Oscar Hijuelos Boeken

In deze bonte verzameling literaire teksten vol humor en melancholie worden talrijke grenzen overschreden. Letterlijke grenzen tussen landen en culturen, maar ook figuurlijke tussen muziek en politiek, liefde en verraad, gezag en clandestiniteit. Op humoristische wijze overtroeft een doortastende vrouw haar verkrachters; een overledene vertelt hoe hij zijn tijd in de hemel slijt. Melancholieke herinneringen aan de jazzsaxofonist John Coltrarie in New York worden afgewisseld met herinneringen aan een bevriende junk uit de 'scene' in Belgrado. Een zakenvrouw wreekt zich op haar Tivale, de schoonheidskoningin van Zweden; een wanhopige man vermoordt Zijn VTOUW OM zijn eer te redden. Een vertaler vergeet zijn eed en richt daarmee groot onheil aan; een man steelt juwelen en verandert daardoor in een held. De verhalen, gedichten, songteksten en een toneelstuk zijn stuk voor stuk geïllustreerd en voorzien van biografische informatie en foto's van de auteurs. Debuterende en reeds succesvolle schrijvers Uit alle delen van de wereld leverden voor deze bundel originele bijdragen die nog nooit eerder in het Nederlands zijn gepubliceerd.

It is 1947 and Israel Levis, a Cuban composer whose life had once been a dream of music, love and sadness, is returning to Habana, Cuba, from Spain, where he has just recovered from the physical and spiritual malaise resulting from his experiences in Paris, then Buchenwald, during the Nazi occupation of France. (A devout Catholic, Levis had been mistakenly identified as a Jew because of his name.) When Levis arrives back in Habana, after an absence of many years, his mind is reeling with beautiful memories of his life in Cuba and in Paris before the war, a life of pleasure and excitement that he owes, in part, to an unrequited, nearly "chivalrous" romance with a certain Rita Valladares, a singer for whom Levis had written his most famous song, "Rosas Puras," or "Pretty Roses." This 1928 composition becomes the most famous rumba in the world and changes both American and European tastes in music and dance - forever; and it is the song, symbolic of the composer's love for Rita Valladares, that sets Levis's life in Europe in motion. This is at once a love story - for art, family and country - as well as a portrait of Habana at the turn of the last century, when "the world was good." A Simple Habana Melody is a virtuoso performance from one of our most important writers.

Oscar Hijuelos, the first Latino Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, intricately explores the Cuban American immigrant experience. His debut novel, Our House in the Last World, follows Hector Santinio's family as they navigate the contrasting worlds of Cuba and New York City, grappling with identity and nostalgia. In The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, Hijuelos celebrates Latin music through bandleader Cesar Castillo's reflections on fame and family. Mr. Ives' Christmas delves into the American dream's fragility, as a father's life is irrevocably changed by tragedy.

Here are the sights, sounds, and rhythms of Cuba, revealed in the evocative works of some of the finest Cuban and Cuban American poets of the twentieth century. In Burnt Sugar, bestselling translator Lori Marie Carlson and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Oscar Hijuelos have created an intimate collection of some of their favorite modern poems, all of which are informed by cubanía -- the essence of what it means to be Cuban. "Cuban" in this sense refers neither to ideology nor to geography but rather to the distinguishing characteristics of Cuban poetry as it has developed over time: clever verbal play, overt rhythmic notes, and an intensity of longing, whether religious, political, or amorous. Many of these poems have never been translated into English before, and taken together they, as the editors say, "produce a vibrant, satisfying sound and vivid imagery. They allow for some understanding of modern-day preoccupations, contradictions, feelings, and attitudes considered to be Cuban." Stirring, immediate, and universal in its sensibility, Burnt Sugar is a luminous collection lovingly compiled by two of the world's foremost authorities on the subject.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of 1950s and 1960s New York City, the narrative follows a young protagonist navigating the complexities of adolescence. Themes of identity, friendship, and the clash between tradition and modernity are explored as the characters grapple with societal expectations and personal dreams. The rich cultural landscape of the era serves as a poignant setting for their transformative experiences, making it a compelling tale of growth and self-discovery.

In New York, a father's worst nightmare arrives just before Christmas when Edward Ives learns his son Robert, 17, was murdered in the street for $10 by another teenager. The novel describes his coming to terms with his loss

In his new novel, Oscar Hijuelos brings to life the lively Montez O'Brien family. Nelson O'Brien, an enterprising Irish immigrant and photographer, travels to Cuba during the Spanish-American War and meets his future wife, the sensitive and poetic Mariela Montez. Their first daughter, Margarita, is born at sea en route to America in 1902. Settling in a small Pennsylvania town, Nelson runs the Jewel Box Movie Theater while Mariela gives birth to thirteen more daughters and eventually a son. The narrative unfolds through Margarita's reminiscences, recounting the family's lives, loves, and tragedies, as well as their complex relationships. The story also follows Emilio, who navigates life in Greenwich Village, the army, and Hollywood as Monty O'Brien, starring in grade-B detective and Tarzan movies and mingling with stars like Errol Flynn. Struggling to find his place in a predominantly female family, he searches for true love. Meanwhile, Margarita discovers profound passion in her later years. This raucous and heartfelt epic spans the continent and the century, celebrating moments of happiness that give meaning to interconnected lives and the ever-present force of change and renewal.

Follows the lives and loves of two young Cuban musicians as they make their way from Havana to New York where they earn the title of the Mambo Kings

“Savor the mysterious power of a master’s pentimento.” —Los Angeles Times “It takes a lot of nerve and skill to pull off something as rich as Beautiful MarÍa of My Soul, but pull it off Hijuelos does.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer “I fell instantly in love with the glorious soul of Beautiful MarÍa of My Soul. Hijuelos has created and brought to life two beloved characters, a heart-stealing heroine and Havana during an epoch of changing fate.” —Amy Tan, bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club In Beautiful MarÍa of My Soul, Oscar Hijuelos returns to the passionate tale he began twenty years ago in The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love. MarÍa is the great Cuban beauty who stole musician Nestor Castillo’s heart and broke it, inspiring him to write the Mambo Kings’ biggest hit, “Beautiful MarÍa of My Soul.'” Now in her sixties and living as an exile in Miami, MarÍa remains a beauty, still capable of turning heads. But while she left Cuba decades ago, she has never forgotten Nestor. As she thinks back to her days—and nights—in Havana, an entirely new perspective on the Mambo Kings story unfolds. Beautiful MarÍa of My Soul is a stunning act of reinvention, and another contemporary classic from an extraordinarily talented writer.

Der amerikanische Pulitzerpreisträger kubanischer Herkunft Oscar Hijuelos legt den personenreichen, lebensvollen Roman einer kubanisch-amerikanischen Großfamilie vor. "In den 'Mambo Kings' hatte ich mir die Idee des Machismo vorgenommen, setzte mich damit auseinander, versuchte, sozusagen in die Charaktere einzusteigen. In diesem neuen Buch wollte ich hinter die grundlegenden Frauenbilder gucken...Ich wollte eine Welt porträtieren, in der die Frauen sehr mächtig waren..." (Oscar Hijuelos.)