The Literary Conference Explained

The Literary Conference is a novella by the Argentinean writer César Aira.^[1] The book follows the adventures of Aira as he attends a literary conference while attempting to take over the world by growing an army of Carlos Fuentes clones.^[2] Aira also pines for a beautiful woman from his past and must contend with unintended consequences of his cloning experiments that lead to catastrophe.^[3]

Critics have lauded The Literary Conference for its startling blend of science fiction, baroque surrealism, metaphysical incongruities, and hoary genre conventions borrowed from old B movies.^{[4] [5]}

The original Spanish-language edition of the book was published by Tusquets in Argentina in 1997 under the title "El congreso de Literatura". In 2006, an English translation by Katherine Silver was published by New Directions.

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Literary Conference. The New Yorker.
2. Web site: 10 novels in translation you should know. Christian Science Monitor. 25 July 2017.
3. Web site: Esposito. Scott. Favorite Reads of 2010: The Literary Conference by Cesar Aira. Conversational Reading. The National. 25 July 2017.
4. Web site: Greenberg. Michael. The Novelist Who Can’t Be Stopped. New York Review of Books.
5. Web site: Valdes. Marcela. Unmanageable Realities: On César Aira. The Nation. 25 July 2017.