A tremendous introduction to twenty-eight of the most influential Spanish-language authors of the twentieth century, A Thousand Forests in One Acorn combines interviews with these authors—about their influences, about what they're trying to accomplish with their writing (the "Acorn")—with each author's "favorite piece ever written" (the "Thousand Forests").

Contents:               

Prologue -- from The Cousins / Aurora Venturini -- from The Blind Ants / Ramiro Pinilla -- from The Forgotten King Gudú / Ana María Matute -- from The Testimony of Yarfoz / Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio -- from Terra Nostra / Carlos Fuentes -- The Order of the Families ; from The Death of Montaigne ; from Persona Non Grata / Jorge Edwards -- from The Blind Rider / Juan Goytisolo -- from Last Evenings with Teresa / Juan Marsé -- By Night in Bukhara / Sergio Pitol -- The Final Music of the Titanic / José De La Colina -- Summer Orchestra / Esther Tusquets -- from Moving ; Him ; Training the Ivy / Hebe Uhart -- from The Way to Paradise / Mario Vargas Llosa -- from A world for Julius ; Apples / Alfredo Bryce Echenique -- from Far from Somewhere / Edgardo Cozarinsky -- from The Dark Shore Fly ; The Toaster ; The Coffee Cup ; The House with Two Doors / José María Merino -- from The Absent City / Ricardo Piglia -- from The Truth About the Savolta Case / Eduardo Mendoza -- The Journey ; from The Year of Grace ; Angle of Horror / Cristina Fernández Cubas -- The Moment of Impact / Elvio Gandolfo -- from Because She Didn't Ask / Enrique Vila-Matas -- from Crematorium / Rafael Chirbes -- from Mogador: The Names of the Air / Alberto Ruy Sánchez -- from Tomorrow in the Battle Think On Me ; When I Was Mortal ; from The Man of Feeling ; from Dark Back of Time / Javier Marías -- from The Sleeping Mariner / Abilio Estévez -- from The Polish Horseman ; from Sepharad / Antonio Muñoz Molina -- from Senseless / Horacio Castellanos Moya -- Lucia, or, The Pigeons / Evelio Rosero -- Acknowledgements. from The cousins / Aurora Venturini -- from The blind ants / Ramiro Pinilla -- from The forgotten King Gudú / Ana María Matute -- from The testimony of Yarfoz / Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio -- from Terra nostra / Carlos Fuentes -- The order of the families ; from The death of Montaigne ; from Persona non grata / Jorge Edwards -- from The blind rider / Juan Goytisolo -- from Last evenings with Teresa / Juan Marsé -- By night in Bukhara / Sergio Pitol -- The final music of the Titanic / José de la Colina -- Summer orchestra / Esther Tusquets -- from Moving ; Him ; Training the ivy / Hebe Uhart -- from The way to paradise ; from The feast of the goat / Mario Vargas Llosa -- from A world for Julius ; Apples / Alfredo Bryce Echenique -- from Far from somewhere / Edgardo Cozarinsky -- from The dark shore ; Fly ; The toaster ; The coffee cup ; The house with two doors / José María Merino -- from The absent city / Ricardo Piglia -- from The truth about the Savolta case / Eduardo Mendoza -- The journey ; from The year of grace ; Angle of horror / Cristina Fernández Cubas -- The moment of impact / Elvio Gandolfo -- from Because she didn't ask / Enrique Vila-Matas -- from Crematorium / Rafael Chirbes -- from Mogador : the names of the air / Alberto Ruy Sánchez -- from Tomorrow in the battle think on me ; When I was mortal ; from The man of feeling ; from Dark back of time / Javier Marías -- from The sleeping mariner / Abilio Estévez -- from The Polish horseman ; from Sepharad / Antonio Muñoz Molina -- from Senseless / Horacio Castellanos Moya -- Lucia, or, The pigeons / Evelio Rosero.