Grove Press
Grove Press
Grove Press
“It’s magical stuff, outrageous and scatological, sharpened to a fine, funny point, and an entirely charming read.” –The Hartford Courant
From one of the most original and eloquent young writers today comes an intoxicating tale that superbly blends the Caribbean’s exotic past with its decidedly spicy present, told through the eyes of an utterly unique ninety-seven-year-old grandmother.
Robert Antoni took the literary world by storm with his first novel, Divina Trace, which won the Commonwealth Writers Prize and is widely recognized as a landmark in Caribbean literature. His second novel, Blessed Is the Fruit, received extraordinary praise and was hailed by Robert Olen Butler as “an enduring work of art.”
My Grandmother’s Erotic Folktales is a brilliantly seductive collection of folk- tales retold by an exotic grandmother to her innocent young grandson. Set amid the lush landscape of Corpus Christi during World War II, these erotic tales were originally meant to keep the U.S. servicemen out of the brothels–and out of trouble. Now, in her ninety-seventh year, the widow tells these stories as a tapestry of interlocking and exaggerated memories–all the more colorful for the retelling.
Lyrical and lewd, fabulous and scatological, the tales range from absurd side-splitting asides to timeless traditional Caribbean folktales. Offered generously and playfully as a rite of passage, these tales are a tribute to Antoni’s remarkable talent.
“Imagine listening to a bawdy, laughing Scheherezade whose off-color tales lilt to a calypso beat.” –The Washington Post
“Far from wielding a corrupting influence, [these folktales] may infuse even the most jaded adult readers with a strangely rejuvenating delight.” –The Seattle Times
“It’s magical stuff, outrageous and scatological, sharpened to a fine, funny point, and an entirely charming read.” –The Hartford Courant
“Sly as it is funny and revealing as it is bold.” –The Miami Herald
“Just great rollicking, ribald tales told by an irresistible Scheherezade.” –Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
“Antoni offers up an incongruous blend of flavors in this lively collection of five short stories . . . a frequently riotous read.” –Publishers Weekly
“Grandmother’s sensual energies and fluent loquacity make this Antoni’s most accessible and enjoyable fiction.” –Kirkus Reviews
“Antoni’s rhythmic sentences, dazzling imagination and descriptive powers seduced me utterly.
” –The Daily Telegraph
“The tales are bawdy, hilarious and magical–if only all grannies could be like this.” –The Guardian (London)
“Not only poignant, well-paced and politically subtle but very, very funny . . . a cohesive celebration of sensuality.” –The Times (London)
“The physicality and bawdiness of Antoni’s writing is frequently hilarious. So open in its sexuality and raucousness, it is classic farcical humor which provokes a rocking laughter within the reader.” –Tribune (London)
“Bawdy is the word for this hugely entertaining blend.” –The Voice (London)
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