The Things We Don't Do - by Andrés Neuman (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

"Good readers will find something that can be found only in great literature, the kind written by real poets, a literature that dares to venture into the dark with open eyes and that keeps its eyes open no matter what . . . . The literature of the twenty-first century will belong to Neuman and a few of his blood brothers."--Roberto Bolaño

Playful, philosophizing, and gloriously unpredictable, Andrés Neuman's short stories consider love, lechery, history, mortality, family secrets, therapy, Borges, mysterious underwear, translators, and storytelling itself.

Here a relationship turns on a line drawn in the sand; an analyst treats a patient who believes he's the real analyst; a discovery in a secondhand shop takes on a cruel significance; a man decides to go to work naked one day. In these small scenes and brief moments Neuman confounds our expectations with dazzling sleight of hand.

With a variety of forms and styles, Neuman opens up the possibilities for fiction, calling to mind other greats of Latin American letters, such as Cortázar, Bolaño, and Bioy Casares. Intellectually stimulating and told with a voice that is wry, questioning, sometimes mordantly funny, yet always generously humane, The Things We Don't Do confirms Neuman's place as one of the most dynamic authors writing today.

Andrés Neuman was born in Buenos Aires, and grew up and lives in Spain. He was included in Granta's "Young Spanish-language Novelists" issue and is the author of almost twenty works, two of which--Traveler of the Century and Talking to Ourselves-- have been translated into English. Traveler of the Century won the Alfaguara Prize and the National Critics Prize, and was longlisted for the 2013 Best Translated book award, and shortlisted for the 2013 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize and the 2014 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

Nick Caistoris a prolific British translator and journalist, best known for his translations of Spanish and Portuguese literature. He is a past winner of the Valle-Inclán Prize for translation and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4, Times Literary Supplement, and the Guardian.

Lorenza Garcia has lived for extended periods in Spain, France, and Iceland. Since 2007, she has translated over a dozen novels and works of non-fiction from French and Spanish.

Review Quotes

"Neuman's penchant for familial drama. . . . emerges again in these short stories, but his adventurous, stylistic virtuosity sets these works apart. . . . Neuman succeeds by this and many other measures with these sublime, surprising tales."--Booklist

"Andrés Neuman has continued to mesmerize his readers seemingly without effort. [His] grasp on the reader's attention is so total, in fact, that she can only acknowledge she has been hypnotized once the session has ended."--Jonathon Sturgeon, Flavorwire

" Neuman demonstrates a marvelous gift for the medium of short stories, infusing each with equal parts compassion and conflict."--Kirkus Review

"These short, trenchant explorations of moments in which other realities penetrate the quotidian, or the boundary between the real and the unreal, truly merit comparisons to Julio Cortázar or even Borges."--Alli Carlisle, Full Stop

"Neuman is one of the rare writers who can distill the most complex human emotions with apparent effortlessness. . . . Andrés Neuman has transcended the boundaries of geography, time, and language to become one of the most significant writers of the early twenty-first century."--Alex McElroy, Music & Literature

"Each one of these tales is gripping for a multitude of different reasons, but ultimately it's the common bond that they share, the author's instinctive ability to empathize with his flawed subjects, that transforms them into endearing snapshots worthy of their reader's attention."--Aaron Westerman, Typographical Era

". . . Neuman is the rare storyteller who not only understands but also feels how to go about his job."--The Mookse and the Gripes

"Andrés Neuman is destined to be one of the essential writers of our time."--Teju Cole

About the Author

Andrés Neuman was born in Buenos Aires, and grew up and lives in Spain. He was included in Granta's "Young Spanish-language Novelists" issue and is the author of almost twenty works, two of which--Traveler of the Century and Talking to Ourselves-- have been translated into English. Traveler of the Century won the Alfaguara Prize and the National Critics Prize, and was longlisted for the 2013 Best Translated book award, and shortlisted for the 2013 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize and the 2014 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

Nick Caistoris a prolific British translator and journalist, best known for his translations of Spanish and Portuguese literature. He is a past winner of the Valle-Inclán Prize for translation and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4, Times Literary Supplement, and the Guardian.

Lorenza Garcia has lived for extended periods in Spain, France, and Iceland. Since 2007, she has translated over a dozen novels and works of non-fiction from French and Spanish.