Serafin (Spanish Edition) - by Daniel Samper Ospina (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Un hombre en plena crisis de los cincuenta comienza a sentir que su vida se viene abajo: ha tenido que dar un giro radical a su carrera de periodista y ahora su trabajo depende de los likes, sus hijas adolescentes no lo entienden, su generosa mujer se dedica a recoger gente de la calle y su padre lo enloquece a punta de mensajes de audio. Por supuesto, la consecuencia natural será un infarto.

Pero en medio del quiebre físico y emocional, el protagonista hallará una compañía inesperada: Serafín, el perro al que nadie quiere adoptar, le descubrirá una nueva forma de cariño y resistencia, y además encarnará una manera distinta de habitar el mundo, más instintiva, más presente y leal, que obliga al narrador a replantearse sus prioridades, sus afectos y su manera de entender la vida.

La primera novela de Daniel Samper Ospina es una historia cargada de lucidez, sensibilidad y humor. Y es también el retrato profundamente contemporáneo de un comediante dispuesto a defender la ironía con la que encara una existencia que a veces parece perder el sentido, pero sobre todo es la aventura de un hombre listo a encontrar en la relación con su perro una redención y un consuelo.

"Esta es la novela luminosa y reparadora que prueba que el amor por los perros reivindica a esta especie que narra y narra, pero es también el brillante relato de aprendizaje cincuentón que pone en claro que Daniel Samper Ospina tiene el oído envidiable que requieren el humor, la compasión y la poesía". --Ricardo Silva Romero

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

"My dog Serafín with his rat-like tail, who from then on and forever became my shadow and my refuge, and the only memorable part of who I am."

A man in the throes of a midlife crisis begins to feel his life falling apart: he's had to make a radical shift in his career as a journalist, and now his job depends on likes; his teenage daughters don't understand him; his generous wife spends her time taking in homeless people; and his father drives him crazy with constant voice messages. Of course, the natural consequence will be a heart attack.

But in the midst of this physical and emotional breakdown, the protagonist finds an unexpected companion: Serafín, the dog no one wants to adopt, reveals to him a new form of affection and resilience, and embodies a different way of inhabiting the world--one that is more instinctive, more present, and more loyal--forcing the narrator to rethink his priorities, his attachments, and his understanding of life.

Daniel Samper Ospina's debut novel is a story brimming with lucidity, sensitivity, and humor. It is also a deeply contemporary portrait of a comedian willing to defend the irony with which he faces an existence that sometimes seems to lose its meaning, but above all, it is the adventure of a man ready to find redemption and solace in his relationship with his dog.

"This is the luminous and healing novel that proves that love for dogs vindicates this species that tells story after story, but it is also the brilliant coming-of-age tale of a man in his fifties that makes it clear that Daniel Samper Ospina possesses the enviable ear required for humor, compassion, and poetry." --Ricardo Silva Romero