Children of the Days: A Calendar of Human History

FromEduardoGaleano,oneofLatinAmerica'sgreatestlivingwriters,authoroftheMemoryofFiretrilogy,comesChildrenoftheDays,anewkindofhistorythatshowsushowtorememberandhowtoliveThisbookisshapedlikeacalendar.Eachdaybringswithitastory:ajourney,feastortragedythatreallyhappenedonthatdate,fromallpossibleyearsandallcornersoftheworld.FromAbdulKassemIsmail,thetenth-centuryPersianwhoneverwentanywherewithouthislibrary-allseventeenthousandbooksofit,onfourhundredcamels;totheBraziliancityofSorocaba,whichonFebruary81980respondedtotheoutlawingofpublickissingbybecomingonehugekissodrome;toJuly12008,thedaytheUSgovernmentdecidedtoremoveNelsonMandela'snamefromitslistofdangerousterrorists,ChildrenoftheDaystakesaimatthepretensionsofofficialhistoryandilluminatesmomentsandheroesthatwehaveallbutforgotten.Throughthisshimmeringhistoricalmosaicrunsacommonthread,onethatjoinshumanity'sdarkesthourstoitssweetestvictories.ChildrenoftheDaysisthestoryofourlives.'Passionateandhumane...sofunnyandsomoving'-PhilipPullman'Galeanoperformsthesortofextraordinaryfeatsofcompassion,artistry,andimaginationachievedinfictionbyhisfellowvisionaryLatinAmericanwriters,especiallyBorges,GarcíaMárquez,andBolaño'-Booklist,starredreviewEduardoGaleanoisoneofLatinAmerica'smostdistinguishedwriters.Heistheauthorofthethree-volumeMemoryofFire;OpenVeinsofLatinAmerica;SoccerinSunandShadow;TheBookofEmbraces;WalkingWords;UpsideDown;andVoicesinTime.BorninMontevideoin1940,helivedinexileinArgentinaandSpainforyearsbeforereturningtoUruguay.Hisworkhasbeentranslatedintotwenty-eightlanguages.Heistherecipientofmanyinternationalprizes.