Elisa Victoria's first foray in the English language with a novel which uncovers nine-year-old Marina's internal struggles, during the long dry spell in 1993.
Amid the oppressive heat, and in the aftermath of the exuberance of Seville’s Expo ’92, Marina spends a chaotic summer with her grandmother while her mother receives hospital treatment for a grave but unnamed illness. There are no rules swearing, talking about lovers, eating treats and staying up late are all allowed, and it is a summer with endless possibilities.
Marina still plays with dolls, but also watches pornographic movies and fantasises about sex and violence. And as she faces the challenging transition to adolescence, she is torn between the safe world of childhood and the sexual feelings that obsess her.
In Oldladyvoice, debut author Elisa Victoria presents a fresh and vivid take on growing up, through the eyes of a funny, perceptive and endearing narrator.
About the Authors
Elisa Victoria was born in Seville in 1985. She has published two books of short stories, Porn & Pains in 2013, and La sombra de los pinos in 2018, and has contributed to several anthologies. Her debut novel, Oldladyvoice , was published in Spanish in 2019 to great critical acclaim and was selected as Book of the Week by El Pais.
Charlotte Whittle has translated works by Silvia Goldman, Jorge Comensal and Rafael Toriz, among others. Her translation of Norah Lange's People in the Room was longlisted for the American Literary Translators Association prize and shortlisted for both the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation and the Society of Authors' TA First Translation Prize. Her translation of Notes from Childhood, also by Norah Lange, was published by And Other Stories in 2021. She lives in New York.
Industry Reviews
'Sad, funny, sharp, and poetic: the best possible ingredients for a book. The perfect chronicle of a smart girl in a stupid world.' Ben Brooks----'Perfectly captures what it was like to be a kid in the mythologised '90s.' Vice ----'Elisa Victoria handles the child's narration dexterously . . . Relying on short, declarative sentences, Victoria has a knack for bringing characters to life in few words.' New York Times ----'As a general rule, I am opposed to fiction written from the perspective of a child. It's not that I'm uninterested in childhood as a concept, or even in children themselves - far from it - but some writers use childhood as a lazy shortcut, an easy way to introduce such broad themes as "innocence lost." . . . Happily, the Spanish writer Elisa Victoria's debut novel, Oldladyvoice (translated by Charlotte Whittle), is the exact opposite of this. . . Childhood makes a lot more sense when you remember that children are basically madcap little degenerates, fascinated by their own filth, and I love that Victoria isn't shy about portraying this.' Phrasebook ----'A tender and poignant story, full of light and just the right amount of wickedness.' El Mundo ----'From the first page, a seductive universe comes into view. It's similar to love at first sight, and there's no need for hesitation, just for the most innocent surrender.' Elvira Linda, El Pais ----'Good novels find their protagonist's voice and make the reader feel close to them. Such is the case of Oldladyvoice. [...] The magic of Oldladyvoice also lies in its supporting characters (the grandmother, mother and mother's boyfriend) and the conversations they have with Marina, which can make you smile and break your heart in the same line.' Paula de Aguirre, Le Cool Barcelona ----'Marina is firing the last bullets of her childhood, and she does it in a clean, powerful shot of poetry, hope, and zest for life.' Cesar Prieto, Efe Eme music magazine
