Description
Axis mundi and Other Stories
Book Summary
Axis mundi and Other Stories is a collection of tales that transports the reader to a universe where the real and the fantastic intertwine naturally. Through poetic and evocative prose, Ouka Leele builds short narratives that explore the limits of the imagination, encounters with the unusual, and the beauty of the everyday. A book that invites you to lose yourself in dreamlike landscapes and discover characters that dwell between sleep and wakefulness.
What is it about?
Axis mundi and Other Stories gathers a series of tales that revolve around the search for a symbolic axis connecting heaven and earth, the visible and the invisible. In the story that opens the volume, "The Fern Gate," two characters venture into a forest, dodging brambles until they reach a clearing where a small being with a wide smile awaits them. From there, each story unfolds its own world where the magical breaks in without stridency, as part of a parallel reality that has always been there. The author weaves subtle atmospheres, laden with symbolism, where objects and landscapes take on an almost mythical dimension.
Main Themes
- The connection between the earthly and the spiritual through a symbolic axis or axis mundi.
- The presence of the marvelous in everyday and natural settings.
- The initiatory journey as a metaphor for self-discovery.
- Memory and time as constructs permeable to fantasy.
- The relationship between the human being and nature as a space of revelation.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at readers interested in contemporary short narrative with a strong lyrical and symbolic component. It is ideal for those who enjoy stories that combine magical realism, poetry, and an introspective gaze. It will also be attractive to followers of Ouka Leele's work, known for her career in visual art and photography, and for those seeking a read that stimulates the imagination without sacrificing emotional depth.
What this book offers
- A literary experience that merges narrative with the author's poetic and visual sensitivity.
- Short stories that invite reflection and personal reinterpretation of each tale.
- An original approach to the fantastic, far from genre clichés.
- The opportunity to explore symbolic worlds through carefully crafted and evocative prose.
Technical Specifications
- Author: Leele, Ouka (1957-)
- Publisher: Huerga y Fierro Editores
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY FICTION, SHORT STORIES
- Collection: NARRATIVE
- Binding: Paperback
- Edition date: June 2017
- Number of pages: 172
- Weight: 199 g
Editorial Assessment
Axis mundi and Other Stories represents a unique proposal within short fiction in Spanish. Ouka Leele, renowned for her plastic arts, demonstrates here an ability to build literary universes where image and word dialogue naturally. The book offers a measured, suggestive read that rewards those who let themselves be carried away by its atmospheres. It is a work that may be of particular interest to those who value literature as a space for aesthetic and symbolic exploration, beyond the mere plot.