A traveler looks out his hotel window on a war-torn city. A mortar
explodes in his room and, when the police arrive, the corpse has
disappeared and only a notebook of apocryphal writings and poems is
found. These enigmas lead into a labyrinth, where blind and barbarous
forces lay siege to individual lives and diverse cultures.
State of Siege is a novel of pure fiction, but infinitely more
powerful than all the big speeches about Bosnia.--Le Nouvel
Observateur
A passionate dialogue with the reader, a reflection on privacy and
commitment [engagement], with the steady vigilant presence of a great
literary voice.--Le Monde
The reader is thrown into the unreality of a besieged city, as if a firm
hand had rudely pushed him out of the tank that brought him from the
airport.--L'Express
For the Spaniard Juan Goytisolo, writing is a dangerous
adventure.--Lire
Dreams, reminiscences of the war in Spain, thoughts on the novel,
borrowings from mystery and detective fiction, references to ancient
cultures and Arabic culture, numerous allusions to the narrative
structure of Don Quixote--these make up the form of this novel that, as
the author says in an ironic and provocative way, isn't written
'according to the rules.'--Fayard Presse
Juan Goytisolo was born in Barcelona in 1931 and lives in Marrakech.
In 1993, he was awarded the Nelly Sachs Prize for his literary
achievement and contribution to world culture. His translated works
include a two-volume autobiography, Forbidden Territory and Realms of
Strife, the novels Marks of Identity, Count Julian, Juan the Landless,
Quarantine, Virtues of a Solitary Bird, The Marx Family Saga and The
Garden of Secrets, and the essays Saracen Chronicles and Landscapes
of War.
