December 10: Let’s Talk About It Book Club at Thomaston Public Library

December 10: Let’s Talk About It Book Club at Thomaston Public Library

Thomaston,  Maine - The Let's Talk About It book group, facilitated by author and mentor Lee Heffner, will meet Tuesday, December 10, at 11 a.m. at Thomaston Public Library to continue the series entitled "So Near & So Far: An Exploration of Cuban Literature" with The Chase by Alejo Carpentier.

From the publisher:

"'In a nameless, Havana-like city, an anonymous man flees a team of shadowy, relentless political assassins, and ultimately takes refuge in a symphony auditorium during a performance of Beethoven’s Eroica. . . . This nightmarish novel does not so much tell a story as map the secret political infrastructure of cities, governments, churches, music, and bodies.' --The Independent

"'Carpentier was one of the early giants of modern Latin American literature, a man whose writing helped shape and define the period of ‘magic realism.’ . . . [The Chase is] a masterpiece.' -- New York Times Book Review

"'A taut tale of political violence and psychological suspense.' -- San Francisco Chronicle

"'One of the few perfect novellas in Spanish.' -- G. Cabrera Infante

"Perhaps Cuba’s most important intellectual figure of the twentieth century, Alejo Carpentier (1904–1980) was a novelist, a classically trained pianist and musicologist, a producer of avant-garde radio programming, and an influential theorist of politics and literature. Best known for his novels, Carpentier also collaborated with such luminaries as Igor Stravinsky, Darius Milhaud, Georges Bataille, and Antonin Artaud. Born in Havana, he lived for many years in France and Venezuela but returned to Cuba after the 1959 revolution."

These discussions are always thought-provoking and lively, and we welcome anyone to join for one book or the whole series! Light refreshments are served.

On January 14, the group will continue the discussion of Cuban literature with Dreaming in Cuban by Christina Garcia. Copies are available to borrow at the library. For more information, please contact the library at (207) 354-2453 or at programs@thomaston.lib.me.us.