Lost City Radio

by Alarcon, Daniel

• ISBN13: 9780060594817
• ISBN10: 0060594810
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-02-05
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

About This Book

Lost City Radio by Daniel Alarcón is a thought-provoking novel that delves into the complexities of war, identity, and the human condition. Published in 2008 by HarperCollins, this book has been a significant contribution to contemporary literature.

Who Uses It?

Primarily, this book is used by students and educators in literature and cultural studies courses at the college and university levels. It is also a valuable resource for anyone interested in exploring themes of war, identity, and social reconstruction. The book's unique perspective on a fictional South American country makes it an excellent choice for those studying global literature and cultural anthropology.

History and Editions

Lost City Radio is Daniel Alarcón's critically acclaimed debut novel. The book has been widely praised for its masterful portrayal of subterfuge, lies, and the arbitrary recreation of history. The novel explores an anonymous nation grappling with its identity at the end of a war with no clear right or wrong. The story follows Norma, the on-air voice of consolation and hope for the Indians in the mountains and the poor from the barrios—a people broken by war's violence.

Author and Other Works

Daniel Alarcón is a celebrated author known for his insightful and engaging writing style. Lost City Radio showcases his ability to craft compelling narratives that explore the complexities of human experience. Alarcón has also written other notable works such as At Night We Dance and The King is Always Above the People. His writing often delves into themes of identity, culture, and the human condition, making him a prominent figure in contemporary literature.

Detailed Information

ISBNs and Formats

Hardcover: ISBN-13: 9780060594817

eTextbook: ISBN-13: 9780060594794 (The ebook for "Lost City Radio" is available right here on eCampus.com!)

eTextbook: ISBN-13: 9780060594801 (The ebook for "Lost City Radio" is available right here on eCampus.com!)

Paperback: ISBN-13: 9780060594821

Publication Details

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: February 5, 2008

Number of Pages: 288

Language: English

Item Weight: Not specified

Dimensions: 5.31 x 8.00 x 0.65 inches

Rental Options

Rental options are available through eCampus.com with various rental durations.

Other Editions and Formats

While there are no other specific editions mentioned, the book is part of the P.S. Series by HarperCollins, indicating it may have been reprinted or included in various collections.

Related ISBNs

• 9780060594794
• 9780060594801
• 9780060594821

These ISBNs ensure that you have access to all available formats of Lost City Radio, making it easier to find and access the book in your preferred format.

Excerpts

Lost City Radio
A Novel

Chapter One

They took Norma off the air that Tuesday morning because a boy was dropped off at the station. He was quiet and thin and had a note. The receptionists let him through. A meeting was called.

The conference room was full of light and had an expansive view of the city, looking east toward the mountains. When Norma walked in, Elmer was seated at the head of the table, rubbing his face as if he'd been woken from a restless, unsatisfying sleep. He nodded as she sat, then yawned and fiddled with the top of a pill bottle he'd taken from his pocket. "Go for some water," he groaned to his assistant. "And empty these ashtrays, Len. Jesus."

The boy sat across from Elmer, in a stiff wooden chair, staring down at his feet. He was slender and fragile, and his eyes were too small for his face. His head had been shaved—to kill lice, Norma supposed. There were the faint beginnings of a mustache above his lips. His shirt was threadbare, and his unhemmed pants were knotted around his waist with a shoestring.

Norma sat closest to him, her back to the door, facing the white city.

Len reappeared with a pitcher of water. It was choked with bubbles, tinged gray. Elmer poured himself a glass and swallowed two pills. He coughed into his hand. "Let's get right to it," Elmer said when Len had sat. "We're sorry to interrupt the news, Norma, but we wanted you to meet Victor."

"Tell her how old you are, boy," Len said.

"I'm eleven," the child said, his voice barely audible. "And a half."

Len cleared his throat, glanced at Elmer, as if for permission to speak. With a nod from his boss, he began. "That's a terrific age," Len said. "Now, you came looking for Norma, isn't that right?"

"Yes," Victor said.

"Do you know him?"

Norma didn't.

"He says he came from the jungle," Len continued. "We thought you'd want to meet him. For the show."

"Great," she said. "Thank you."

Elmer stood and walked to the window. He was a silhouette against the hazy brightness. Norma knew that panorama: the city below, stretching to the horizon and still farther. With your forehead to the glass, you could see down to the street, to that broad avenue choked with traffic and people, with buses and moto-taxis and vegetable carts. Or life on the city's rooftops: clothes hanging on a line next to rusting chicken coops, old men playing cards on a milk crate, dogs barking angrily, teeth bared at the heavy sea air. She'd even seen a man once, sitting on his yellow hard hat, sobbing.

If Elmer saw anything now, he didn't seem interested. He turned back to them. "Not just from the jungle, Norma. From 1797."

Norma sat up straight. "What are you telling me, Elmer?"

It was one of the rumors they knew to be true: mass graves, anonymous villagers, murdered and tossed into ditches. They'd never reported it, of course. No one had. They hadn't spoken of this in years. She felt something heavy in her chest.

"It's probably nothing," Elmer said. "Let's show her the note."

From his pocket, Victor produced a piece of paper, presumably the same one he had shown the receptionist. He passed it to Elmer, who put on his reading glasses and cleared his throat. He read aloud:

Dear Miss Norma:

This child is named Victor. He is from Village 1797 in the eastern jungle. We, the residents of 1797, have pooled our monies together and sent him to the city. We want a better life for Victor. There is no future for him here. Please help us. Attached find our list of lost people. Perhaps one of these individuals will be able to care for the boy. We listen to Lost City Radio every week. We love your show.

Your biggest fans,
Village 1797

"Norma," Elmer said, "I'm sorry. We wanted to tell you ourselves. He'd be great for the show, but we wanted to warn you first."

"I'm fine." She rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm fine."

Norma hated the numbers. Before, every town had a name; an unwieldy, millenarian name inherited from God-knows-which extinct people, names with hard consonants that sounded like stone grinding against stone. But everything was being modernized, even the recondite corners of the nation. This was all postconflict, a new government policy. They said people were forgetting the old systems. Norma wondered. "Do you know what they used to call your village?" she asked the boy.

Victor shook his head.

Norma closed her eyes for a second. He'd probably been taught to say that. When the war ended, the government confiscated the old maps. They were taken off the shelves at the National Library, turned in by private citizens, cut out of school textbooks, and burned. Norma had covered it for the radio, had mingled with the excited crowd that gathered at Newtown Plaza to watch. Once, Victor's village had a name, but it was lost now. Her husband, Rey, had vanished near there, just before the Illegitimate Legion was defeated. This was at the end of the insurrection, ten years before. She was still waiting for him.

"Are you all right, Miss Norma?" the boy asked in a small, reedy voice.

She opened her eyes.

"What a polite young man," Len said. He leaned forward, rested his elbows on the table, and patted the boy on his bald head.

Norma waited for a moment, counting to ten. She picked up the paper and read it again. The script was steady and deliberate. She pictured it: a town council gathering to decide whose penmanship was best. How folkloric. On the back was a list of names. "Our Missing," it said, the end of the g curling upward in an optimistic flourish. She couldn't bear to read them. Each was a cipher, soulless, faceless, sometime humans, a harvest of names to be read on the air. She passed the note back to Elmer. The idea of it made her inexplicably sleepy.

Lost City Radio
A Novel. Copyright © by Daniel Alarcon. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

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Excerpted from Lost City Radio by Daniel Alarcon
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.