Argentina
Argentina
A gaucho is a skilled horseman who is able to drive cattle from dawn to the pitch dark of midnight. Gauchos—Argentine national figures representing bravery, honor, and the freedom of the open range—have played a prominent, symbolic role in the pampas region of Argentina. The use of the famous facón (large knife), kept tucked into the rear of the gaucho’s sash, is legendary both as a weapon and in making the bridles and leather straps much needed by a horseman.
– Harlen Persinger © 2013
República Argentina
Southern South America
Area 1,727K mi2; 2,780K km2
Arable 14%
Population 44.3M (26/mi²; 16/km²)
Gov’t Presidential republic
Capital Buenos Aires (15.2M)
GCP/capita $20,700
Unemployment 8%
In poverty 32%
Wealth owned by top 10% 31%
Life expectancy 77 yrs
Infant Mortality 10/1K live births
Literacy 98%
Languages Spanish (official), Italian, English, German, French, indigenous
Religions Roman Catholic 92% (of which <20% are practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%
Education 6% of GDP (32nd)
Military 1% of GDP (118th)
Labor Force Agriculture 1%, industry 25%, services 74%
PCVs 1992–1994 CURRENT: 0; TTD: 38
Adult Books
By Jorge Luis Borges, trans Andrew Hurley, 1999
Paperback: 576 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books (September 1, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0140286802
ISBN-13:978-0140286809
Summary:
Jorge Luis Borges has been called the greatest Spanish-language writer of our century. Now for the first time in English, all of Borges' dazzling fictions are gathered into a single volume, brilliantly translated by Andrew Hurley. From his 1935 debut with The Universal History of Iniquity, through his immensely influential collections Ficciones and The Aleph, these enigmatic, elaborate, imaginative inventions display Borges' talent for turning fiction on its head by playing with form and genre and toying with language. Together these incomparable works comprise the perfect one-volume compendium for all those who have long loved Borges, and a superb introduction to the master's work for those who have yet to discover this singular genius.
Goodreads Reviews
Do yourself a massive favor and read Borges. He can deliver more plot and twists in 2-5 pages than many authors do in 300. Every page will blow your mind as you loose yourself in the brilliant labyrinth of his words. Read it. Now.
--S. P.
Reading Jorge Luis Borges's Collected Fictions is like being thrown into the ring with a merciless prize fighter, getting the shit kicked out of you, and loving every minute of it.
These pieces felt more like punches than short stories. Borges jabs to your head, jarring your brain with damning conversations with his future self, invented libraries of the Universe and stories that make you feel like a lost kid on your way to Algebra class but accidentally ending up in Trigonometry. Then he switches his stance and digs at your body with primal blows. Petty gangsters, simplistic machismo, knife fights, all with such savage bravado that you can taste the cheap liquor and cheaper blood.
I said at the top, "loving every minute of it" and perhaps that needs to be tempered. There were times, in certain stories, where my head spun and I wanted to drop to the canvas and not get up. It seemed to be all too much. But I knew if I stayed on my feet and in the ring for the whole 12 rounds I would be rewarded richly. I was. Get in the ring and you will be too.
--J. Koivu
Kids' Books
By Kalnay, Francis; illustrated by Julian de Miskey
Format: 115 pp.
ISBN: 978-0-802-77387-6
Age Range: 8-12 years
Publisher: New York: Walker, 1993
Adventures of a boy and his pony on the Argentine Pampa.
Films
Film: Intimate Stories (Historias Mínimas)
Director:
Summary (IMDB): Near the provincial town of San Julian, three vibrant characters undertake seemingly mundane journeys that turn out to be subtly life changing. A lonely, fastidious traveling salesman is on a quest for the perfect cream cake to win the widow of his dreams. A grizzly grandfather hitchhikes to town to find his forgotten lost dog and seek forgiveness. A poor young mother hopes to win the grand prize--a microprocessor--as a contestant on a TV game show. In the end, the three will get more or less what they set out for, but it will come to them in ways that they never expected. — Sujit R. Varma
Music
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