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O Viajante do Século

by Andrés Neuman, Vasco Gato (Translator)

3.8 of 5 stars 3.80 · rating details · 287 ratings · 62 reviews

Um viajante enigmático. Uma cidade em forma de labirinto da qual parece impossível sair. Hans, o cidadão errante que carrega o mundo inteiro dentro da mala de viagem, está prestes a partir de Wandernburgo quando conhece um velho tocador de realejo que o impede de deixar a cidade. Este encontro mudará irreversivelmente o destino de Hans, que vai ficando pela cidade onde as...more

Paperback, Large Print, 528 pages

Published April 2010 by Editora Objectiva (first published 2009)

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Dec 11, 2012 Ned Rifle rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have been trying to get round to reviewing the books I have read in the past year but find it all too easy to do for books I did not enjoy. Possibly this is because with those books I am fairly comfortable believing that what has faded of the book is probably of even less importance than what I remember whereas with books that I very much enjoyed what is gone seems like the greater part.

It would seem I would have all I could wish for: a man called Hans who, planning only to stay a short whi...more I have been trying to get round to reviewing the books I have read in the past year but find it all too easy to do for books I did not enjoy. Possibly this is because with those books I am fairly comfortable believing that what has faded of the book is probably of even less importance than what I remember whereas with books that I very much enjoyed what is gone seems like the greater part.

It would seem I would have all I could wish for: a man called Hans who, planning only to stay a short while, ends up staying for... 584 pages (view spoiler) ; a friendly old man who plays the barrel-organ, lives in a cave, has vivid dreams (and is always asking for other people's dreams to listen to and interpret), a thorough knowledge of flowers and their symbolism and a loyal dog who is a good judge of character; a romance between Hans and a young lady; a Spanish friend for our young hero, who is stoic and chatty and warm and serene and removed and involved and tragic and funny and...; streets that move endlessly but subtly, always almost impossible to detect quite how they moved; a mystery about a vicious rapist and killer; a further (connected?) mystery about what it is exactly that Hans has in his trunk; discussions of literature; what? how could this happen? Hans' young love is engaged? damn, damn, damn; a cunning translation based scheme to meet secretly daily for carnal relations, and of course do the translation and discuss it at length; discussions of politics (this is 1820, remember).

Even I don't know where, in the above list, sarcasm begins - I can't help feeling slightly guilty about a lot of this. The barrel-organ player in particular seems like he would be a very nice man if he was in fact real, good knowledge of flower symbolism being something I highly prize. It all simply came out quite flat. I have realised at this point how little I really have to say other than that - but say it I will. No-one says anything particularly interesting at any point, though they do try. The flower symbolism is deployed very plainly with the old man asking Hans periodically what flowers it is that Sophie (Hans' young love) has most recently chosen and then briefly explaining what this means. The dreams - and dreams are something that I will believe and enjoy very easily (more of which in a more dream-centric in a positive sense book review?) - are very plain; by this I don't mean mundane but just... plain, a dream that may well have seemed potent if actually experienced but not enough to satisfy the urge for dreams to deepen, or lengthen, or otherwise intensify, in fiction. He played with large concepts to no avail, often coming out with ideas that were insufferably mundane - one particular example being Sophie's thought, on the verge of orgasm, that if the past had a child it would not be the future but the present (hmm, yes).

In short the book is rather dull, the best bit of it being the description of a dimly lit room into which the light 'seeped like a gas', a nice image that seems to communicate itself fully, though has it been used before? I should hope so, if not - well done to the man. Do not read it, nor should you be fooled by the Bolano introduction, it is an essay he wrote about Andres' first book so we can not be sure he would have approved of this. More importantly I do not approve.

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Aug 30, 2012 James rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: philosophical-fiction, spanish-lit

This new novel by Andres Neuman, Traveler of the Century, is the type of book I enjoy -- a novel of ideas. But in this case it is also a love story of sorts, and the author comments on history and politics in addition to his decided interest in philosophy. In other words it is what any good novel of ideas should be, along book that is both challenging and imaginative. While the American edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux has a Picasso on the dust jacket, the story is set in the 19th century....more This new novel by Andres Neuman, Traveler of the Century, is the type of book I enjoy -- a novel of ideas. But in this case it is also a love story of sorts, and the author comments on history and politics in addition to his decided interest in philosophy. In other words it is what any good novel of ideas should be, along book that is both challenging and imaginative. While the American edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux has a Picasso on the dust jacket, the story is set in the 19th century. The exact period is purposely left undefined - this is not an historical novel and the Picasso is one of his works inspired by Velasquez which does not help explain the choice.
The main character is an itinerant translator named Hans. Readers who are familiar with German literature will recognize him as an everyman and he almost immediately assumes a role that reminds one of the similar role taken by Hans Castorp in The Magic Mountain.
Hans arrives in Wandernburg, an unremarkable hamlet on the border of Prussia and Saxony. He intends only to pass through, but fortune detains him: First he befriends an old street musician, and then he falls in love with Sophie, an intellectually voracious young woman sadly affianced to the pampered scion of Wandernburg's wealthiest family. The story unfolds as a one whose themes embody both mind and flesh; Hans and Sophie love each other for their imperfect yet sensual flesh and for the liberty and equality of their fraternal thoughts. Reading texts in various languages as they plan an anthology of European poetry, lying together in bed, they practice translation as an erotic art and lovemaking as an intellectual pursuit. This is what intrigued me - the story of these passionate readers. I was transported into Neuman's imaginary world.
The meat of the story for those who are interested in ideas is demonstrated in scenes like the discussion between Hans and Professor Mietter (reminiscent of Mann's Settembrini in discussions with young Castorp) about the views of Kant and Fichte on Nationhood.
"A country ought not to ask what it is, but when and why." said Hans. "Professor Mietter responded by comparing Kant and Fichte's ideas of nationhood in orde to show that, rather than betraying Kant, Fichte had taken his arguments a step further. Hans said that in contrast to his views on Fichte, he liked Kant better when he spoke of countries rather than individuals. Every society, said Hans, needs order, and Kant proposes a vey intelligent one. Yet every citizen needs a measure of chaos, which Kant refuses." (p 95)
While Hans and the Professor's discussion of the ideas of Kant and Fichte continued I was reminded of my own recent reading of Kant's essay on Perpetual Peace in which he is considered to have foreshadowed many of the ideas that have come to form the democratic peace theory, one of the main controversies in political science. Episodes like this are grist for the mill of those who enjoy philosophical literature. But also interesting are the characters in Neuman's novel. In the scene from which I quoted Sophie is in the background, full of her own ideas, and feeling "the urge to behave in and unladylike way" by entering the fray herself at the risk of taking sides between her lover and the respected professor.
Traveller of the Century doesn't merely challenge the reader's intelligence; it rewards it with literary depth and beauty. I was not familiar with the author but in this novel he demonstrated the talent is required to create an accomplished vision that embodies interesting ideas and a great story. (less)

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Jul 17, 2011 Riet rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ik heb het boek voor driekwart uit en heb steeds meer moeite om het neer te leggen. Vreemd, want op het eerste gzicht is het een min of meer klassieke 19de eeuwse liefdesroman. Maar de schrijver heeft er toch een modern tintje aan gegeven en vooral de discussies over filosofie en literatuur maken het interessant. Het is vertaald (zag ik net bj bol.com) als "De eeuwreiziger". Meer, als ik het uit heb.
Toch maar in een ruk uitgelezen. Het is een interessant boek. Speelt in het jaar 1827 en de polit...more

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Aug 06, 2009 Guillermojimenezespneo rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Algunos de nuestros escritores en español pueden sumergirse en épocas o geografías que no pertenecen a sus propios ámbitos y pueden describir con cierto verismo desde las emociones hasta las vestimentas de sus personajes. El problema mayor es quizá que no siempre logran trascender los personajes y ese revestimiento caricatural le resta verosimilitud a la trama. Una sutil atmósfera mágica le sirve de marco a esta novela. Las cópulas felizmente vividas entre traducciones y libros, con pinceladas d...more

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Jan 09, 2012 jeremy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: translation, fiction

traveler of the century is an exquisite, dazzling work of fiction. its author, andrés neuman, is a young argentinian writer, born in 1977, whose relative youth is belied by a remarkably prodigious literary output. neuman has written nearly twenty distinct works, including four novels, nine books of poetry (a tenth compiles them), four short story collections, a book of essays, and a book of aphorisms (in addition to his translations of german poet wilhelm müller). his writing has been celebrated...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Simão Fonseca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Algures na Alemanha existe um jovem viajante de hábitos nómadas que se instala em Wandernburgo, uma cidade imaginária localizada entre Dessau e Berlim. Hans, a personagem central deste romance, apaixona-se por esta cidade especial habitada por cidadãos invulgares e apaixonados pelas artes. Há também um velho educado e erudito que toca realejo nas ruas.

Foi graças a este espaço imaginário alemão que o argentino Andrés Neuman venceu o Prémio Alfaguara de 2009, um romance que decorre no séc. XIX ded...more Algures na Alemanha existe um jovem viajante de hábitos nómadas que se instala em Wandernburgo, uma cidade imaginária localizada entre Dessau e Berlim. Hans, a personagem central deste romance, apaixona-se por esta cidade especial habitada por cidadãos invulgares e apaixonados pelas artes. Há também um velho educado e erudito que toca realejo nas ruas.

Foi graças a este espaço imaginário alemão que o argentino Andrés Neuman venceu o Prémio Alfaguara de 2009, um romance que decorre no séc. XIX dedicado à literatura, poesia, filosofia, artes e pintura, onde são debatidas questões sobre a política e a questão da Europa enquanto continente potência e as guerras subjacentes entre a Prússia e França. Há também uma história de amor à antiga entre Hans, um tradutor fluente em vários idiomas, e Sophie Gottlieb, uma jovem comprometida a casar com Rudi Wilderhaus, oriundo das famílias nobres da região. Neste aspecto, O Viajante do Século segue os trâmites obrigatórios do romance tradicional: Hans e Sophie trocam cartas entre si através de criados, encontram-se às escondidas, fazem amor e vivem uma relação proibida.

Esta típica relação tende, por vezes, a alongar-se em demasia e fica a clara sensação de que Neuman poderia ter encurtado em um terço esta narrativa amorosa, pelo simples motivo de que é clássica em todos os aspectos. Mas adiante. O ponto alto da obra reside, sem dúvida, nas reuniões e debates intelectuais que decorrem na casa Gottlieb entre algumas das pessoas mais importantes da sociedade wandenrburguesa, entre os quais um espanhol exilado, Álvaro, o Sr. Gottlieb, Rudi Wilderhaus e o Professor Mietter. Álvaro e Hans – por vezes auxiliados pela prórpia Sophie - são os dois das ideias modernistas e colectivas, ao passo que o conservadorismo e nacionalismo exacerbado são representados principalmente pelo Prof. Mietter. Nestas reuniões são declamados também poemas e encenadas peças de teatro entre todos, aumentando ainda mais a tensão entre as divergências político-filosóficas.

Entretanto, Sophie e Hans decidem começar a trabalhar em conjunto nas traduções de grandes poetas e romancistas europeus e americanos, conduzindo ao mal-estar e reprovação de quase todos os que rodeiam a vida entre uma senhora comprometida e um jovem de quem pouco ou quase nada é conhecido. O referido foco político e cultural da narrativa é um dos pontos de maior interesse da obra, trazendo à baila uma exactidão histórica bem estruturada que denota também um grande conhecimento literário por parte do autor.

Um romance apaixonado e clássico com uma boa dose moderna onde a política e as artes se unem numa cidade e ambiente acolhedores, onde existe ao mesmo tempo um grande sentimento de liberdade e pertença a um lugar imaginário que poderia ser real.

- Originalmente escrito em: Contracultura Aplicada (http://contraculturaaplicada.blogspot...)(less)

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Mar 25, 2011 Shadazz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, argentina, debraye

Se nota la mezcla de géneros de que habla Neuman en las entrevistas que le hicieron durante la gira de promoción. Pero ignoremos todo lo que dice el autor sobre la obra. Uno de los géneros que Neuman mezcla en el viajero del siglo, es el de conversación-de-sobremesa/ensayo que tienen las discusiones del Salón de Sophie, por lo cual las discusiones sobre filosofía y literatura son tan dinámicas y vivas que me da un poco de pena no poder asisitir a esas reuniones. Aunque de ir probablemente no pin...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Vanessa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The novel presents with a relatively straightforward premise: Some time in the first third (or so) of the 19th Century, Hans (no last name), ostensibly an itinerant translator, stops off for the night in the mysterious Wandernburg and ends up remaining for seasons, embroiling himself in an affair with an intellectual beauty (with the cliched name of Sophie), and making friends with an odd collection of townsfolk. While things do technically "happen" in the novel (the aforementioned affair for ex...more

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Dec 20, 2012 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Even as I read the literary reviews on this book it seems like exactly what I'd like to read. Unfortunately it is too long, boring, and tedious. It's a novel about love, place, friendship, and running from one's personal history. But Hans remained for a full year in this tiny German town for love and friendship. He finds a lover and two good friends and spends an afternoon a week debating acquaintances at his lover's salon. I enjoy talking about politics, literature, art, religion, and languages...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Sam rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-non-british-foreign-fic, 5-translated, 1-contemp-literary, read-2012, reviewed

When you open up Traveler of the Century, you are introduced to the city of Wandernburg through the eyes of the protagonist, Hans. It’s a strange city, and we are told that it seems to shift around each time Hans explores the city. Even though he only meant to stop briefly before moving on to his destination, Hans feels a strange pull to put off his departure continuously. During this time, he gets acquainted with the denizens of Wandernburg. My favorite of these is the organ grinder, whom I ado...more When you open up Traveler of the Century, you are introduced to the city of Wandernburg through the eyes of the protagonist, Hans. It’s a strange city, and we are told that it seems to shift around each time Hans explores the city. Even though he only meant to stop briefly before moving on to his destination, Hans feels a strange pull to put off his departure continuously. During this time, he gets acquainted with the denizens of Wandernburg. My favorite of these is the organ grinder, whom I adored. To most Wandernburgers, he’s just another indigent man playing music in the market square for a few coins each day. But Hans is fascinated and charmed by the organ grinder, who lives in a cave with his equally charming dog, Franz. The whimsical feel of the novel comes largely through Hans’ interactions with this man, who loves to hear about his friends’ dreams, listen to the wind, and lives for playing his organ. There’s obviously more to him than meets the eye; he seems simple, but is capable of getting to the heart of things in a way that would impress even the best poets and philosophers. One of my favorite quotes is from the organ grinder: "with each sound we make, we are giving back to the air everything that it gives us. Music is always there...music plays itself and instruments try to attract it, to coax it down to earth” (p.156 US, p.176 British). The two men also parry back and forth on ideas of rootedness versus being on the go—obviously a major theme—as the organ grinder sees the virtues of staying in one place, while Hans insists that traveling is the only way to get to know oneself.

Early on, Hans also meets Herr Gottlieb, the head of a “good” family that’s seen wealthier days, and his daughter Sophie, who charms Hans from the start. It is through his acquaintance with the Gottliebs that Hans begins to participate in weekly salons that Sophie hosts. These salon sessions, attended by a handful of other Wandernburgers, serve as a platform for the characters to discuss and debate on a whole host of topics: republicanism, nation building, aesthetics, art and who determines what ‘good’ art is, religion, a nation’s identity and sensibility, and women’s rights. In addition to these salon discussions, woven throughout the book are passages that capture the plight of workers, especially seen through the eyes of two secondary characters: a textile factory worker and a farm laborer. As you can tell, this is an ideas book, not an action-packed, plot-driven one, although there’s a slight mystery running through the book about a creepy man who attacks women at night. Oh, and it’s also a love story, but even here, it’s intertwined with ideas about translation. At one point, Hans wonders if in translating poetry, an certain essence is loss, and I found apt his comparison of this to love. The last pages of section two are another favorite of mine, so well did they capture the dizzying effects of love.

The book has been billed as harking back to the 19th century novel, but what’s striking is that Neuman adds another dimension to it, which I found interesting. Here, his characters seem like real people: they smell; they sweat; they have body hair and ugly feet; and they have messy sex. Neuman talks some about this in one of his interviews (in Granta, I think).

The best way to enjoy this book is to do so slowly. At least in my case, I couldn’t power through it and be monogamous in my reading. Every once in a while, I’d start to get a bit of philosophy-musings-fatigue. So I’d read until the point where I found myself groaning, “No, not another salon discussion on Kant!” That was my signal to take a break and read something else. Then I’d dip back into Traveler on another day and be absorbed in it once again.

This is not a perfect book, and it is not a book for everyone, but I liked coming across language that was poetic and imagery that was beautiful, which I don’t imagine is an easy feat to achieve in translated works. What was also engaging was how a lot of the issues that are teased out in the book—in the salons and beyond—are issues that we grapple with today, reminding us that while some things have changed, so much has not.
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May 18, 2012 Parrish Lantern rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: authors-tbr, blog-post, fiction, on-my-shelves, history, awards-prizes, review-copies, translation, the-dee-bees, interview

Hans is an adventurer and translator of literature, never staying long in one place, he is on his way to Dessau, but tired he chooses to stop off for the night in the mysterious city of Wandernburg, fully intent on leaving first thing the next day. Waking late the next morning, he steps out into a city full of the days hustle & bustle, he decides to explore and wanders aimlessly around the city, occasionally loosing his bearings. The day passes without him realising it & he misses his co...more Hans is an adventurer and translator of literature, never staying long in one place, he is on his way to Dessau, but tired he chooses to stop off for the night in the mysterious city of Wandernburg, fully intent on leaving first thing the next day. Waking late the next morning, he steps out into a city full of the days hustle & bustle, he decides to explore and wanders aimlessly around the city, occasionally loosing his bearings. The day passes without him realising it & he misses his coach. Wandernberg is a strange place with mysterious properties, although it is situated between Berlin & Dessau, it’s precise location is open to interpretation, as it has moved several times & even the streets are constantly in a state of flux, appearing to have the ability to change not only their compass position, but also the location of the buildings within them. This all combines to ensnare Hans, who ends up staying a lot longer than he had intended.

He ends up staying the next night & the next, unable to pursue his intended journey, without real intent he ends up prolonging his stay in this city. This leads to him encountering & befriending some of the local residents that cross his path, decreasing his motivation to leave. Through one of his new friends, he meets the the beautiful Sophie Gottlieb, an intelligent, well read, poetry loving, independent young woman, whom Hans falls deeply in love with, a perfect match one would think, except, there is a fly in the ointment, Sophie is betrothed to another.

Although at the heart of this book is this love affair, it is merely the core around which everything revolves, much of this book takes place in Sophie’s Literary salon & through this medium we hear discussions covering everything from individual freedom to national sovereignty, they debate philosophy, music, they talk about books & censorship, argue about women’s rights & the working class. We follow this relationship as they use language to probe & decipher each other, they meet in his inn room under the cover of translating poetry.

In my interview with Andrés Neuman, he said about this book, “the novel tells a love story between two translators, Sophie and Hans, who can’t stop translating everything: words, gestures, intentions, silences. In the beginning, they don’t know that the other is a translator too, but they connect through their obsessively translating approach to reality. They start to get more intimate, until they settle the routine of locking themselves in a bedroom in order to translate poems and fuck, fuck and translate poems (not a bad plan I think!). And they start to realize how similar can love and translation be. Loving someone implies putting the other person’s words into ours; struggling to completely understand them and (unavoidably) misunderstanding them; founding a common, fragile language. Whereas translating a text implies a deep desire towards it; a need of possessing it and cohabiting with it; and both (translator and translated one) end transformed.”, making this book an exploration of the idea of “Love as a metaphor of translation, translation as a metaphor of love”

http://parrishlantern.blogspot.co.uk/...(less)

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Aug 12, 2012 Don rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Hans halts his journey to spend the night at an inn in a small city in 1820s Germany and stays much longer than expected. A big rambling book full of conversations in taverns, a salon, a cave, and a bedroom. At times calls to mind the great Louis Couperus and at others Thomas Pynchon's Mason & Dixon. Unfortunately marred by the now de rigueur graphic carnality of contemporary literature used by the author to relieve the reader from prolix sequences of philosophizing. Such quibbles are easily...more

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Jun 15, 2012 Enrique rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Traveler of the Century will be put down as one of the greatest novels of the 21st century. Andres Neuman is an Argentinean writer, who was born in Buenos Aires, but grew up in Andalusia, Spain. This novel is about... To give it justice; it's about sex, love, philosophy, poetry, translation, friendship, politics and much much more. The protagonist is Hans, who is a translator and a traveler himself. He arrives to a small town call Wandernburg, that is located in Germany. Hans' abandons his trave...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-iffp, 2013-iffp-shortlist, argentina

Traveller of the Century, of all the books shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, is the most seductive. At nearly 600 pages it’s a long novel, but from the outset the reader is captivated by two imperatives: will Hans win his lady-love away from the richest man in town? And will Hans the inveterate traveller become entrapped in Wandernburg, just like everybody else?

There’s a Kafkaesque quality to the novel: the city itself has no fixed topography and its streets and buildings mo...more Traveller of the Century, of all the books shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, is the most seductive. At nearly 600 pages it’s a long novel, but from the outset the reader is captivated by two imperatives: will Hans win his lady-love away from the richest man in town? And will Hans the inveterate traveller become entrapped in Wandernburg, just like everybody else?

There’s a Kafkaesque quality to the novel: the city itself has no fixed topography and its streets and buildings move. Every venture outdoors involves getting lost, and yet no one – the reader least of all – seems disoriented by it. Journeys merely take a little longer, and that seems to be all right because there’s a timeless quality to Hans’s sojourn even though the seasons move on.

What time is it? What! said Alvaro astonished. Do you mean to tell me you don’t wear a watch? The fact is, I don’t see any point in watches, said Hans, they never give me the time I want. (p. 113)

At the outset, Hans is not much impressed by his dingy lodgings and plans to leave the next day. But he doesn’t, and like others who arrived intending to stay only a day or two, he finds that a succession of days come and go until even his vague plans to depart drift away into a formless existence spent hanging out in the cave of a nameless organ grinder and indulging an interest in Sophie, daughter of Herr Gottlieb, a retired tea importer and textile merchant.

Before long part of the charm of Wandernburg becomes the lovely Sophie, who is – alas – engaged to a local aristocrat called Rudi von Wilderhouse. Rudi isn’t all that bright but he’s elegant and handsome, his home is a sort of Versailles on steroids, and he enjoys that casual exercise of social power that comes naturally to people of privilege. Sophie’s father, Herr Gottlieb, is of course keen for this marriage to take place, and it doesn’t enter his head that Sophie might throw it all away for a penniless translator of no fixed abode.

To read the rest of my review please visit
http://anzlitlovers.com/2013/05/18/tr...(less)

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Apr 14, 2013 Joe Toledo added it · review of another edition

Comienza en una noche iluminada por la luna. Un carro recorre la campiña alemana. Las luces de un brillo cercano (¿o es lejano?) De la ciudad y el cambio. A su vez, se toma y de repente un viajero se encuentra ante las murallas de la ciudad, y luego dentro de ellos

una novela en cinco partes, y los géneros por lo menos muchos. Hay elementos de una novela histórica, novela epistolar, y una novela de ideas. Su tema es la traducción, o de viaje. O el amor. O el siglo 19. O Alemania. O España. O el s...more Comienza en una noche iluminada por la luna. Un carro recorre la campiña alemana. Las luces de un brillo cercano (¿o es lejano?) De la ciudad y el cambio. A su vez, se toma y de repente un viajero se encuentra ante las murallas de la ciudad, y luego dentro de ellos

una novela en cinco partes, y los géneros por lo menos muchos. Hay elementos de una novela histórica, novela epistolar, y una novela de ideas. Su tema es la traducción, o de viaje. O el amor. O el siglo 19. O Alemania. O España. O el siglo 20. O todo lo anterior. Es la historia de un Hans y Sophie

Es una historia de amantes separados por clase y personajes encadenados por convención, una historia de la pasión y de la prohibición, el sexo y la tristeza de verano e invierno, por lo que se debe hacer y lo que uno termina haciendo arriba. En otras palabras, es la historia de una ciudad perfectamente normal vagando en la frontera Saxo-prusiana en la primera parte del siglo XIX.

Wandernburg, donde está ambientada la novela, no es un lugar real, y no se comporta como tal. Fiel a su nombre, la ciudad se distrae, y obliga a sus visitantes a hacer lo mismo. La distancia más corta entre dos puntos es tomar la ruta más larga, y antes de esto se aprende, Hans Hans, misterioso viajero del siglo, pierde su camino por más de un carril empedrado y sinuosa calle. Esto no suele suceder en las ciudades alemanas, y en general no se piensa que sucederá en el siglo XIX. Una palabra para esas cosas es magia. El realismo mágico término fue acuñado en alemán (Magischer Realismus, por el historiador de arte Franz Roh en 1925) y se aplica con mayor frecuencia a autores latinoamericanos (de los cuales Neuman es uno). Tanto viajero del siglo debe ser descrito como una obra de realismo mágico no tiene ninguna importancia real. Hay un poco de magia y mucho realismo en el libro. Y la historia aún más.

Viajero del siglo comienza en la oscuridad. Un viajero curioso llamado Hans Hans llega a una ciudad errante donde es recibido por un señor Zeit ("Time Mister" en alemán). Hay una simplicidad kafkiano y una extrañeza kafkiana a este principio, pero pronto es reemplazado por un modo muy diferente y el modo. Como sucede con los viajes, el interés en la ciudad poco a poco da paso a sus habitantes. Las peculiaridades del lugar y retroceder la historia se traslada a un ambiente más familiar para el siglo-un salón literario, donde los dictados de la pasión y la razón se debaten sobre canapés y té indio.

Hans es un traductor, Hans no escribe, traduce. Y para él la traducción es parte de la lectura. Para el la Traducción presenta todo tipo de problemas teóricos y prácticos-los que se detallan en el (más que suficiente)
El problema de la traducción es bastante simple, no podemos hacer las cosas bien, podemos reducir pero nunca cerrar la brecha entre el original y la traducción. nunca puede haber "transparencia entre un libro y su lector."

abundan las bromas históricas con ingenio chispeante. Su manera de acercarse a la historia es a la vez ingenua y sentimental. Hay algo un poco superficial acerca de muchas de las discusiones, como si cada tema importante de la época, desde los sindicatos el feminismo, la unidad europea, la Revolución Industrial, y el comunismo

Viajero del siglo mueve a lo largo a un ritmo rápido, pero lo que se mueve es el amor, no la historia intelectual.

Hay algo acerca de la dinámica de desarrollo de la narración del libro, su estilo.

Es raro que podamos ver algo parecido a una curva de aprendizaje dentro de un solo libro, pero este es el caso de los viajeros del siglo hay un misterio en el centro de la novela, que es-o no-revelado al final. En otra historia de amor famoso viaje establecido en el mismo siglo, Grandes esperanzas, de Dickens terminó con una sombra de una despedida. Neuman también tiene un amor en peligro en su centro, y la sombra de una separación que es, o no se disipó. Para llegar a estas revelaciones, el lector debe recorrer tramos largos, pero ellos son los que, al igual que todos los que viajan verdad, son su propia recompensa.(less)

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Jan 11, 2013 Benedict rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've been fortunate enough to review—within the last year and change—three new novels by contemporary authors that have turned out to be so absolutely, mind-bogglingly superb that they rank among my all-time favorite books. The first two were Tom McCarthy's C and Jesse Ball's The Curfew. The most recent is Traveler of the Century by the young Argentine novelist Andrés Neuman. The enigmatic book is overflowing with ideas—about philology, philosophy, love, translation, nationality, art, history, a...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Joseph rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I wavered between giving Neuman's novel three stars and four. I enjoyed reading it, no question, but having a limited knowledge of 19th century politics, philosophy, and culture, I was frequently frustrated by it. There are depths to this novel that one cannot plunge without a solid grasp of 19th century European cultural history. Fortunately, I found that I adequately understood the period and recognized enough of the names being dropped to enjoy the book. And of course any limitations on my en...more I wavered between giving Neuman's novel three stars and four. I enjoyed reading it, no question, but having a limited knowledge of 19th century politics, philosophy, and culture, I was frequently frustrated by it. There are depths to this novel that one cannot plunge without a solid grasp of 19th century European cultural history. Fortunately, I found that I adequately understood the period and recognized enough of the names being dropped to enjoy the book. And of course any limitations on my enjoyment only served to pique my interest in learning more of the history, reading more of the literary references, and revisiting the book at a later date with a firmer grasp on its literary context. I think that's what good, challenging literature should do (among other things).

My other frustration in reading this text is that, as with virtually all translations, it was apparent throughout that I was reading a translation. Whether that frustration was aggravated or mitigated by the fact that the novel is about translation (a gross, but useful, oversimplification), I can't say. The trouble is that the characters are in Germany, but the original text is in Spanish. But sometimes characters speak French, or English, or, well, Spanish. Moreover, the English language makes no distinction between the formal and informal form of "you" (Compare, in German, Sie vs. du and, in Spanish, usted vs. tu); and since the interaction of characters in different social strata is so central to the plot, something essential is lost in the translation. On the other hand, the translation (inadvertently?) lends an added dimension to those scenes when the characters are debating the merits of reading literature in translation.

Those reservations aside, however, Traveler of the Century is a great novel. Many of its themes are simply timeless: love, friendship, betrayal. But despite its 19th Century setting, it is strikingly modern: for example, the debates on republicanism and national identity seem to me intentionally drafted to echo the current debate on European integration versus Euroscepticism. Whereas another feature of the novel -- the dislocated nature of Wandernburg, which constantly changes latitude and longtidue -- seems stylistically anachronistic. Certainly the novel contains enough layers to invite repeat readings, even if you've never read Novalis, Fichte, Calderon or Cervantes (although your enjoyment will be doubtlessly enhanced if you have).(less)

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Jan 31, 2010 Andrea Carolina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, latinoamericanos

Una historia de amor así, no debería acabarse, así, porque esa si es la historia del amor ideal. Pero cuales son las historias de amor que deberían acabarse? De verdad eso de la eternidad existe o solo es nuestro abismal miedo a la incertidumbre y a la soledad? Se supone que las parejas que se aman no deberían acabar su amor, que si por fin encontraste a la persona “admirable”, la que es insuperable, la que sobrepasa a todos, la que uno cree que está por encima de todos, se supone que uno no deb...more Una historia de amor así, no debería acabarse, así, porque esa si es la historia del amor ideal. Pero cuales son las historias de amor que deberían acabarse? De verdad eso de la eternidad existe o solo es nuestro abismal miedo a la incertidumbre y a la soledad? Se supone que las parejas que se aman no deberían acabar su amor, que si por fin encontraste a la persona “admirable”, la que es insuperable, la que sobrepasa a todos, la que uno cree que está por encima de todos, se supone que uno no debería dejarla ir. Y no sé si los libros se parezcan a la realidad o viceversa, no sé si en la realidad lo que hacemos es aferrarnos al objeto amado y nunca dejarlo ser libre, o si en la realidad decidimos dejarlo ir o irnos nosotros. El autor dice que “nadie” sabe darle un fin memorable a algo grandioso (o algo así) y es tan cierto, todo lo acabamos mal, lo acabamos destruyéndolo, y los finales dignos y memorables, esos sí, solo pasan en los libros.

Hay mujeres que de pronto se ven perdidas en sus hombres, que de pronto necesitan volver a saber quiénes eran o quienes son sin un hombre, te lo dije: “… Quizás las despedidas fundan un territorio o nos devuelven dentro del territorio que de verdad nos pertenece, la soledad. Es como si de tanto en tanto una debiera regresar a esa zona, trazar una raya y decir: de aquí salí, esta era yo, ¿Cómo soy? Antes creía que el amor me iba a dar certezas. Nuestro amor me ha llenado de dudas. ¿Cómo soy? No lo sé, nunca lo he sabido bien. Me he quedado a solas conmigo (a uno lado yo, al otro lado ella) y de alguna manera eso ha sido posible gracias a tu compañía “ (pag 517).

A veces pienso que cada hombre que pasa por el camino de una mujer, le deja demasiado, hasta que de alguna u otra forma es insuficiente, los hombres vienen y te enseñan cosas que no sabes o te sacan de adentro lo maravilloso que tenias guardado o en lo que no creías, te hacen grande, creen en ti hasta que una misma cree en una misma, ellos te empujan hacia afuera, hacia donde no te crees capaz de salir hasta que sales sola, ya sin ellos.

De pronto el amor si sea admirar, y de pronto Sophie ya no admiró mas a Hans y se fue sola con todo lo que él le dio. Y él? El siguió solo con todo lo que ya tenía.

No me gusta la idea de que el amor se base en la admiración. De pronto no sea admiración, de pronto sea que los dos ya no estaban en el mismo piso, y siempre fue difícil comunicarse a los gritos de arriba abajo o de abajo a arriba.

Bueno, aparte de estas trágicas coincidencias mías con el final del libro, que llegaron justo en la noche indicada y que me predijeron el futuro inmediato, he de decir que el libro en general estuvo demasiado largo e idealista. Si, Neuman es un idealista que pretende finales dignos y memorables. No creo que tal tipo de pareja pueda existir: tan acertados en la cama como en las letras, tan buenos conversadores y tan buenos amantes, tan poéticos y tan serios a veces. Por otro lado el libro me resulta monótono, no sé si era la intención del autor mostrar la monotonía de la vida, y bueno lo logró: de la tertulia, a la traducción, al sexo, a las cartas, a la taberna, a la cueva del viejo y así se repite indefinidamente hasta el cansancio. Por eso creo que me tomo tanto tiempo acabarlo, no pasaba nada y entre “el no pasar” había un exceso de romanticismo o un exceso de “intelectualidad” que me exasperaba a ratos. Muy chistoso (chistoso es la palabra) Neuman escribiendo sobre sexo, a mi no me convence, realmente será tan difícil escribir sobre sexo? Debe ser porque el sexo es lo que menos tiene que ver con aquello de las ideas, las palabras escritas o habladas, son como los polos opuestos, el sexo a un lado las ideas en el otro extremo.

Voy a hacer de mala critica y voy a decir que a pesar de lo dicho anteriormente, el libro tiene unos personajes adorables: el viejo, al que le dedique un post entero, anterior; Alvaro el españolete amigo de Hans (un buen escritor siempre habla mal de España o de su país de origen); Elsa la doncella indignada y avispada de Sophie; Lamberg el proletariado y explotado chico gay; Reichardt el adolescente patán y grosero; Franz el perro del viejo; Lisa la lolita que se quiere levantar a Hans; el profesor Mietter que resultó asesino en serie como buen intelectual extremo y sin alma; la parejita Levin típico ejemplo del matrimonio infeliz; la viuda Pietzine excesivamente escrupulosa y católica; el teniente Gluck y el teniente Gluck, la eterna competencia entre padre e hijo; Rudi el perfecto yupi idiota de la época; Hans el joven rebelde tardío, sensible e inteligente, guapo y desarreglado; Sophie, la mujer que no sabe quién es, que no sabe que quiere, que tiene mil cosas en la cabeza, otras mil en el corazón, que se siente atada y lucha por desatarse, y se sintió atada hasta por el propio amor.(less)

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Oct 16, 2012 Karin Bartimole rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this unique and thoughtful novel.
The main character, Hans, heads out on a journey. He is a traveler, and translator - never staying long in any one place. He stops in a tavern for the night, planning to leave the next day, but he gets caught up in conversation and it becomes too late, so stays over. This happens again and again. The people he meets, and conversations he has, as he is drawn deeper into their very diverse lives are important life questions. A rich story.

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May 02, 2012 Mario Liesens rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you're really, really, really into 19th century politics, literature, poetry and philosophy then this book is an absolute treat.
Otherwise this book just might be 300 pages too thick.
Even without Shelly, Meternich, Napoleon and a slew of poems, the storyline keeps a slow pace, with a distinct Stendhal approach towards the evolution of love (if we disregard the finger up the anus, very rare in 19th century literature).
Still, Neuman masters prose but all too well and adds enough elements to the...more

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Aug 28, 2012 World Literature Today added it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

"Andrés Neuman’s Traveler of the Century reflects Latin America’s 'total novel,' brutally examining all aspects of society through diverse yet overlapping themes." - Leigh Cuen, Tel Aviv

This book was reviewed in the September 2012 issue of World Literature Today. You can read the full review at the WLT website: http://www.worldliteraturetoday.com/2...

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Jan 20, 2013 David Steele rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I hate when I can tell a book was translated... I never finish those books. In the case of "traveler of the century", I only thought on a few occasions, near the beginning, that the translation lacked the poetic quality of Neumans assumed original spanish. The story itself is close to flawless, and is very nearly all dialog driven. Incorporating 21st century issues into a 19th century prussian intellectuals salon is brilliant and fed my inner philosopher. Whilst having an ongoing who-dunnit crim...more

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Apr 04, 2012 Anna Maria Ballester Bohn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Muy bien escrito, absorbente, bien dibujado. Se hace un pelín largo a veces, se nota al autor regocijándose por lo bien que escribe, pero tiene razón, se lo puede permitir. El único defecto: los personajes principales, Hans y Sophie, son un poco demasiado perfectos; incluso sus imperfecciones están hechas para que nos caigan mejor.

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Feb 27, 2013 Ariadna73 rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

No esta mal; pero se me hizo lento y pesado en algunos pasajes. Un viajero que cree estar de paso en una ciudad; termina quedandose alli por mucho mas tiempo del que habia presupuestado en un principio. Le pasan toda clase de aventuras; algunas magistralmente escritas y otras sinceramente demasiado lentas y pesadas.

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Jun 10, 2012 Catherine Mustread marked it as to-read-after · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, translation, spain, award

"We cannot predict how this book will be received in the months and years to come, but there is little doubt in my mind that it deserves its place in the sun, as a work of true beauty and scintillating intelligence by a writer of prodigious talents." - Richard Gwyn, The Independent

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Mar 22, 2013 Brooks rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-2013, translated

This is a thick book, with tons of ideas, tons of references/allusions, and lots of philosophy. The characters are modern, but placed in the 19th century without becoming anachronisms. The story occasionally stalls as they discuss philosophy, or poetry, or politics, but I never had a problem staying engaged with the book.

Liked this more than I thought I would, glad I gave it a chance.

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Mar 16, 2013 Vladimir Lukiyanov rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a classic, contemporary and timeless work. Love, religion, politics, philosophy, poetry, translation, languages, identity are but a handful of themes which are encircled by one of the subplots of this novel, though it is pertinent to note that perhaps the only clear weakness is its slight fragmentation, disjointness, caused by the sheer burden of information and quality.

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Sep 22, 2012 Felicity rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Interesting. Did tend to skip through the sometimes heavy literary debate in search of the romantic thread. Love the characterisation, all the characters were enjoyable in their own sweet ways! Feel sure the film rights are winging their way somewhere...

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Aug 03, 2012 Kathleen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Read it in English - HIGHLY recommend. A love story wrapped in mid 18th century philosophy, with the lovers translating poems - and each other. Add a splash of searching for identity as a traveler, and it is especially pertinent for all my 'ex-pat' friends.

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Feb 11, 2013 Kevin Hoag rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

A wonderful set of stories within a story. I really felt that I came to know the characters, anticipating their actions and reactions, yet without them becoming predictable. The literary salon discussions added another appealing element.

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About Andrés Neuman

Hijo de músicos argentinos exiliados (de madre violinista, de origen ítalo-español, y padre oboísta, de origen judío alemán), tiene la ciudadanía argentina y española. La historia novelada de su familia, infancia argentina y ancestros europeos puede leerse en su libro Una vez Argentina. A los catorce años se trasladó a Granada, donde realizó sus estudios secundarios, obtuvo la licenciatura en Filo...more Hijo de músicos argentinos exiliados (de madre violinista, de origen ítalo-español, y padre oboísta, de origen judío alemán), tiene la ciudadanía argentina y española. La historia novelada de su familia, infancia argentina y ancestros europeos puede leerse en su libro Una vez Argentina. A los catorce años se trasladó a Granada, donde realizó sus estudios secundarios, obtuvo la licenciatura en Filología Hispánica por su Universidad, cursó el doctorado e impartió clases de literatura hispanoamericana.
Neuman debutó en la literatura como poeta y narrador breve. Su primera publicación fue un cuaderno de poemas titulado Simulacros, aparecido a principios de 1998 en una pequeña editorial de Granada. A finales de 1999 se publicó su primera novela, Bariloche, que resultó finalista del Premio Herralde y fue recibida como una de las óperas primas del año. Sus siguientes novelas, que también obtuvieron distinciones, lo confirmarían como uno de los más destacados escritores contemporáneos en lengua castellana. El propio Roberto Bolaño, en su libro de ensayos Entre paréntesis, declaró sobre el joven autor:

"Tocado por la gracia. Ningún buen lector dejará de percibir en sus páginas algo que sólo es dable encontrar en la alta literatura, aquella que escriben los poetas verdaderos. La literatura del siglo XXI pertenecerá a Neuman y a unos pocos de sus hermanos de sangre".

La consagración definitiva como novelista le llegó con El viajero del siglo (2009), obra que obtuvo entre otros el Premio Alfaguara y el Premio de la Crítica; además de resultar elegida entre las 5 mejores novelas del año en lengua española en sendas votaciones convocadas por el diario El País entre 50 críticos y periodistas, y por el suplemento El Cultural del diario El Mundo.
Neuman ha desarrollado una intensa labor de divulgación del relato breve. Además de sus libros de cuentos, que incorporan apéndices teóricos sobre el género, ejerció como coordinador del proyecto Pequeñas resistencias, serie de antologías sobre el relato actual escrito en castellano en todo el mundo, publicada entre 2002 y 2010 por la editorial Páginas de Espuma. Cabe en este sentido destacar su prólogo al libro de Horacio Quiroga Cuentos de amor de locura y de muerte, para la editorial Menoscuarto.
Ha trabajado asimismo como columnista en numerosos medios de España y Latinoamérica. Fue guionista de tiras cómicas en el diario Ideal de Granada, colaborando con el dibujante Kicus en una serie de tiras semanales titulada Los quietos. Escribe regularmente en el suplemento cultural del diario español ABC, en la Revista Ñ del diario argentino Clarín y en su blog personal, Microrréplicas.
En 2007, mediante una nueva votación convocada por el Hay Festival y Bogotá Capital mundial del libro, Neuman fue incluido en la selección Bogotá-39. Más tarde, en 2010, fue seleccionado por la revista británica Granta entre Los 22 mejores narradores jóvenes en español.(less)

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“Packing a bag doesn't make you aware of changes, rather it compels you to postpone the past, and the present is taken up with concerns about the immediate. Time slides over the travelers' skin.” — 2 people liked it

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