Translation Rights TQE / Versions of Niagara

Victor Alert, an expert in literature, is obsessed with Niagara Falls and with the literary testimonies of their famous visitors. Attached to his uncountable books, which, according to his will, shall all be burnt upon his death, Alert also maintains a painful relationship with a much younger woman who will end up abandoning him. It is then that he decides to visit the Falls. But, before he is able to see them, he meets a curious travelling salesman who will become his friend and confidant. On the eve of his trip to Niagara, Alert is run over by a truck and must convalesce in the hospital. He finally manages to see the Falls accompanied by his friend, and his journey culminates with an unexpected yet necessary ritual. Tinted with subtle humour, Versiones del Niágara is both homage to and an ironic interpretation of the obsessive nature of collecting, a travelogue and an exquisite parable about the mysterious paths of human existence.

Guillermo Piro was born in Avellaneda, province of Buenos Aires, in 1960. He is the author of three books of poetry: La golosina caníbal (The Man-Eating Titbit), Las nubes (The Clouds) and Estudio de manos (A Study of Hands).  A cultural journalist and translator, he has published versions of various authors in Italian, among which are several books about his compatriot Juan Rodolfo Wilkock, who wrote most of his work in this language. Versiones del Niágara (Versions of Niagara)  is his first novel.