These snippets and snatches, it must be assumed, are by way of further exploiting the interest in Andrés Neuman after his novel, Traveller of the Century, aroused much interest this year. The back cover shows a small photo of the author looking like a terribly nice chap and, indeed, in the opening selection there is something in the softness of the poetical tales that matches the writer's kind-eyed physiognomy. As the aphoristic vignettes progress, the mood gets edgier and a stimulating variety of tone is achieved. Neuman's forte is observational philosophy. On occasion, this means too much technical analysis of the emotions while his storylines are suggestive and implicit. The autobiographical pieces which allude to his East European Jewish-Argentine roots come nearest to a satisfying narrative. The sketches of totalitarian politics may be the most accessible but the more abstract jottings compliment them well.
