Fog

A Novel

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Pub Date 15 Aug 2017 | Archive Date 05 Jul 2017

Description

Fog is a fresh new translation of the Spanish writer Miguel de Unamuno’s Niebla, first published in 1914. An early example of Modernism’s challenge to the conventions of nineteenth-century realist fiction, Fog shocked critics but delighted readers with its formal experimentation and existential themes. This revolutionary novel anticipates the work of Sartre, Borges, Pirandello, Nabokov, Calvino, and Vonnegut.
 
The novel’s central character, Augusto, is a pampered, aimless young man who falls in love with Eugenia, a woman he randomly spots on the street. Augusto’s absurd infatuation offers an irresistible target for the philosophical ruminations of Unamuno’s characters, including Eugenia’s guardian-aunt and “theoretical anarchist” uncle, Augusto’s comical servants, and his best friend, Victor, an aspiring writer who introduces him to a new, groundbreaking type of fiction. In a desperate moment, Augusto consults his creator about his fate, arguing with Unamuno about what it means to be “real.” Even Augusto’s dog, Orfeo, offers his canine point of view, reflecting on the meaning of life and delivering his master’s funeral oration.

Fog is a comedy, a tragic love story, a work of metafiction, and a novel of ideas. After more than a century, Unamuno’s classic novel still moves us, makes us laugh, and invites us to question our assumptions about literature, relationships, and mortality.
 
Fog is a fresh new translation of the Spanish writer Miguel de Unamuno’s Niebla, first published in 1914. An early example of Modernism’s challenge to the conventions of nineteenth-century realist...

Advance Praise

“Unamuno’s Fog begins as a comedy of self-deception and role-playing, and ends by undermining the very notion of personal identity. With roots deep in Spanish culture (Cervantes above all), and anticipating a century of metafictions, from Borges to Perec, it is a triumphant demonstration of the novel as philosophical toy; rendered by Elena Barcia’s translation with all its lively humor intact.” —Geoffrey O’Brien, author of People on Sunday and The Guns and Flags Project

"An important, highly engaging predecessor to so much metafiction written today. Fog is very funny and ripe and primed for a whole new readership." —Aimee Bender, author of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake


“Unamuno’s Fog begins as a comedy of self-deception and role-playing, and ends by undermining the very notion of personal identity. With roots deep in Spanish culture (Cervantes above all), and...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9780810135369
PRICE $19.95 (USD)
PAGES 192

Average rating from 10 members


Featured Reviews

A beautiful translation of one of Unamuno's greatest works.

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