The Scale of Maps

Belén Gopegui (Spain) – City Lights Books – 2011

From reviews of The Scale of Maps

“Gopegui’s work is beautifully composed and elegantly translated, though Sergio’s fundamental elusiveness leaves the reader empty-handed and lovelorn, which, depending on the reader, will be a disappointment or a stroke of brilliance. – Publishers Weekly

“In an interview in El Mundo, Gopegui is asked which of her books to start with, and she answers, The Scale of Maps. … The Scale of Maps is a rapturous and dazzling achievement, and I, for one, am waiting impatiently for the opportunity to read more of Gopegui.” – John Yargo, The Rumpus

“Sound is important to narrative as well as to poetry, and the attention to sound is a strength of Schafer’s translation. The Scale of Maps is a meditative, obsessive novel, rewarding in the clarity of its expression and the provocation of its questions.” – Amalia Gladhart, Belletrista

“I’ve said before that I’ve never read a Spanish to English translation without feeling like I was missing something. I have to take that back; this book may be more beautiful in Spanish, but I don’t know how.” – Kimberly Todd Wade