Never Did the Fire

Never Did the Fire is a novel by Diamela Eltit that explores the aftermath of a revolution for two former revolutionaries, who are now left with nothing to believe in, including each other. The story unfolds in the humdrum of everyday working-class existence, and the consequences of their former life and dependence on each other continue to haunt them. The novel evokes the charged air of Chile's violent past and the burdens it carries into the present day.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 130 pages
Publication date: 05 April 2022
Publisher: Charco Press

In the quiet humdrum of everyday working-class existence, the novel unfolds, revealing the afterlife of an agitator that mirrors that of anyone living next door. For an old couple, united years ago in an underground cell, the revolution has culminated in a small apartment, a monotonous job caring for the bodies of the wealthy and ill, and all the aches and pains that come with a long life and a long marriage. Detached from the political action that once defined them and mourning the loss of their child, their bonds dissolve, yet the consequences of their former life and their reliance on each other refuse to let them go. Diamela Eltit, a literary icon in Chile and a prominent figure in the anti-Pinochet resistance, reaches the pinnacle of her powers in this novel of breakdowns.

Never Did the Fire vividly captures the charged atmosphere of Chile's violent past, and the weight it carries into the present day, when the structures we constructed and the ones we succumbed to no longer provide us with solace or hope for salvation.

Weight: 216g
Dimension: 197 x 131 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781913867218