The Greatest Empire That Never Was

Kalpa Imperial

A dazzling tapestry of myth, fantasy and folk tale from Argentina's great writer of speculative fiction, in a translation by Ursula K. Le Guin 
 
In city squares and glittering palaces, a series of storytellers recount the many deaths and rebirths of the greatest Empire that never was: a history in which beggars rise to the Golden Throne, mad emperors raze cities and murderous empresses plot against their own children. Angélica Gorodischer’s dreamlike novel, masterfully translated by Ursula K. Le Guin, conjures a labyrinthine fictional universe of magical lore, broken dynasties and an Empire fated to rise, fall and rise again. 
 
‘A landmark of Spanish-language imaginative fiction: a lyrical work that reimagines fantasy and myth from one of Argentina’s most brilliant writers’ Mariana Enriquez, author of Our Share of Night

Kalpa Imperial is a landmark of Spanish-language imaginative fiction: a lyrical work that reimagines fantasy and myth from one of Argentina’s most brilliant writers

Nabokovian in its accretion of strange and rich detail, making the story seem at once scientific and dreamlike

Ursula K. Le Guin, whose novel The Left Hand of Darkness is one of science fiction’s finest achievements, has translated a work by the Argentine writer Angelica Gorodischer. Kalpa Imperial recounts the history of an imaginary empire in a series of tales that adopt the voice of a marketplace storyteller. ... While the point of each tale eludes paraphrase, the cumulative burden is the imperfectibility of human society... Le Guin’s translation, which ranges from blunt to elegant to oracular, seems like the ideal medium for this grim if inescapable message

This Scheherazade-like collection of linked tales, loosely connected by a storyteller, form the rich history of an imaginary civilization ... Never heavy-handed, the stories flow like fables and gradually show the futility of seeking power and trying to rule others. The dreamy, ancient voice is not unlike Le Guin’s, and this collection should appeal to her fans as well as to those of literary fantasy and Latin American fiction

Angélica Gorodischer (Author) 
Although born in Buenos Aires, Angélica Gorodischer (1928-2022) was most closely associated with the city of Rosario, her home since childhood and also the home of her famous character, Trafalgar Medrano. She wrote over twenty books, including Trafalgar (1979) and the fantastical Kalpa Imperial (1983-4), which was translated into English by Ursula K. Le Guin. Her work has been compared to that of Borges and Calvino, and she won numerous literary prizes as well as an award for her contribution to women's rights. In 2011 she received a World Fantasy Award for lifetime achievement. 
 
Ursula K. Le Guin (Translator) 
Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018) was one of the most acclaimed speculative fiction writers of the twentieth century. Her works include The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed, and The Earthsea Quartet, all of which redefined the possibilities of science fiction and fantasy.

In city squares and golden palaces, a series of storytellers recount the history of the greatest Empire that never was: a history in which orphans rise from the underworld to the throne, mad emperors raze cities, captive dancers induce fatal delirium and murderous empresses plot against their own children. 
 
Angélica Gorodischer’s novel, masterfully translated by Ursula K. Le Guin, conjures a vivid fictional universe of labyrinthine cities, desert caravans and the lawless South – and of an Empire fated to rise, fall and rise again.

Angélica Gorodischer

Amalia Gladhart

Both deeply thoughtful and immensely playful ... Here we have a kind of magical realism for science fiction ...  What is at the heart of every incident, every interlude, is a luminous exploration of humanity: love, power, death, the known and the unknown ... Contemplative, provoking, bizarre - and brilliant. Quite, quite brilliant

A novel that is unlike anything I've ever read, one part pulp adventure to one part realistic depiction of the affluent, nearly-idle bourgeoisie, but always leaning more towards the former in its inventiveness and pure sense of fun

Understated and impressive ... Gorodischer takes well-worn tropes in entertaining directions that both evoke their golden age roots and transcend them with a layer of absurdism. A joy to read

Gorodischer's tales are a perfect blend of Argentine reality and sci-fi fantasy. The reader can hear every word of the original whispered behind this translation by Amalia Gladhart

Part pulp adventure, part otherworldly meditation, this is the story of Trafalgar Medrano: intergalactic trader and lover of bitter coffee and black cigarettes. In the bars and cafés of Rosario, Argentina, he recounts tall tales of his space escapades - involving, among other things, time travel and dancing troglodytes. 
 
Cosmopolitan, philosophical and, above all else, pure fun, Angélica Gorodischer's Trafalgar is a unique blend of science fiction, magical realism and shaggy-dog tale from one of Argentina's most distinctive writers.

Angélica Gorodischer

Praise for Trafalgar

Both deeply thoughtful and immensely playful ... Here we have a kind of magical realism for science fiction ... What is at the heart of every incident, every interlude, is a luminous exploration of humanity: love, ...

A novel that is unlike anything I've ever read, one part pulp adventure to one part realistic depiction of the affluent, nearly-idle bourgeoisie, but always leaning more towards the former in its inventiveness and p ...

Understated and impressive ... Gorodischer takes well-worn tropes in entertaining directions that both evoke their golden age roots and transcend them with a layer of absurdism. A joy to read

Both deeply thoughtful and immensely playful ... Here we have a kind of magical realism for science fiction ... What is at the heart of every incident, every interlude, is a luminous exploration of humanity: love, ...

A novel that is unlike anything I've ever read, one part pulp adventure to one part realistic depiction of the affluent, nearly-idle bourgeoisie, but always leaning more towards the former in its inventiveness and p ...

Understated and impressive ... Gorodischer takes well-worn tropes in entertaining directions that both evoke their golden age roots and transcend them with a layer of absurdism. A joy to read

Both deeply thoughtful and immensely playful ... Here we have a kind of magical realism for science fiction ... What is at the heart of every incident, every interlude, is a luminous exploration of humanity: love, ...

A novel that is unlike anything I've ever read, one part pulp adventure to one part realistic depiction of the affluent, nearly-idle bourgeoisie, but always leaning more towards the former in its inventiveness and p ...

Understated and impressive ... Gorodischer takes well-worn tropes in entertaining directions that both evoke their golden age roots and transcend them with a layer of absurdism. A joy to read

Books by Angélica Gorodischer

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter