Married Life - by Sergio Pitol (Paperback)

About the Book

"Jacqueline Cascorro, once a heartbroken and disillusioned wife, finds herself in a whirlwind of new experiences after her husband Nicolas Lobato's infidelity. As Nicolas's business success elevates their social status, Jacqueline is introduced to a world of refined tastes and colors that were once beyond her reach. Through new acquaintances and lavish parties, she yearns for a more fulfilling life and a genuine love. Unable to accept her current reality, Jacqueline embarks on a series of misadventures, navigating the high society of Mexico in search of love"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

In this tragicomic satire of marriage from one of Mexico's most celebrated writers, a heartbroken and disillusioned wife sets out to remake her life after her husband's infidelity.

As Nicoláaacute;s Lobato's success begins to elevate himself and his wife into the upper tier of Mexico's high society, his infidelities come to light, plunging his wife Jacqueline Cascorro into a carousel of flirtations and schemes that transform her quest for love and revenge into a veritable comedy of errors.

In the last volume of his celebrated Carnival Triptych, Sergio Pitol exposes the pretensions of the upper class, the hypocrisy behind its feigned propriety, and marriage itself as a carefully staged farce in which ambition and desire masquerade as fidelity and passion.

Review Quotes

"Pitol effortlessly captures the pain, ecstasy, and mundanity of marriage in this entertaining tragicomedy." -Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Sergio Pitol (1933-2018) was a Mexican author, translator, and diplomat. Pitol studied law and literature at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). In 1960, he joined the Mexican Foreign Service, serving as a cultural attaché in cities such as Rome, Belgrade, Warsaw, Paris, Beijing, Moscow, Prague, Budapest, and Barcelona. His works include novels, short stories, and essays, such as Married Life (1991) and El arte de la fuga (1996). He is considered one of Mexico's most important writers, winning the Cervantes Prize in 2005, the most esteemed literary prize in Hispanophone literature.

G.B. Henson is a professor and translator of Spanish literature. His translations include The Art of Flight by Sergio Pitol, The Cannibal Night by Luis Jorge Boone and The Heart of the Artichoke by Elena Poniatowska. His work has appeared in The Paris Review, The Guardian and World Literature Today. He is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Spanish Translation at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

Mark Haber was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Florida. His debut novel, Reinhardt's Garden (2019), was longlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award. His second novel, Saint Sebastian's Abyss (2022), was named a best book of 2022 by the New York Public Library and Literary Hub. His most recent novel, Lesser Ruins (2024), was longlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize. Most recently, Mark was appointed Visiting Professor at Freie Universität Berlin during the 2024/2025 winter semester. Mark lives in Minneapolis.