The private life of trees
Original title: La vida privada de los árboles
The Private Lives of Trees tells the story of a single night: a young professor of literature named Julián is reading to his step-daughter Daniela and nervously waiting for his wife Verónica to return from her art class. Each night, Julián has been improvising a story about trees to tell Daniela before she goes to sleep -and each Sunday he works on a novel about a man tending to his bonsai- but something about this night is different. As Julián becomes increasing concerned that Verónica won't return, he reflects on their life together in minute detail, and imagines what Daniela -at twenty, at twenty-five, at thirity years old, without a mother- will think of his novel.
Why read and write books in a world that is about to self-destruct? This question hangs about on each page of La vida privada de los arboles: a novel that confirms Alejandro Zambra as one of the most original authors of his generation.
"The Private Lives of Trees confirms Alejandro Zambra as one of the most interesting writers of the younger generation" Álvaro Enrigue
"Zambra is indeed the herald of a new wave of Chilean fiction" Marcela Valdez, The Nation
The Private Lives of Trees tells the story of a single night: a young professor of literature named Julián is reading to his step-daughter Daniela and nervously waiting for his wife Verónica to return from her art class. Each night, Julián has been improvising a story about trees to tell Daniela before she goes to sleep -and each Sunday he works on a novel about a man tending to his bonsai- but something about this night is different. As Julián becomes increasing concerned that Verónica won't return, he reflects on their life together in minute detail, and imagines what Daniela -at twenty, at twenty-five, at thirity years old, without a mother- will think of his novel.
Why read and write books in a world that is about to self-destruct? This question hangs about on each page of La vida privada de los arboles: a novel that confirms Alejandro Zambra as one of the most original authors of his generation.
"The Private Lives of Trees confirms Alejandro Zambra as one of the most interesting writers of the younger generation" Álvaro Enrigue
"Zambra is indeed the herald of a new wave of Chilean fiction" Marcela Valdez, The Nation
