Humiliation

(Paperback)

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Description

A father walks the streets of Santiago with his two daughters in tow. Jobless, ashamed, and blind to his older child's adoration, he unwittingly leads them to the scene of the greatest humiliation of his life. A woman catches the eye of a young man outside a library. The pair exchange a cigarette and a few brief words, but what should have been nothing more than a brief flirtation soon takes a darker turn. Throughout the nine tales that make up this astounding debut, Paulina Flores narrates with astonishing clarity the moment in which her characters stumble from an age of innocence to the harsh reality of disillusionment. Written with uncompromising honesty, tenderness, and a Carver-esque attention to detail,Humiliation establishes Paulina Flores as one of the most exciting new voices in Latin America today.

Reviews

In this impressive debut, nimbly translated by Megan McDowell, Flores explores the indignities of poverty, widespread in her native Chile Like Alice Munro, Flores sparks empathy with a careful attention to details. Humanity, she makes clear, is bound together by a shared vulnerability.

* Guardian *

'An exceptional debut - beautifully translated by Megan McDowell - from one of Latin America's most exciting young writers.'

* Monocle *

I was struck by the maturity and richness of Humiliation [the stories] show a side of Chile that is very relevant in the current political climate of the country.

* Morning Star *

'Its still rare to encounter a debut with a grip this sure.Young Chilean writer Paulina Flores leads you with such cool confidence through her nine stories that I cant wait to follow wherever she goes next... Masterly.'

* Observer *

'Every once in a while one encounters a new voice and thinks: they will last.'

* El Pas *

'An incredible storyteller. Paulina Flores hasa knack for laying bare those fragile, often inarticulated, often hard to pin down emotions children hold for their parents.'

* Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, author of Kintu *

'Chilean writer Flores debut short story collection has garnered critical acclaim in its Spanish-language edition, winning several awards, including the Roberto Bolao Prize. Now McDowell presents an agile translation... With conflicts personal and communal in a land in the grip of tyranny, Flores dramatizes difficult situations vividly specific and resonantly universal.'

* Booklist *

'Until the protests, nobody outside of Chile was talking about how one percent of its inhabitants take home one third of the income generated in the entire country. The fearless, clear-eyed stories of Paulina Flores offer a portal into what living in that extreme inequality means.'

* Electric Literature, Recommended Reads *

'Written with the possessive, disquieting calm of contemporaries like Catherine Lacey and Richard Chiem,Humiliationis a dazzling debut from a woman within full command of her craft.'

* Paperback Paris *

'Winner of multiple awards, including the Roberto Bolao Prize,Humiliationis an intensely political debut... The thing that these nine stories share most prominently is longing. For change. For approval. For affection.'

* Minor Literature[s] *

'A masterful collection of uncommon stories'

* Book Munch blog *

'Flores has won several prizes in her native Chile, and it's not hard to see why: her prose (deftly translated by McDowell) is fluid and assured... This collection marks the arrival of an interesting young writer.'

* Kirkus *

'Flores' strong debut collection provides an intimate look at characters in a Chile brimming with desperation and misfortune... [These] intense stories are tied together with dark, palpable emotion... This is a challenging, impressive collection.'

* Publishers Weekly *

'The magic of Paulina Flores writing lies in placing us in that critical moment when everything is about to change,yet everything seems still. A finely tuned literary high-wire act if ever there was one.'

* Carlos Fonseca, author of Colonel Lgrimas *

'Nine powerful short stories about day-dreams, disillusionment and retaliation.'

* Bookoxygen *

'Paulina Flores deftly captures our startling humanity; there's awe and dread in these pagesbut there's joy, too, fleeting and overwhelming. The worlds she crafts inHumiliationareourworlds, in all their terror and amazement.'

* Bryan Washington, author of Lot *

'Humiliationis a brilliant book that captures the volatility of misunderstandings, the moment when failures matter less than the need to share them.'

* Alejandro Zambra *

'Expertly translated into English by Megan McDowell, Humiliation heralds the arrival of a powerful new voice in international literature. Flores has her finger on the pulse of modernitya writer to watch.'

* trampset *

'A debut that marks the arrival of a powerful figure in Chilean letters. [...] We must celebrate it wholeheartedly.'

* La Vanguardia *

'A brilliant and daring collection of stories.'

* ABC *

'Chilean author Paulina Flores might be only 28-years-old, but her mature style and her insight into the cracks beneath the surface of middle class life have astonished readers and critics alike.'

* Marie Claire *

'Humiliation is a masterful collection of uncommon stories.'

* Bookmunch *

'Nine perfect stories that form an extraordinary collection.'

* Letras Libres *

'Stories through which life flows with astonishing ease.'

* Librjula *

'A work that is as original as it is strong, as it is delicate.'

* TenMag *

'With elegance, strength and the eye of a hunter, Paulina Flores writes as though she's lived twice as long as her age.'

* Vozppuli *

'Floress style is minimalist and sparse, deprived of all artificiality, aiming straight at the heart.'

* Libros y Literatura *

'While Paulina Floress approach is radically political, her stories explore a world of nuance and complexity, brought to life through the authors relentless quest for the humanity in each of her characters.'

* El Espaol *

'Nimble, precise, emotional and enigmatic, every one of these stories suggests that Humiliation is only the start of what will be a long career.'

* Tiempo, Madrid *

'Paulina Flores's vision is unique and, like only good literature can, it will confront, disturb, and dazzle you.'

* Mujer Hoy *

'Fiction that is as alive as Chekhov's and as vibrant as Munro's.'

* Babelia *

'The stories remain with you long after shutting the cover of her book. Her characters are fascinatingcaptivating you as you turn the pages, reminding you of what power there is in indulging in excellent writing.'

* The Rumpus *

'In these stories, a struggling father brings his daughters along with him to his job interviews; a group of teenage boys try to steal musical instruments from a church; a woman moves back in with her mother after a bad break-up. People are caught up in harrowing, humiliating situations, and Flores pulls no punches in showing lifes mess. These stories are searing, dark, and sometimes bleak, but really try to get at the tough corners of life, painful and embarrassing. And the tales rarely go where the reader expects them to.'

* BookRiot *

Author Bio

Paulina Flores was born in Chile in 1988. In 2014, she won the Roberto Bolao Short Story Prize for her story Qu vergenza (Humiliation). Her collection of the same title was published to great acclaim in Chile in 2015 and was an immediate commercial and critical success. She is a laureate of the Chilean Art Critics Circle Prize for Best New Fiction, and when she is not writing, works as a high school teacher. Megan McDowellhas translated books by many contemporary South American and Spanish authors, including Samanta Schweblin's Man Booker-shortlisted Fever Dream. Her translations have been published inThe New Yorker, Harper'sandThe Paris Review. She lives in Chile.