A dizzying, 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 concludes that world travel consists mostly of “not seeing.” Turning the fleeting nature of his trip to his advantage, he writes on the move, producing a kinetic work that is whimsical and fun, poetic and aphoristic. Even so-called non-places—airports, hotels, taxis—are turned into powerful symbols full of meaning. A dual Argentine-Spanish citizen, Neuman offers incisive insight into cultural identity and nationality, immigration and globalization, history and language. Neuman deftly navigates contemporary events—panic over swine flu, the unfurling financial crisis, elections in Argentina, the Honduran coup—and tackles literary heavyweights such as Bolaño, Vargas Llosa, Lorca, and Nettel with gusto.
Instantly appealing and utterly unique, How to Travel without Seeing: Dispatches from the New Latin America is a must-read for anyone interested in the past, present, and future of the Americas.
