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About this Book:

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Chilean port of Punta Arenas, the southernmost city of the American continent and an obligatory stop for every ship sailing between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, received an influx of European immigrants. Along with the native Chileans, they energized the region: men and women, overcoming the vicissitudes of the past, living in the present and resolutely looking toward the future. These are the characters of From Afar Forever. Their intertwined stories unfold between 1920 and 1940 and provide a firsthand account of this southern city. For these reasons From Afar Forever has become part of the patrimony of the Magellan region.

About the Author:

Born in Punta Arenas, Chile in 1916 to a family of Croatian émigrés, Nicolás Mihovilovic Rajcevic, was the first proficient Spanish speaker in his family. Interested in politics, from 1946 to 1950, he was Governor of Tierra del Fuego. In 1966 he published his first novel, Desde Lejos Para Siempre (From Afar Forever), followed, in 1974, by Entre el Cielo y el Silencio (Only Sky and Solitude) and in 1978 by En El Ultimo Mar del Mundo (The Remotest Sea in the World). These three novels form a trilogy depicting the lives of city dwellers, country folks and seamen in Southern Chile and Argentina during the early XX century. These novels were followed by Estampas Magallánicas/Cuatro Hombres de Ayer y Siempre (Images from Magallanes/ Four Men to Remember from Yesteryear) and Semi-cuentos (Quasi-stories) in 1984. In 1986 he was elected a member of the Academia Chilena de la Lengua. Two of his works, Desde Lejos Para Siempre, and his Semi-Cuentos were published in Croatian.

Book Review:

Reviews on line: Croatian Translation review (in Croatian) htpp://www.vjesnik.hr/pdf/2003%5C08%5C27%5C16A16.PDF Spanish original work (in Spanish) http://www.studiacroatica.org/libros/maga/esl02.htm "....conmovedora saga novelada Desde Lejos, Para Siempre" Reviews in print: "...En el trazado de sus personajes hay más humor que epopeya, hay más amor que arrogancia..." Horacio Hernández Anderson citando a Hernán Poblete Varas La Prensa Austral. Punta Arenas, Chile. ...[su prosa luce] fuera de los trazos robustos que imprime una naturaleza ruda e inclemente, una vena sutil para los laberintos del amor y la tragedia..." El Mercurio, Valparaíso, Chile.

Order/Contact Info:

From Afar Forever c/o Mirta Mihovilovic 106 Saint Andrews lane Chapel Hill, NC 27517