The Names of the Things That Were There

“Stories as if written by an angel, but an angel full of earthiness and sex.” —Ariel Dorfman, author of The Suicide Museum

“Antonio Skármeta is a fierce, tender, graceful genius. His stories enrapture, seize the soul, and shake it awake. Full of surprises and perfectly placed revelations that feel like ‘an angel’s introduction,’ his stories unravel exquisitely. Skármeta is a master of narrative, and his work is essential to any reader.” —Jennifer Maritza McCauley, author of When Trying to Return Home

Praise for Antonio Skármeta:

“Wonderfully quirky.” —New York Times Book Review

“There is a simple charm to Skármeta’s writing.” —The Independent

“Skármeta treats his characters with a tender hand and, with impressive economy, balances dark humor with a sober and realistic portrait of a stagnant culture whose people are always longing for something better.” —Publishers Weekly

“[Skármeta] exhibits [a] master touch…The beauty of the telling offsets the sadness and desolation of small-town life, and the confusions and revelations that Skármeta describes are common to us all.” —Library Journal

“Skármeta, an adept craftsman, uses spare but forceful prose to tell a story…a testament to the clarity and beauty of his writing. Each carefully chosen word rings true.” —Los Angeles Review