A feminist classic from 1950s Uruguay, The Naked Woman was met with scandal and outrage due to its erotic content, cynicism, and stylistic ingenuity. The novel follows Rebeca Linke's ardent, ultimately tragic, attempt to free herself from a hostile society.
A wild, brutal paean to freedom. It's a challenging book, one that took nearly 70 years to make its way into English ... like a written Dalí painting ... Somers' feminism is profound, and complicated. Though she does not shy away from brutality, the assaults she writes are not gratuitous. The Naked Woman is a novel about liberation, with a protagonist committed wholly to freedom ... Not all of the novel is this challenging. Somers' language is freewheeling and fantastical, and so are her scenes ... Somers didn't want to be considered a member of the Generación del 45, and it's not hard to see why: No one on Earth could keep up with her.
This slim novel packs a major wallop ... Highly surreal and somewhat reminiscent of Djuna Barnes or Clarice Lispector...an important work of twentieth century feminism whose central meaning clearly resonates today.
A momentous allegorical tale of power and lust from 1950 that remains relevant in 2018 ... This short yet undeniably powerful take on the viciousness of the male ego exposes the soft underbelly of 'civil society,' showing that just beneath the surface is man’s base animal nature. Somers’s novel is a surreal, gripping experience.
