ALL GREEN SHALL PERISH

by Eduardo Mallea ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 16, 1966

These stories by Argentina's foremost writer are long and lyrical cries-- of anguish, deathlike self-hatred, nameless longing, and loneliness. They have great insight and beauty, and a strange musical power. They are at once compelling and agonizing to read, for the unremitting mood of introspective agony is sustained throughout. However, like Proust, Mallea is also capable of realistic detail and astute social criticism. ""All Green Shall Perish,"" the longest story, is the tale of a woman whose yearnings for love and communication turn to total alienation through the ravages of a silent and bitter marriage and a love affair which was only a passing fancy for her lover. Two similar stories, ""Anguish"" and the ""Lost Cause of Jacob Uber"" describe, respectively, the descent into madness of a young wife and the relentless despair which drives a middle-aged man to suicide. ""Fiesta in November"" details a single night and two stories linked symbolically--one of an artist and a young woman who meet at a party and extend themselves tentatively to each other's understanding, and the other of a poet's execution. Three other stories show the agonies of people under the duress of their own imagination or the impersonal evil of society. Although the collection sounds a single theme of the urge toward deep personal communication, one is continually surprised by the subtle, almost subliminal variations Mallea reveals and the many single sentences of powerful and poetic impact. The translations are excellent. However, despite the force and wisdom of Mallea's extreme vision, there are many times when, glutted with lyric despair, one wants to cry out ""Enough. Enough.

Pub Date: May 16, 1966

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1966

Categories: FICTION