| About the Book
The first novel by a Bolivian woman to appear
in English translation, Aurora chronicles the long neglected history
of women and minority ethnic groups in this Latin American nation.
Set in the fifties, at the dawn of the Revolutionary period, the
novel begins with a passionate encounter between the rebellious
young woman, Aurora, and the heir to a prosperous local hacienda.
But when he refuses to marry her, Aurora runs away with him anyway,
and as his common-law wife, is ostracized from polite society.
Her relationship, idyllic at first, eventually
puts her at the center of the political struggles facing modern
Bolivia. Aurora defies her husband, and her class, by teaching the
Indian ranch workers to read. Eventually her sincere efforts generate
social change at their own expense. The dual sense of helplessness and
empowerment that characterize the experience of Latin American women
hits with full force in Aurora, as de Quiroga skillfully interlaces
contemporary gender, class, and ethnic conflict with magical and
lyrical powers of description.
About
the Author
Author of many prize-winning stories, Giancarla
de Quiroga was born in Italy to an Italian mother and Bolivian
father. She currently lives in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Aurora is her
first novel.
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