The Dark

(Paperback)

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Description

Opening with the presently shut-in narrator reminiscing about a past relationship with Delia, a young factory worker, The Dark employs Chejfec's signature style with an emphasis on the geography and motion of the mind, to recount the time the narrator spent with this multifaceted, yet somewhat absent, woman. In a voice that favours erudite distance, yet simultaneously demands intimate attention, The Dark is the most captivating example of Sergio Chejfec's unique narrative approach, and a resonant novel that explores the desire to know another person.

Reviews

"There is a constant dance between author and narrator, the physical and the intangible, the arbitrary and the logical. The environment [Chejfec] builds in his novels is based on assumptions, misunderstandings, suspicions, and opinions."Justin Alverez, Music & Literature "What's different about The Dark, compared with Chejfec's previously translated work, is the constant dance between author and narrator, which plays out as a dialogue between commentary on the world of novels and the story itself."Words Without Borders "A wistful, winding contemplation of that long dark night of the soul."Kirkus Reviews "The Dark adds a new dimension to the dual themes of geography and streaming consciousness that Chejfec loves. Here is a narrator who is also, at long last, a character. One whose moral compass points somewhere; who has stopped moving; who has instead restricted himself to a narrow physical and mental space; who no longer goes outside. Here is narrator left alone. Consigned, as it were, to the dark."Necessary Fiction "Although traditional plot is absent, this allows the author plenty of space to digress brilliantly about walking, factory workers and the notion of geography. Quiet, disturbing and utterly original, The Dark is a revelation. Perfect for fans of W.G. Sebald and Thomas Bernhard."Brazos Bookstore

Author Bio

Sergio Chejfec, originally from Argentina, has published numerous works of fiction, poetry, and essays. Among his grants and prizes, he has received fellowships from the Civitella Ranieri Foundation in 2007 and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation in 2000. He teaches at NYU. Heather Cleary is a translator of fiction, criticism, and poetry. In 2005, she was awarded a Translation Fund grant from the PEN American Center for her work on Oliverio Girondo.