{"product_id":"a-brief-history-of-portable-literature-9780811223379","title":"A Brief History of Portable Literature","description":"An author (a version of Vila-Matas himself) presents a short \"history\" of a secret society, the Shandies, who are obsessed with the concept of \"portable literature.\" The society is entirely imagined, but in this rollicking, intellectually playful book, its members include writers and artists like Marcel Duchamp, Aleister Crowley, Witold Gombrowicz, Federico Garc a Lorca, Man Ray, and Georgia O'Keefe. The Shandies meet secretly in apartments, hotels, and cafes all over Europe to discuss what great literature really is: brief, not too serious, penetrating the depths of the mysterious. We witness the Shandies having adventures in stationary submarines, underground caverns, African backwaters, and the cultural capitals of Europe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eVila-Matas, Enrique:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eENRIQUE VILA-MATAS\u003c\/strong\u003e was born in Barcelona. He has received countless prizes and written numerous award-winning novels, including \u003cem\u003eBartleby \u0026amp; Co.\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMontano's Malady\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eNever Any End to Paris\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eDublinesque\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMcLean, Anne:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eAnne McLean\u003c\/strong\u003e lives in Toronto and has translated the works of authors including Javier Cercas, Julio Cortázar, and Juan Gabriel Vásquez, and Enrique Vila-Matas.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBunstead, Thomas:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eThomas Bunstead\u003c\/strong\u003e lives in England and has translated the works of Eduardo Halfon, Yuri Herrera, and Rodrigo Fresán","brand":"New Directions Publishing Corporation","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50527337185554,"sku":"9780811223379","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_3d2114be-b18d-4b66-a341-23f6f77e2cfc.jpg?v=1731298367","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/a-brief-history-of-portable-literature-9780811223379","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}