Malena

“A beautiful portrait of one of the most terrible moments in Latin American history. Holzman has masterfully created a time machine that will trans-port readers into the heart of Argentina during the Dirty War.” —Brian Nelson, author of The Silence and the Scorpion: The Coup Against Chavez and the Making of Modern Venezuela (Best Book of 2009, The Economist)

"This gripping novel will haunt you long after you’ve raced to its last page. Malena is a book of courage, love, and the darkest side of human nature that is inextricably linked to the foundations of the modern human rights movement. It should be required reading for Latin American history, human rights, or political science classes as well as anyone who craves a great work of historical fiction.”—Charlie Clements, Director of the Carr Center on Human Rights Policy, Harvard Kennedy School of Government

"Like a true tanguera, Holzman's narrative 'flicks and walks and pencil turns' with passion, authority and style."—Meghan Nuttall Sayres, author of Anahita's Woven Riddle and Night Letter

Set in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Washington, D.C., Malena is the story of ordinary lives ensnared in a web of hidden horror. At a time when Argentina’s military junta is kidnapping, torturing, and killing thousands of its own citizens to stamp out dissent, Kevin Solórzano (Solo), an American interpreter, finds himself back in the land of his youth. As Solo grapples with the government atrocities he discovers, he finds his path converging with that of his love rival, Argentine army captain Diego Fioravanti, a dreamer who moonlights as a tango instructor and who will ultimately risk his life for the “disappeared.” Their journey to the depths of officially sanctioned terror will sear their souls and challenge their humanity.

Edgardo David Holzman is intimately familiar with Argentina, the backdrop for Malena. Born in Buenos Aires and currently living in Philadelphia, Holzman obtained his law degree in Argentina and his LLM in the United States. As an attorney and translator, Holzman has worked for a number of international organizations and was involved in human rights work in the 1970s. These experiences led him to explore the historical record behind Argentina’s 1976-1983 military dictatorship. Malena is his debut novel.