A HISTORY OF MONEY by Alan Pauls reviewed by Rory McCluckie
A HISTORY OF MONEY
by Alan Pauls
translated by Ellie Robins
Melville House, 197 pages
reviewed by Rory McCluckie
There has never been a time when the subject of money wasn’t fertile ground for a work of literature; whatever view you take on its role in our lives, it’s central to them. From the economic policies of governments to the spare change tossed into a busker’s guitar case, it’s difficult to imagine what life without it might look like. Not a bad subject, then, for a work that is set to catapult its author onto the international stage. Alan Pauls is an Argentinian novelist, essayist, and critic who has been writing fiction for years while holding various academic and editorial posts in Argentina and the United States. Indeed, he seems to be so active and prolific in his various roles that it’s perhaps surprising that Pauls’ 2007 novel, The Past, has, until now, been his only work to have received an English language translation. With A History of Money, he should have assured that such negligence comes to an end. This is a skillfully realized work, as accomplished in its execution as it is acute in its criticism.
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