Paladas de sombra contra la oscuridad
Paladas de sombra contra la oscuridad is a literary gem brimming with poetry, wordplay, and imagination, a novel that enchants and deeply touches its readers. With this extraordinary book, Rolando Villazón once again proves his talent as a sensitive and masterful storyteller.
A poetic and playfully inventive novel about the world of artists and dreamers — rich in metaphor and deeply moving. In his second novel, The Art of Living, opera star Rolando Villazón brings his unmistakable ear for the music of language to a cast of characters whose hearts belong more to art and imagination than to success or profit.
Villazón knows the many-sided world of artists and bohemians intimately, with all its brilliance and its shadows. His characters philosophize, sketch, compose music, invent stories, fold origami, or work behind the scenes at the opera. They may never stand in the spotlight, but their dreams are immense.
At the center of the novel is an imaginative game designer who falls in love with a mysterious mute woman. Through a treasure hunt created especially for him — filled with palindromes and linguistic puzzles — he gradually uncovers surprising truths about women, about himself, and about life itself.
PRESS
«Villazón has crafted a self-reflective story that reveals just enough about its singing author while firmly establishing itself as a work of literature in its own right.» Süddeutsche Zeitung
«The fascinating debut novel of a great artist.» Jorge Volpi
TRANSLATIONS
Germany: Rowohlt
