caricature.
The book is written in short chapters with a stream of consciousness aspect to them. Seeing red, published by deep vellum, is available at a discount through august 31, 2016, in celebration of women in translation month. Sara baume, author of spill simmer falter wither seeing red is a masterclass in taut, visceral storytelling. English language translation by megan mcdowell published in america by deep vellum publishing in 2016. Blindness, both physical and metaphysical, is where chilean writer lina meruane begins seeing red, her english language debut. Lina meruanes seeing red is a remarkable autobiographical novel about blindness the author appears at powells books on hawthorne may 23, 2016. Lina, the author, writes as a means of cautery and brings an ending that it is also the beginning of an eye for an eye. Apr 22, 2016 in the second half of lina meruane s astonishing novel seeing red, the protagonist, lina, lies in the operating room awaiting eye surgery to treat blindness caused by diabetic retinopathy. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Lina meruane is a chilean writer and scholar who teaches latin american cultures, arts and cultures in the core program and has taught a senior seminar entitled pathological citizenship at the global liberal studies program. Lina meruanes seeing red is a remarkable autobiographical. Seeing red explores senses other than sight of course. Lina meruane is one of the most prominent and influential female voices in chilean contemporary literature. Brand new, exactly same isbn as listed, please double check isbn carefully before ordering.
I discovered lina meruanes seeing red when i stopped by at the bookshop a few days back. Fictional lina gets to be selfish, powerful, and monstrous in ways that meruane likely never did. Alvaro enrigue author of sudden death, tank magazine summer reading list 2016 a story told by meruane with vivid, unflinching language that will occasionally make readers squirm with its beautiful. In this way, seeing red is a subversive and feminist text. Meruane has received writing grants from the arts development fund of chile 1997, the guggenheim foundation 2004 and national endowment for the arts 2010.
Seeing red, by lina meruane, translated by megan mcdowell deep vellum publishing, february 2016 170 pages deep vellum publishing amazon they say that when you go blind your other senses become magnified. Also by lina meruane see all books by lina meruane. Seeing red was written by lina meruane in spanish in 2012 and translated by megan mcdowell in 2016. The tone and setting of the first scene in the book during which lina and ignacio are at. There are still instances of vulnerability that draw out readers compassion.
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