In city squares and golden palaces, a series of storytellers recount the history of the greatest Empire that never was: a history in which orphans rise from the underworld to the throne, mad emperors raze cities, captive dancers induce fatal delirium and murderous empresses plot against their own children. Angelica Gorodischer''s novel, masterfully translated by Ursula K. Le Guin, conjures a vivid fictional universe of labyrinthine cities, desert caravans and the lawless South - and of an Empire fated to rise, fall and rise again.

Autorentext

Although born in Buenos Aires, Angélica Gorodischer (1928-2022) was most closely associated with the city of Rosario, her home since childhood and also the home of her famous character, Trafalgar Medrano. She wrote over twenty books, including Trafalgar (1979) and the fantastical Kalpa Imperial (1983-4), which was translated into English by Ursula K. Le Guin. Her work has been compared to that of Borges and Calvino, and she won numerous literary prizes as well as an award for her contribution to women's rights. In 2011 she received a World Fantasy Award for lifetime achievement.

Klappentext

A dazzling tapestry of myth, fantasy and folk tale from Argentina's great writer of speculative fiction, in a translation by Ursula K. Le Guin

In city squares and glittering palaces, a series of storytellers recount the many deaths and rebirths of the greatest Empire that never was: a history in which beggars rise to the Golden Throne, mad emperors raze cities and murderous empresses plot against their own children. Angélica Gorodischer's dreamlike novel, masterfully translated by Ursula K. Le Guin, conjures a labyrinthine fictional universe of magical lore, broken dynasties and an Empire fated to rise, fall and rise again.

'A landmark of Spanish-language imaginative fiction: a lyrical work that reimagines fantasy and myth from one of Argentina's most brilliant writers' Mariana Enriquez, author of Our Share of Night