Agua viva has no conventional plot. A narrator, who is a painter beginning to write, speaks directly to the reader about trying to capture the "it," the present instant, in words. Clarice Lispector writes in short, fragmentary paragraphs full of questions, memories of colors, and reflections on God, time, creation and the body. She describes writing as an act similar to painting, one that tries to catch the pulse of life before it turns into form, and she keeps changing her own address to a lover or to the reader.
It's a strange and lyrical book for readers who like experimental prose and philosophy. It is best taken a few pages at a time rather than read for a story, and it appeals to writers and artists interested in the creative act.
Deep, inward-looking, contemplative and open-ended; a demanding read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2012
- Publisher
- Siruela
- ISBN
- 9788478447831
- Language
- ES
