First published in Spain in 1983 and proclaimed an instant postmodern classic, without a doubt the most disturbingly original Spanish prose of the century (Encyclopedia Britannica 1985 Book of the Year), Larva is a rollicking account of a masquerade party in an abandoned mansion in London. Milalias (disguised as Don Juan) searches for Babelle (as Sleeping Beauty) though a linguistic fun house of polylingual puns and wordplay recalling Joyce s Finnegans Wake. A mock-scholarly commentary reveals the backgrounds of the masked revelers, while Ríos s punning and allusive language shows that words, too, wear masks, hiding an astonishing range of further meanings and implications. Larva s tale, a reassessment of the Don Juan myth in our time, is told in single-minded pursuit of double meanings, but it is serious play. It revives a Hispanic tradition repressed for centuries by introducing the Madhatter English tradition of puns, palindromes, and acrostics, by creating Joycean echoes and pushing language to its maximum connotative capacity. Larva has been praised by such leading Spanish-language writers as Carlos Fuentes, Juan Goytisolo, and Severo Sarduy, and establishes Ríos as the most accomplished successor to Joyce.
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Seller: Chaparral Books, Portland, OR, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Bound in publisher's black cloth with gilt lettering to the spine. In very good condition with a solid binding. Remainder mark on the bottom edge of the text block. Contents clean and unmarked. In a very good lightly edgeworn dust jacket. 8vo. 585pp. Seller Inventory # SELrioLM
Seller: Outer Print, Richmond, VA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. Very Good hardcover in a Near Fine dust jacket. First American Edition, First Printing as stated. Overall a bright and attractive copy. The text is bright and unmarked. No tears or chips to the jacket. Foxing to the page ends. B&W photos. 585 pp. Seller Inventory # 005143
Seller: Rosenbloom Rare Books, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good+. 585p, illustrated, bright, unclipped dustjacket, slight external wear, name stamp in blind on flyleaf otherwise unmarked. Seller Inventory # 4446788
Seller: Zed Books, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. First Edition. First printing. 8vo. [586] pp. Black cloth. Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. Slightest shelfwear to boards. Red lettering to jacket spine faded slightly to pink. Translated by Richard Alan Francis with Suzanne Jill Levine and the author. Seller Inventory # h01449
Seller: GoldBooks, Denver, CO, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # 23F48_43_091658366X
Seller: The Book Spot, Sioux Falls, MN, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # Abebooks554411
Seller: Plot Twist, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A.
** 1ST EDITION, 1ST PRINTING ** Octavo. In As New condition with an As New dust jacket. Jacket spine is black with gold lettering. Boards and spine are tight, text block clean, pages bright and clean, with sharp page corners throughout. No writing, markings, or remainder marks. Not price clipped. This copy is protected with a removable mylar covering. A rare and important postmodern novel by Julián Ríos, author of two earlier works co-authored with Octavio Paz. Larva is widely regarded as Ríos?s masterwork and a landmark of experimental world literature, frequently compared to Finnegans Wake for its linguistic ambition and inventiveness. Seller Inventory # 31984