by Juan Filloy (Author), Brendan Riley (Translator)
Caterva (meaning throng or horde) tells the story of seven erudite, homeless, and semi-incompetent radicals traveling from city to city in an attempt to foment a revolution: conspiring with striking workers, setting off bombs, and evading the local authorities. But this is no political thriller. Like his literary descendant Julio Cortazar--who mentions this book in Hopscotch--Filloy is far more concerned with his characters' occasionally farcical inner lives than with their radical machinations. With its encyclopedic feel, and its satirical look at both solidarity and nonconformity, Caterva is considered to be among Filloy's greatest achievements.
Author Biography
Juan Filloy was an excellent swimmer, dedicated boxing referee, and talented caricaturist; he spoke seven languages and he practiced as a judge in the small town of R?o Cuarto. A world-champion palindromist, he utilized obscure words, coined new news, and gave all of his novels seven-letter titles. He received various distinctions during his lifetime and was reportedly nominated for the Nobel Prize. He died in 2000 at the age of 106.