Warm reception for "Nevada Days"

"Nevada Days", translated by Margaret Jull Costa (the usual translator of Atxaga's novels), was published just weeks ago by MacLehose Press. Since its release, the book has been warmly regarded by critics and readers. Among the reviews published, standouts come from The Sunday Herald, The Economist, and The Irish Times.

The Economist published a lengthy article about Bernardo Atxaga's work under the title A Basque Writer Contemplates America.

Bizarre at first glance, this odd match of place and subject makes sound historical sense. (...) he has fashioned a subtle and touching book, offered as fiction but rich in topical allusions.

The Sunday Herald and The Irish Times list it among the best releases in recent weeks.

With past and present colliding, and mingling with Atxaga's dreams, Nevada Days works like a giant, impressionistic collage, a sober and thoughtful meditation on memory (The Sunday Herald). He observes and records, yet also dreams and remembers, it is a seductive, warm narrative (The Irish Times).

The book has also been reviewed by bloggers who write about fiction in translation. One such review comes from the literary blog David's Book World the reading of it (...) has given me so much to think about, I feel very happy to have taken the chance. (…) I'm glad to have Nevada Days a worthy addition to my library; and, actually, I think it will be a good starting point for exploring more of Bernardo Atxaga’s work. And Winstonsdad's Blog writes Nevada Days is a wonderful collection of Vignettes about a nine-month visit to Nevada (...) Here it is a reflection on his life a time in his life when he sees more behind him than in front of him.

Nevada Days is the story of a writer living in Nevada from August 2007 through June 2008, but it's also much more than that. It's a tale that interweaves the lived experience of the current moment with memories, images, dreams and evocations. Time and time again, the arid and hostile landscape of the desert and the green, red and fuchsia skyline of Reno’s casinos, festooned with their bright and crystalline lights, lead the narrator, and the reader, to another landscape that is more intimate, more personal: the Basque Country.

"Nevada Days" is a Chinese box, a story made up of stories. It shows us how we are indelibly marked by every experience we have, by every personal connection that spans temporal and spatial distances, by every emotion that affects us, and by every threat that we confront. How together these make us what we are.