"A kaleidoscopic, open-hearted, shamelessly polymathic storyteller, the kind who brings a blast of oxygen into the room."-Jonathan Lethem

"Rodrigo Fresan is the new star of Latin American literature. . . . There is darkness in him, but it harbors light within it because his prose-aimed at bygone readers-is brilliant. -Enrique Vila-Matas

I've read few novels this exciting in recent years. Mantra is the novel I've laughed with the most, the one that has seemed the most virtuosic and at the same time the most disruptive.-Roberto Bolano

Rodrigo Fresan is a marvelous writer, a direct descendant of Adolfo Bioy Casares and Jorge Luis Borges, but with his own voice and of his own time, with a fertile imagination, daring and gifted with a vision as entertaining as it is profound.-John Banville

With pop culture cornered by the forces of screen culture, says Fresan (knowing the risk to his profile of 'pop writer,' even coming out himself to discuss it), there's nothing left but to be classic. That?s the only way to keep on writing.-Alan Pauls

Rodrigo Fresan is the author of nine novels, including Kensington Gardens, Mantra, and The Bottom of the Sky. His works incorporate many elements from science-fiction (Philip K. Dick in particular) alongside pop culture and literary references. According to Jonathan Lethem, "he's a kaleidoscopic, open-hearted, shamelessly polymathic storyteller, the kind who brings a blast of oxygen into the room."Will Vanderhyden received an MA in Literary Translation from the University of Rochester. He has translated fiction by Carlos Labbe, Edgardo Cozarinsky, Alfredo Bryce Echenique, Juan Marse, Rafael Sanchez Ferlosio, Rodrigo Fresan, and Elvio Gandolfo.