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The Tango Singer
A hypnotic novel in which an American student's quest to find the greatest living tango singer leads him deep into the labyrinth of Argentina's past.
It is 2001, and inflation is spiraling out of control in Argentina as Bruno Cadogan, an American graduate student specializing in Borges, arrives in Buenos Aires. Cadogan is on the trail of Julio Martel, an elusive tango sing...more
It is 2001, and inflation is spiraling out of control in Argentina as Bruno Cadogan, an American graduate student specializing in Borges, arrives in Buenos Aires. Cadogan is on the trail of Julio Martel, an elusive tango sing...more
Hardcover, 246 pages
Published
May 16th 2006
by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
(first published 2001)
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Martínez is another one of those writer's writers. I haven't enjoyed a literary journey, such as his book led me on, since my days of reading Camus's novels. Bruno Cadogan, the narrator, arrives in Buenos Aires ostensibly in search of the origins of tango. Thus begins a Sisyphus-worthy search for answers as Bruno desperately stalks the tracks of one mysterious tango singer, Julio Martel (oddly enough, there is a real-life Julio Martel singer). We begin to understand early on that the search goes...more
Was bogged down for weeks trying to get through this thing.
Possibly it was a terrible translation. Entire pages would have sentences that began with "I." Possibly in Spanish, with "Yo" left out, this would be bearable. As it is, the narrator comes across as extremely egocentric. He really thinks he can write his thesis on a Borges story set in Buenos Aires without seizing the opportunity to actually go there?
Mostly I stuck with the book for the descriptions of B.A. and the bits about the tango...more
Possibly it was a terrible translation. Entire pages would have sentences that began with "I." Possibly in Spanish, with "Yo" left out, this would be bearable. As it is, the narrator comes across as extremely egocentric. He really thinks he can write his thesis on a Borges story set in Buenos Aires without seizing the opportunity to actually go there?
Mostly I stuck with the book for the descriptions of B.A. and the bits about the tango...more
Bruno Cadogan, an American student from New York, decides to travel to Buenos Aires in search of an elusive Tango singer who might provide some much needed material for his Borges’ thesis. As soon as he arrives, Bruno is caught up in an hypnotic and dizzying 5 month journey that sweeps through both the city’s present economic crisis and it’s intriguing past. Although the novel sometimes seems disjoint and digressive, the city of Buenos Aires that is the central character in this book, jumps at y...more
Leído como anillo en Bookcrossing:
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DI-VI-NO
DISFRUTABLE 100%
Un paseo por la ciudad de Buenos Aires desde el relato, y buscando por esos rincones, dónde me he dejado mi aleph... acaso lo he perdido?? acaso alguna vez lo tuve??? me pareció que podía conocer la ciudad de la mano del pobre muchacho y sus peripecias.
Este es de esos libros que siempre vas a recordar, porque miran tu ciudad desde otras perspectivas, acaso mágicas, y gracias a que trajino diariament...more
////////////////////////////////////////
DI-VI-NO
DISFRUTABLE 100%
Un paseo por la ciudad de Buenos Aires desde el relato, y buscando por esos rincones, dónde me he dejado mi aleph... acaso lo he perdido?? acaso alguna vez lo tuve??? me pareció que podía conocer la ciudad de la mano del pobre muchacho y sus peripecias.
Este es de esos libros que siempre vas a recordar, porque miran tu ciudad desde otras perspectivas, acaso mágicas, y gracias a que trajino diariament...more
Tomás Eloy Martínez arunca o privire nostalgica asupra tot ce inseamna tango, spectacol, Buenos Aires, sunt povesti care duc la alte povesti si contureaza sub forma unei panze de paianjen perioade din istoria Argentinei.
Cautarea lui Julio Martel se transforma in cautarea acelui Buenos Aires querido al anilor ’20-‘30, orasul lui Carlos Gardel in care legendele se nasc la tot pasul, in cafenelele si librariile unde se danseaza milonga sau in peisajul dezolant al stradutelor orasului vechi. Un oras...more
Cautarea lui Julio Martel se transforma in cautarea acelui Buenos Aires querido al anilor ’20-‘30, orasul lui Carlos Gardel in care legendele se nasc la tot pasul, in cafenelele si librariile unde se danseaza milonga sau in peisajul dezolant al stradutelor orasului vechi. Un oras...more
Hmmm very complex book. A very rich language with a lot of detailed descriptions. Great character study. Definitely not an easy read. Never been to BA, so I cannot judge how well it is described, but I really liked the way the author describes this metropolis. The story itself - somehow for me without the end and shifting focus from one story to the other and again and again. If it would be just shorter novels I guess I would appreciate it more, as the characters are so strong, that they need no...more
Wonderful!
I love Buenos Aires and I have found some interesting places there from tracking down some of the locations in this book, which is wonderfully evocative of the place and the culture. The fact that it's completely insane (does it count as magical realism? I really don't know) is a significant part of its charm - much like the place and the culture it describes.
Only 4* as if you have no interest in Argentina, I think the book is unlikely to appeal - but you could give it a try. I'd love...more
I love Buenos Aires and I have found some interesting places there from tracking down some of the locations in this book, which is wonderfully evocative of the place and the culture. The fact that it's completely insane (does it count as magical realism? I really don't know) is a significant part of its charm - much like the place and the culture it describes.
Only 4* as if you have no interest in Argentina, I think the book is unlikely to appeal - but you could give it a try. I'd love...more
I really wanted to like this book: it received outstanding reviews; the author is well-respected; and, the subject matter is off-beat and somewhat exotic.
After 100 pages, I decided it wasn't for me. As other reviewer's mentioned, the pace is somewhat slow; I expected that to be a parallel to the tango, or the Argentinian culture, and kept waiting for the pace to quicken and the story to heat up. Either I didn't give it enough time, or it just wasn't going to happen, but I was not drawn in to the...more
After 100 pages, I decided it wasn't for me. As other reviewer's mentioned, the pace is somewhat slow; I expected that to be a parallel to the tango, or the Argentinian culture, and kept waiting for the pace to quicken and the story to heat up. Either I didn't give it enough time, or it just wasn't going to happen, but I was not drawn in to the...more
Tomás Eloy Martínez no es de mis autores favoritos, creo que me falta "argentinidad" para disfrutarlo en su totalidad.
En esta novela, lo que más me llamó la atención fue la descripción de la ciudad de Buenos Aires en plena crisis, una ciudad con mucho pasado pero un futuro incierto (hasta el día de hoy), BAires en plena crisis, tratando de rescatar su dignidad e inmensidad.
No puedo dejar de pensar que es un muy personal pase de cuentas, y tributo, del autor a la ciudad y el Tango, así con mayúsc...more
En esta novela, lo que más me llamó la atención fue la descripción de la ciudad de Buenos Aires en plena crisis, una ciudad con mucho pasado pero un futuro incierto (hasta el día de hoy), BAires en plena crisis, tratando de rescatar su dignidad e inmensidad.
No puedo dejar de pensar que es un muy personal pase de cuentas, y tributo, del autor a la ciudad y el Tango, así con mayúsc...more
Very interesting and unique story-although the storytelling was a bit unusual and I didn't have any great fondness or empathy for the main character-the city of Buenos Aires and her stories were really the main character and I enjoyed reading about her and her people, the layout of the city and the hard times her inhabitants went through repeatedly through her history.
I enjoyed this book. It combines elements of magical realism with interesting characters. The action moves rapidly across the city of Buenos Aires in seach of the elusive tango singer. It provides aa immersion in the culture and ambiance of Argentina and the mythical tango and its importance.
Un estudiante americano visita Buenos Aires en busca de los orígenes del tango. A través de los conciertos clandestinos de un cantante de tango revisará la historia de los crímenes políticos sucedidos en la ciudad durante el siglo XX.
magical & mysterious ... kind of like tango itself, the never ending search for the elusive experience, just getting to touch the hem of the veil & it slips by
The perfect book to read in Buenos Aires! Part fantasy, part reality, it gives a wonderful sense of the many moods of that huge city.
I'm having a hard time trying to decide whether or not I liked this book. It certainly held my interest, but coming out of it I have mixed feelings. The book is primarily about Buenos Aires, but in a way that makes it seem like a fictional, mythic place - not a real city with flesh-and-blood people. It seems like the product of an author that has memories of the city, but hasn't actually experienced the reality of it in a very long time.
Quite enjoyable. Really interesting, literary (Borges), mysterious (the narrator is on a quest to find and listen to a mysterious, legendary tango singer as great as Carlos Gardel) and with (bonus for me) an emphasis on Buenos Aires' architecture. The young man, writing his thesis on tango and Borges travels to Argentina to find inspiration, write in the all night numerous cafés and dream of the many, many faces of the city.
prica je bila zanimljiva dok nije udario po pljuvanju E.Sabata.ne moze to kod mene da prodje.Uzeh Abadona da se preporodim :)
I thought it was a nice insight into Buenos Aires and the literature of Borges. The "chaotic" and restless way of writing fits with the theme, but somehow I thougt it was also a drag on the story, because I didn't get quite into the characthers. I got the feeling, but felt that the writer left me a little behind, there was too much insider information, that you were expected to know.
I first read this a couple of years back and, although I enjoyed it well enough, it did not really pull me in. I recently reread it having read a lot more Argentine history and literature and having visited Buenos Aires. With that background, I found the book mesmerising. It is a homage to the city and its culture.
This book pulled me into the the simple tale of the hero trying to find the mythical Tango singer in the sprawling Buenos Aires. In a sense it was a travel guide to the city. Beautiful and haunting, one just kept reading for the mystrery and tthe sheer pleasure of it. Loved this gem of a story.
NYU grad student heads to Buenos Aires in search of an elusive tango singer and also is looking for Borges' Aleph to complete his dissertation. Quirky characters, chilling descriptions of Argentina's recent political turmoil (5 presidents in 1 year) entwined with the songs of the tango.
Dec 01, 2012
Alexandra
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2011,
least-favourite
I remember nothing about this book; I couldn't even remember it as I was reading it. The words just evaporated from my head as I was looking at them. It took me weeks to get through and by the end it was like I was a atoning for a sin.
gostei bastante....lê-se num instante....é uma descrição interessante da Buenos Aires dos nossos dias...só é pena nao o ter lido enquanto passeava em Buenos Aires pois parece-me o livro ideal para umas férias argentinas!
I loved this novel! Martinez has captured Buenos Aires in all is labyrinthine complexity and tragic, absurd, and comic history. Now, I have to go back and re-read Borges.
Very interesting novel that educates the reader about the recent history of Argentina. I enjoyed it but it was not a "page-turner."
I read the Spanish version of this. Appropriate for anyone interested in the modern history of Argentina, or the works of Borges.
Jul 06, 2008
Elissa
added it
a little slow moving. Good street scene descriptions of the most recent crash in BA
Not bad. Literary. Much information about the history of Buenos Aires
La novela definitiva acerca del heróe anónimo
Jun 18, 2011
Kelsey
marked it as to-read
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Martínez obtained a degree in Spanish and Latin American literature from the University of Tucumán, and an MA at the University of Paris. From 1957 to 1961 he was a film critic in Buenos Aires for the La Nación newspaper, and he then was editor in chief (1962-69) of the magazine Primera Plana. From 1969 to 1970 he worked as a reporter in Paris. In 1969 Martínez interviewed former Argentine Preside...more
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