Publisher's Synopsis
"Cantoras es audaz y desacomplejada, un reto a la noción de normalidad y un tributo al poder del amor, la amistad, y la resistencia polìtica. Es una fábula revolucionaria, ideal para este momento, escrita con sabidurìa y amor". -Dina Nayeri, The New York Times Book Review
En el Uruguay de 1977, el gobierno militar oprime a los disidentes con una fuerza brutal. En este ambiente opresivo donde los derechos personales están suspendidos, la homosexualidad es una transgresión peligrosa que debe ser castigada. Aun asì, Romina, Flaca, Anita "La Venus", Paz, y Malena-cinco cantoras-se encuentran milagrosamente en Cabo Polonio, un lugar aislado que reclaman como su santuario secreto. Y este despertar se contrapone al telón de fondo polìtico del golpe de estado, la represión y las "desapariciones". Durante los siguientes treinta y cinco años, sus vidas se reparten entre Montevideo, su ciudad de residencia, y el cabo, al que regresan -a veces juntas, a veces en parejas, con amantes, o solas. Una y otra vez, estas mujeres serán puestas a prueba-por sus familias, sus parejas, la sociedad y hasta por ellas mismas-mientras descubren como vivir de manera auténtica.
Cantoras, la obra maestra de De Robertis, es un asombroso retrato de amor, comunidad, historia, y la fuerza del espìritu humano. Eterna e innovadora, Cantoras es una novela sobre el fuego que existe en el alma y sobre quienes lo hacen arder.
ENGLISH DESCRIPTION
"Cantoras is a stunning lullaby to revolution - and each woman in this novel sings it with a deep ferocity. Again and again, I was lifted, then gently set down again - either through tears, rage, or laughter. Days later, I am still inside this song of a story." (Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award-winning author)
From the highly acclaimed, award-winning author of The Gods of Tango, a revolutionary new novel about five wildly different women who, in the midst of the Uruguayan dictatorship, find one another as lovers, friends, and ultimately, family.
In 1977 Uruguay, a military government crushed political dissent with ruthless force. In this environment,where the everyday rights of people are under attack, homosexuality is a dangerous transgression to be punished. And yet Romina, Flaca, Anita "La Venus", Paz, and Malena - five cantoras, women who "sing" - somehow, miraculously, find one another. Together, they discover an isolated, nearly uninhabited cape, Cabo Polonio, which they claim as their secret sanctuary. Over the next 35 years, their lives move back and forth between Cabo Polonio and Montevideo, the city they call home, as they return, sometimes together, sometimes in pairs, with lovers in tow, or alone. And throughout, again and again, the women will be tested - by their families, lovers, society, and one another - as they fight to live authentic lives.
A genre-defining novel and De Robertis's masterpiece, Cantoras is a breathtaking portrait of queer love, community, forgotten history, and the strength of the human spirit. At once timeless and groundbreaking, Cantoras is a tale about the fire in all our souls and those who make it burn.
