Título: Malcolm Lowry's La Mordida: A Scholarly Edition
Autor: Malcolm Lowry
Sinopse: Although Malcolm Lowry (1909-1957) published only two novels-Ultramarine and Under the Volcano-in his lifetime, numerous other works, most of which have since been edited for publication, were in various stages of composition at his death. La Mordida, the longest and most significant of the manuscripts that have not been previously published, is a draft of a novel based on Lowry's visit to Mexico in 1945-46, which ended in the arrest and deportation of Lowry and his wife following a nightmarish run-in with corrupt immigration authorities. On its most immediate level, the title La Mordida-which means "the little bite," Mexican slang for the small bribe that officials are apt to demand in order to expedite matters-refers to the autobiographical protagonist's legal difficulties. In a larger sense, however, it also represents his inability to escape his past, to repay the fine, or debt, that he owes.
The central narrative of La Mordida involves a descent into the abyss of self, culminating in the protagonist's symbolic rebirth at the book's end. Lowry planned to use this basic narrative pattern as the springboard for innumerable questions about such concerns as art, identity, the nature of existence, political issues, and alcoholism. Above all, La Mordida was to have been a metafictional work about an author who sees no point in living events if he cannot write about them and who is not only unable to write but suspects that he is just a character in a novel.
A reading of La Mordida in the context of Lowry's aesthetic theories and psychological problems shows why he dreaded the completion of his projects to such an extent that he called success a "horrible disaster" and compared death to "the accepted manuscript of one's life." The reason, La Mordida makes clear, lies partly in the aesthetic theories that led Lowry to attempt a book that he prophetically called "something never dreamed of before, a work of art so beyond conception it could not be written."
Patrick A. McCarthy's edition of La Mordida is based on materials held in the Malcolm Lowry Archive at the University of British Columbia. Its publication provides essential evidence for a balanced assessment of Lowry's creative processes and his achievement as a writer.
Contexto da obra
Como livro em inglês, esta obra costuma ganhar também uma camada própria de interesse editorial e linguístico. “Malcolm Lowry’s La Mordida: A Scholarly Edition”, de Malcolm Lowry, publicado pela editora University of Georgia Press, em 2023 e com 424 páginas, integra a categoria Livros em Inglês. Por isso, o interesse da obra tende a se ampliar quando o leitor considera também a relação com a língua em que ela circula.
Editora: University of Georgia Press
Páginas: 424
Ano: 2023-06-01
Edição:
Linguagem: en
ISBN: 0820366161
ISBN13: 9780820366166
Sobre a editora
Os livros da editora University of Georgia Press conduzem o leitor por narrativas que exploram profundamente a cultura, a história e o ambiente do Sul dos Estados Unidos, com foco frequente em memórias pessoais e contextos regionais. A experiência de leitura costuma mesclar relatos biográficos, investigações históricas e reflexões sobre a relação entre pessoas e seus territórios, como evidenciado em obras que entrelaçam memórias de infância com pesquisas sobre coleções culturais. O catálogo privilegia textos que combinam um tom acessível e contemplativo, ora mais narrativos, ora mais informativos, com atenção a detalhes locais, ambientais e sociais. Há também espaço para ensaios que dialogam com questões ambientais, políticas e culturais, revelando um interesse por temas que conectam passado e presente. Em meio a essa diversidade, o ritmo das obras varia entre reflexões pausadas e relatos vívidos, sempre com uma linguagem que valoriza a experiência vivida e a observação cuidadosa.
