Optic Nerve by Maria Gainza
‘A highly original, piercingly beautiful work, full of beautiful shocks… I felt like a door had been kicked open in my brain’ Johanna Thomas-Corr, Observer A woman searches Buenos Aires for the paintings that are her inspiration and her refuge. Her life -- she is a young mother with a complicated family -- is sometimes overwhelming. But among the canvases, often little-known works in quiet rooms, she finds clarity and a sense of who she is . . . 'I was reminded of John Berger's Ways of Seeing, enfolded in tender and exuberant personal narratives' Claire-Louise Bennett 'This woman-guide, who goes from Lampedusa to The Doors with crushing elegance, is unforgettable' Mariana Enriquez 'A dazzling combination of memoir, fiction and art book, like nothing you’ve ever read before’ Elle
I was reminded of Berger's Ways of Seeing, enfolded in tender and exuberant personal narratives - it's so sophisticated and fascinating, yet has a Calvinoesque light touch; all the textures and nuances come through without labourRigorous and mercurial. -- Claire-Louise Bennett
The prose, in Thomas Bunstead’s translation, is restrained, funny, by turns (and at once) luminous and melancholy… We are left with a profound inquiry into the place and function of art… as remembrance, as joy and consolation, as meaning, as refuge -- Amy Sackville * Guardian *
A highly original, piercingly beautiful work, a book you’ll want to savour… Gainza is a writer who feels immediately important -- Johanna Thomas-Corr * Observer *
Quietly revelatory, and often fascinatingly so -- David Mills * Sunday Times *
When reading The Optic Nerve, works of art are like songs: they carry the excitement and mystery you feel when you stumble upon them. This is the stunning, lucid debut of a writer who finds gold in the most forgotten folds of experience. -- Alan Pauls
The prose, in Thomas Bunstead’s translation, is restrained, funny, by turns (and at once) luminous and melancholy… We are left with a profound inquiry into the place and function of art… as remembrance, as joy and consolation, as meaning, as refuge -- Amy Sackville * Guardian *
A highly original, piercingly beautiful work, a book you’ll want to savour… Gainza is a writer who feels immediately important -- Johanna Thomas-Corr * Observer *
Quietly revelatory, and often fascinatingly so -- David Mills * Sunday Times *
When reading The Optic Nerve, works of art are like songs: they carry the excitement and mystery you feel when you stumble upon them. This is the stunning, lucid debut of a writer who finds gold in the most forgotten folds of experience. -- Alan Pauls
Maria Gainza was born in Buenos Aires, where she still resides. She has worked as a correspondent for the New York Times in Argentina, as well as for ARTnews, and has contributed to Artforum, The Buenos Aires Review, and Radar, the cultural supplement from Pa´gina/12. Her debut novel, Optic Nerve, translated by Thomas Bunstead, was shortlisted for the 2020 LA Times Art Seidenbaum award for First Fiction, a finalist in the 2020 National Translation awards, and a New York Times 'Notable Book' of 2019.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781787300279 |
| ISBN 10 | 1787300277 |
| Title | Optic Nerve |
| Author | Maria Gainza |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Vintage Publishing |
| Year published | 2019-01-31 |
| Number of pages | 224 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |