The Linden Tree

A delightful fictional memoir about César Aira's small hometown. The narrator, born the same year and now living in the same great city (Buenos Aires) as César Aira, could be the author himself. Beginning with his parents--an enigmatic handsome black father who gathered linden flowers for his sleep-inducing tea and an irrational, crippled mother of European descent--the narrator catalogs memories of his childhood: his friends, his peculiar first job, his many gossiping neighbors, and the landscape and architecture of the provinces. The Linden Tree beautifully brings back to life that period in Argentina when the poor, under the guiding hand of Eva Perón, aspired to a newly created middle class.

As it moves from anecdote to anecdote, this charming short novella--touching, funny, and sometimes surreal--invites the reader to visit the source of Aira's extraordinary imagination.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: New Directions Publishing Corporation
Published: 04/24/2018
ISBN: 9780811219082
Pages: 128
Weight: 0.20lbs
Size: 7.10h x 5.10w x 0.60d

Review Citations: Library Journal 12/01/2017
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2018
Publishers Weekly 02/26/2018