The Oval Portrait
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ISBN13: 9781609405649
|9781609405649
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Overview
The Oval Portrait was originally published as El retrato ovalado
(Ediciones Union, Havana, Cuba, 2015). Editor Soleida Ríos set
a difficult task for herself and nearly three dozen other Cuban
women writers, artists, and thinkers. She asked each to "choose a
mask. With it she spins her story so that her own image appears
in the story as well as the connection (always mysterious) and
the symbol with which she has chosen to represent herself." The
result, beyond being a postmodernist tour de force, was "a perfect
vehicle for introspection." As Ríos herself puts it: "The game
requires us to go deep.... Shall we say: Rather than a portrait,
construct a mirror, through which you may touch the difficult
and shared places. And then, at the end, ask yourself the question:
Which are your favorite lies?" By way of example, Jamila
Medina Ríos writes in her piece: "I know (I have learned it well)
the fate of my grandmother and her aunts, the fate of Maria and
my mother, the blossoms of mythical women and women poets,
of female warriors, of weak women and of the famous. My head
shaved so as not to intimidate her with my abundant hair." The
Oval Portrait has been exquisitely translated into English by
Margaret Randall. As she writes: "In an era of special interest
media and superficial travelogues, I believe The Oval Portrait offers
readers a uniquely profound glimpse of the Cuban psyche."
(Ediciones Union, Havana, Cuba, 2015). Editor Soleida Ríos set
a difficult task for herself and nearly three dozen other Cuban
women writers, artists, and thinkers. She asked each to "choose a
mask. With it she spins her story so that her own image appears
in the story as well as the connection (always mysterious) and
the symbol with which she has chosen to represent herself." The
result, beyond being a postmodernist tour de force, was "a perfect
vehicle for introspection." As Ríos herself puts it: "The game
requires us to go deep.... Shall we say: Rather than a portrait,
construct a mirror, through which you may touch the difficult
and shared places. And then, at the end, ask yourself the question:
Which are your favorite lies?" By way of example, Jamila
Medina Ríos writes in her piece: "I know (I have learned it well)
the fate of my grandmother and her aunts, the fate of Maria and
my mother, the blossoms of mythical women and women poets,
of female warriors, of weak women and of the famous. My head
shaved so as not to intimidate her with my abundant hair." The
Oval Portrait has been exquisitely translated into English by
Margaret Randall. As she writes: "In an era of special interest
media and superficial travelogues, I believe The Oval Portrait offers
readers a uniquely profound glimpse of the Cuban psyche."
| ISBN-13 | 9781609405649 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10 | 1609405641 |
| List Price | $10.99 |
| Format | - |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Pages | 216 pages |
| Publisher | |
| Published On | 2018-04-01 |
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