Carmen La Coja

Published to coincide with the Anchor Books edition of Peel My Love Like an Onion, this Spanish translation is a major addition to the Vintage Español list. Equal parts soap opera, tragicomedy, and rhapsody, Carmen la coja is Ana Castillo's imaginative variation on the themes of Bizet's Carmen, set in the Latin community of Chicago and the seductive world of flamenco. Carmen "La Coja" Santos is a renowned local dancer who has long maintained an affair with the great Agustín, the married director of her troupe. An angry rivalry is sparked when she begins a passionate new liaison with Agusín's grandson, the gifted Manolo; her childhood polio returns; and her already aggravating relationship with her mother takes a difficult turn. But in the end, Carmen, unlike her namesake, finds her way back to happiness.