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Ema, the captive by César Aira

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Ema, the captive

by César Aira

In nineteenth-century Argentina, Ema, a delicate woman of indeterminate origins, is captured by soldiers and taken, along with with her newborn babe, to live as a concubine in a crude fort on the very edges of civilization.

Social conditions Single women Women prisoners Fiction
Author César Aira
Published 2016
Format Book

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About Ema, the captive

In nineteenth-century Argentina, Ema, a delicate woman of indeterminate origins, is captured by soldiers and taken, along with with her newborn babe, to live as a concubine in a crude fort on the very edges of civilization. The trip is appalling (deprivations and rapes prevail along the way), yet the real story commences once Ema arrives at the fort, where she takes on a succession of lovers among the soldiers and Indians, leading to a brave and grand entrepreneurial experiment. As is usual with Airas work, the wonder of the book is in the details of customs, beauty, and language, and the curious, perplexing reality of human nature.

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