Shanghai Nights by Juan Marse Carbo
In impoverished post-civil war Barcelona, fourteen-year-old Daniel fills in time between school and starting work as a jeweller's apprentice by taking on the care of an elderly and eccentric sea captain, whose campaign against a suspected gas leak exposes him to the ridicule of his neighbours. With little to enliven the grey atmosphere and dull routines of the battle-scarred city, Daniel becomes increasingly drawn to the beautiful and bed-ridden Susana, who spends her days dreaming of seeing her fugitive father, Kim, again. When a mysterious stranger arrives at the villa with magical tales of the Shanghai underworld and Kim's noble exploits there, both Daniel and Susana suppress their questions and willingly fall under his spell. An intoxicating tale of the human spirit, Shanghai Nights is a compelling, illuminating novel about children that has a great deal to say about adulthood.
"Fulfilling and provocative" -- Julian Evans * Daily Telegraph *
"Magnificent" -- Michael Eaude * Independent *
"There are enough illuminating moments of disillusioned adolescence and wounded adult idealism in this work to confirm him as among Spain's finest living authors" -- Adam Feinstein * Guardian *
"He describes the sordid poverty and repression of the Barcelona of the 1950s through the lives of a wonderfully drawn assortment of invented characters" -- Raymond Carr * Spectator *
"Juan Marsé's contribution to European literature has been consistently remarkable" * Times Literary Supplement *
"Magnificent" -- Michael Eaude * Independent *
"There are enough illuminating moments of disillusioned adolescence and wounded adult idealism in this work to confirm him as among Spain's finest living authors" -- Adam Feinstein * Guardian *
"He describes the sordid poverty and repression of the Barcelona of the 1950s through the lives of a wonderfully drawn assortment of invented characters" -- Raymond Carr * Spectator *
"Juan Marsé's contribution to European literature has been consistently remarkable" * Times Literary Supplement *
Juan Marsé was born in Barcelona in 1933. Following the publication of his first novel in 1960 he has gone on to become one of the most respected living authors in Spain. He has been honoured with many literary prizes, including the Narrative National Prize for Lizard Tails, the European Literature Prize for Shanghai Nights and, in 2008, the Cervantes Prize, the most prestigious award for Spanish-language Literature.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780099464372 |
| ISBN 10 | 0099464373 |
| Title | Shanghai Nights |
| Author | Juan Marse Carbo |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Vintage Publishing |
| Year published | 2007-03-01 |
| Number of pages | 208 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |