A kaleidoscopic, fast-paced tour of Latin America from one of the
Spanish-speaking world's most outstanding writers.
Lamenting not having more time to get to know each of the nineteen
countries he visits after winning the prestigious Premio Alfaguara,
Andrés Neuman begins to suspect that world travel consists mostly of
"not seeing." But then he realizes that the fleeting nature of his trip
provides him with a unique opportunity: touring and comparing every
country of Latin America in a single stroke. Neuman writes on the move,
generating a kinetic work that is at once puckish and poetic, aphoristic
and brimming with curiosity. Even so-called non-places--airports,
hotels, taxis--are turned into powerful symbols full of meaning. A dual
Argentine-Spanish citizen, he incisively explores cultural identity and
nationality, immigration and globalization, history and language, and
turbulent current events. Above all, Neuman investigates the artistic
lifeblood of Latin America, tackling with gusto not only literary
heavyweights such as Bolaño, Vargas Llosa, Lorca, and Galeano, but also
an emerging generation of authors and filmmakers whose impact is now
making ripples worldwide.
Eye-opening and charmingly offbeat, How to Travel without Seeing:
Dispatches from the New Latin America is essential reading for anyone
interested in the past, present, and future of the Americas.
