Outsider Everywhere

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In August 1939, a ship flying the Polish flag docked in Buenos Aires. On board was a delegation of businessmen, diplomats and journalists. Days later, the captain received orders t o return home with all crew and passengers in light of the imminent outbreak of the Second World War. But one man, fascinated by the city, chose to stay at the very last minute. Thus began the unexpected twenty-four-year Argentine exile of one of the twentieth century’s major writers: Witold Gombrowicz. Drawing on his writings and interviews with surviving disciples, writers and scholars, Mercedes Halfon’s Outsider Everywhere traces Gombrowicz’s Argentine years in elegant, pared-back prose, and composes a vivid account of mid-century bohemia in Buenos Aires. Brilliantly translated by Rahul Bery, Mercedes Halfon’s Outsider Everywhere is a gripping portrait of a literary figure on the margins who rose to prominence late in life to become ‘one of the greatest novelists of our century’ (Milan Kundera). ‘Writing about Gombrowicz poses a singular challenge for any biographer who chooses to write about him. Halfon takes it up admirably and manages to go beyond the life he lived and the way in which he constructed himself to get to the truth of his character…. A perfect portrayal.’— Martín Kohan, Revista Ñ‘One of the most interesting voices in contemporary literature.’ — Pedro Mairal, author of The Woman from Uruguay‘With the sensitivity of a keen observer, Halfon speaks of herself when she speaks of the world, and vice versa.’ — Alan Pauls, author of The Past ‘Some authors seem to work by following the ellipses of a previously established canon. And there are others who seem to be guided by a sort of intuition, a pulse that is a mix of desire, desperation and fearlessness of the unknown. Mercedes Halfon belongs to the second category.’ — Mauro Libertella ‘Halfon’s work achieves something that rarely happens in these types of biographical texts: it brings Gombrowicz back to life, makes him walk again through Buenos Aires, allows him to inhabit his everyday life.’— Imanol Subiela Salvo, Página/12‘A book that can almost be read in one sitting, where the reading revives the experiences of the Polish writer and makes us want to seek out all his work.’— Andrés Manrique, ANRed ‘An atypical writer herself, as demonstrated by the subtle El trabajo de los ojos and Diario pinchado, Halfon does not sugarcoat the peculiarities or contradictions of her subject. Gombrowicz was a difficult man. Those seeking the origin of the myth will find it, but they will also find tools to think about literature, its behind-the-scenes world, and forms of consecration and circulation.’— Raquel Garzón, Cuadernos Hispanoamericanos Mercedes Halfon was born in Buenos Aires. She has published three novels, six poetry collections and one work of non-fiction. With Laura Citarella, she directed the film Las poetas visitan a Juana Bignozzi (2019), which won the Best Director award at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival and the Silver Dove award at the DOK Leipzig Festival. She curated the theatrical cycle ‘Invocaciones’, held at the Centro Cultural San Martín and the Teatro Nacional Cervantes. She teaches in the Writing Arts programme at the Universidad Nacional de las Artes and writes for the Radar supplement of the newspaper Página/12, among other outlets. Outsider Everywhere: Witold Gombrowicz in Argentina is her first book to appear in English. Show more