The Planets

June 12, 2012
novel | pb | 227 pgs
5.5" x 8.5"
978-1-934824-39-9

A 2013 Best Translated Book Award Finalist

When he reads about a mysterious explosion in the distant countryside, the narrator’s thoughts turn to his disappeared childhood friend, M, who was abducted from his home years ago, during a spasm of political violence in Buenos Aires in the early 1970s. He convinces himself that M must have died in this explosion, and he begins to tell the story of their friendship through a series interconnected vignettes, hoping in this way to reanimate his friend and relive the time they spent together wandering the streets of Buenos Aires.

Sergio Chejfec’s The Planetsis an affecting and innovative exploration of mourning, remembrance, and friendship by one of Argentina’s modern masters.

Translated from the Spanish by Heather Cleary

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About the Author: Sergio Chejfec, originally from Argentina, has published numerous works of fiction, poetry, and essays. Among his grants and prizes, he has received fellowships from the Civitella Ranieri Foundation in 2007 and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation in 2000. His books have been translated into French, German, and Portuguese. He teaches in the Creative Writing in Spanish Program at NYU, and My Two Worlds is his first novel to be translated into English.

About the Translator: Heather Cleary is a translator of fiction, criticism, and poetry, whose work has appeared in numerous journals and edited volumes, including Two Lines, The Coffin Factory, and Revealing Mexico. She was awarded a Translation Fund Grant from the PEN America Center for her work on Oliverio Girondo's Persuasión de los días. She is also the translator of Chejfec's The Dark, and one of the founders of the Buenos Aires Review.

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“A novel that is both unique and opportune.” 
—Rodolfo Enrique Fogwill