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Héctor Abad Faciolince

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Oblivion: A Memoir Kindle Edition

by Héctor Abad (Author), Anne McLean (Translator), Rosalind Harvey (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition

4.5 259 ratings

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Oblivion is a heartbreaking, exquisitely written memorial to the author’s father, Héctor Abad Gómez, whose criticism of the Colombian regime led to his murder by paramilitaries in 1987. Twenty years in the writing, it paints an unforgettable picture of a man who followed his conscience and paid for it with his life during one of the darkest periods in Latin America’s recent history.

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nytimes.com/2012/05/20/books/review/oblivion-a-memoir-by-hector-abad.html?_r=2&ref=review
The New York Times Book Review

Honoring a Father's Memory With Words Carved More Deeply Than an Epitaph
The author is amusing about the weave of his own moral fiber. In what may be my favorite sentence thus far in 2012, he writes: "I have never felt like a good person, but I think that, thanks to my father's influence, I have sometimes managed to be a nonpracticing bad man."
The New York Times

About the Author

Héctor Abad is one of Colombia’s leading writers. Born in 1958, he grew up in Medellín, where he studied medicine, philosophy, and journalism. After being expelled from university for writing a defamatory text against the Pope, he moved to Italy before returning to his homeland in 1987. He is the author of Oblivion.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Oblivion

A MemoirBy Hctor Abad

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Copyright © 2013 Hctor Abad
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9780374533939
Oblivion
A boy hand in hand with his father1In the house lived ten women, one boy and a man. The women were Tatá, who had been my grandmother's nanny and was almost a hundred years old, partially deaf and practically blind; two girls who did the cooking and cleaning - Emma and Teresa; my five sisters: Maryluz, Clara, Eva, Marta and Sol; my mother; and a nun. The boy, me, loved the man, his father, above all things. He loved him more than God. One day I had to choose between God and my dad, and I chose my dad. It was the first theological disagreement of my life and I had it with Sister Josefa, the nun who looked after Sol and me, the two youngest. If I close my eyes I can still hear her harsh, gruff voice clashing with my childish one. It was a bright morning and we were out in the sun on the patio, watching the hummingbirds doing their rounds of the flowers. Out of the blue, the Sister said to me:'Your father is going to go to hell.''Why?' I asked.'Because he doesn't go to Mass.''What about me?''You're going to go to heaven, because you pray with me every night.'In the evenings, while she got undressed behind the folding screen with the embroidered unicorns, we said Hail Marys and the Lord's Prayer. At the end, before going to sleep, we recited the Creed: 'I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth, and of all things visible and invisible ...'She took off her habit behind the screen so we wouldn't see her hair; she'd warned us that seeing a nun's hair was a mortal sin. I, who understand things well, but slowly, had spent the whole day imagining myself in heaven without my father (I was leaning out a window in paradise and I could see him down below, pleading for help as he burned in the flames of hell), and that night, when she began to recite the prayers from behind the unicorn screen, I said: 'I'm not going to pray anymore.''Oh, no?' she challenged me.'No. I don't want to go to heaven anymore. I don't like heaven if my daddy's not going to be there. I'd rather go to hell with him.'Sister Josefa leaned around the screen (it was the only time we saw her without her veil, that is, the only time we committed the mortal sin of seeing her messy, unattractive hair) and shouted: 'Hush!' Then she crossed herself.I loved my father with a love I didn't feel again until my own children were born. When I had them I recognized it, because it is an equally intense love, although different, and in a certain sense its opposite. I felt that nothing could happen to me if I was with my father. And I feel that nothing can happen to my children if they are with me. That is, I know that I would give up my own life, without a moment's hesitation, to defend my children. And I know my father would have given his life, without a moment's hesitation, to defend me. As a child the most unbearable idea was that my father might die, and I resolved to throw myself into the River Medellín if he did. Likewise, today I fear the death of one of my children much more than my own. All this is a very primitive, ancestral thing, which one feels in the deepest depths of consciousness, in a place that precedes thought. It is something one does not think, but which simply is,without any mitigating factors; something one knows not with the head but with the guts.I loved my father with an animal love. I liked his smell and also the memory of his smell on the bed when he was away on a trip. I would beg the maids and my mother not to change the sheets or the pillowcase. I liked his voice, I liked his hands, his immaculate clothes and the meticulous cleanliness of his body. I felt for my father the same way my friends said they felt about their mothers. When I was afraid during the night, I would go to his bed and he would always make space for me at his side to lie down. He never said no to me. My mother protested - she said he was spoiling me - but my father moved over to the edge of the mattress and let me stay. I inhaled my father's scent, put my arm around him, stuck my thumb in my mouth, and slept soundly until the sound of horses' hoofs and the jangling of the milk cart announced the dawn.Copyright © 2006 by Héctor Abad Translation copyright © 2010 by Anne McLean and Rosalind Harvey

Continues...
Excerpted from Oblivion by Hctor Abad Copyright © 2013 by Hctor Abad. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0071W4VG4
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Farrar, Straus and Giroux (April 24, 2012)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 24, 2012
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 344 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 273 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,056,497 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #109 in Colombian History
- #1,791 in Biographies of Political Leaders
- #2,200 in Biographies & Memoirs of Authors

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4.5 259 ratings

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Héctor Abad Faciolince

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Héctor Abad Faciolince (born 1958) is a Colombian novelist, essayist, journalist, and editor. Abad is considered one of the most talented "post-boom" writers in Latin American literature. Abad is best known for his bestselling novels Angosta, and more recently, El Olvido que Seremos (t. Oblivion: A Memoir).

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Customers find the memoir poignant and relatable. They describe it as a great, memorable read with an insightful story. Readers praise the writing quality as well-written and appreciate the love throughout the book. The style is described as beautiful and intimate, providing an intimate portrait of the human rights struggle.

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14 customers mention "Narrative style"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the memoir poignant and relatable. They describe it as an interesting story with insights into a family tragedy. The book is described as personal and engaging from the start.

"...This book provided me a glimpse into Colombia, the real Colombia, which unfortunately has had a tendency to be reduced by the western media as a..." Read more

"...Oblivion is compelling in many ways: it tells about the joys and tragedies of one family in a very relatable way; it introduces readers to a nation..." Read more

"...naïve memories of the author's childhood, to the sophisticated analysis of Colombian politics, until his father's assassination in 1987...." Read more

"...It will move you to tears, to laughter and moments of self-recognition. I couldn't recommend it more strongly!" Read more

11 customers mention "Readability"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They say it's a remarkable story worth the wait.

"...It is often dark, and more often painful, but well worth the read." Read more

"OK used book at fair price with FREE shipping." Read more

"Great book, love the way Hector writes and expresses himself. The story goes straight to the heart of the reader." Read more

"...A truly memorable book." Read more

8 customers mention "Writing quality"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written and engaging. They describe the story as interesting and insightful.

"This memoir is the fascinating, beautifully written coming of age story of Hector Abad, the son of Hector Abad Gomez...." Read more

"Great book, love the way Hector writes and expresses himself. The story goes straight to the heart of the reader." Read more

"...The writer tells a story in a very interesting and insightful way. I also love the quotes used in the book from different authors and poets." Read more

"...of the injustice that still prevails in my country Venezuela, great reading" Read more

6 customers mention "Love"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a loving tribute to an important man. They say it leads to an understanding of parental love and what it can and cannot do for children. The story is very much like Colombia and Colombians.

"...genuine fears for those it purports to govern; it leads to an understanding of parental love and what that love can and cannot do for children...." Read more

"...Truly, as I read the story of this positive, loving father, I was humbled not only by his unconditional love for his son, but for the people of..." Read more

"...The beginning parts were OK, the family life, living with a nun, the great love between father and son. And the rest?..." Read more

"...There is love throughout. It is very much like Colombia and Colombians." Read more

4 customers mention "Style"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's style. They find it eloquent and intimate, providing a portrait of the human rights struggle.

"...Through it, Héctor Abad Faciolince provides the reader with an intimate portrait of the human rights’ struggle in Colombia over his father’s lifetime..." Read more

"...happens, which the reader knows from the beginning, but the style in which it's told...." Read more

"...But the most beautiful part of this book for me is the love and affection the author feels for his father...." Read more

"A beautiful and eloquent tribute..." Read more

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LCM
Beautifully written tribute to a lost and much adored father
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2015
Verified Purchase

This memoir is the fascinating, beautifully written coming of age story of Hector Abad, the son of Hector Abad Gomez. Gomez was no ordinary man; he was a towering presence in his son’s life and throughout Colombia. He was a professor, a doctor, and an international health care advocate who worked tirelessly to help Colombia’s poor. An enlightened man living in a not so enlightened time, he fought old world thinking while dodging Colombia’s deadly warring political factions. Ultimately, he paid for his passions with his life.

This book provided me a glimpse into Colombia, the real Colombia, which unfortunately has had a tendency to be reduced by the western media as a land of violent drug cartels and coffee beans. But there is a complicated and beautiful history contained in this book that was a pleasure (and a horror) to discover.

I thoroughly enjoyed this immensely personal, bittersweet tale of a father’s unconditional devotion to his son and would highly recommend it. It is often dark, and more often painful, but well worth the read.

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4 people found this helpful

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Betsy
A memoir to remember
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2012
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I bought this book after reading a review of it in The Nation Magazine and was not disappointed. Intrigued from page one, I couldn't put the book down, an unusual reaction to a story about someone else's family. This is no hazy set of photographs taken by a 6-year old with his or her first camera. None of the important parts are cut from the scenes; we can observe whole people and situations as if we were in the picture ourselves. Oblivion is compelling in many ways: it tells about the joys and tragedies of one family in a very relatable way; it introduces readers to a nation and a religion with all the warts and oozy sin pouring out; it reveals Columbia's chaos and the crises of a nation that creates hardship and genuine fears for those it purports to govern; it leads to an understanding of parental love and what that love can and cannot do for children. This makes Oblivion not only inspirational, but also, a history and basic psychology lesson. That's a lot for any author to do without intellectual pretensions or maudlin descriptions or self laudatory revelation. Mr. Abed can write.

I liked this book so much I bought it for my own adult children. I want them to see that we're not the only family that travels together with bumps along the way, that good and bad blending into grey is a common occurrence, that none of us escape the pain that comes with loving others as well as the joy we can choose to develop regardless of that pain. I hope Mr. Abed will continue writing and that we Americans will be recipients of his words. We need to hear what it's like to live in places without democratic protections and so-called entitlements. We have no idea what it's like to live without any safety net. Before we vote this November on the future of our nation, we need more books like this one.

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6 people found this helpful

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MaLe
OK used book at fair price with FREE shipping.
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2024
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OK used book at fair price with FREE shipping.

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Gerard White
Transformative and Tragic
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2016
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Although titled Oblivion: A Memoir, this book is much more than just a son’s reflections about his father. Through it, Héctor Abad Faciolince provides the reader with an intimate portrait of the human rights’ struggle in Colombia over his father’s lifetime, as well as, a wake-up call to a world wracked by violence.

Written some twenty years after his father’s assassination on the streets of Medellín, Colombia, Oblivion is without a doubt one of the most transformative books that I have read in the past twenty years. Upon finishing it, I realized, perhaps for the first time in my life, that I have not done enough to ease the suffering of others. Truly, as I read the story of this positive, loving father, I was humbled not only by his unconditional love for his son, but for the people of Colombia and indeed the world.

My full review is available on my blog at https://readingwritingreacting.wordpress.com/2015/12/23/book-review-oblivion-by-hector-abad/

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2 people found this helpful

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Björn Jonsson
Great book, a remarkable and important story
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2021
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Great book, love the way Hector writes and expresses himself. The story goes straight to the heart of the reader.

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mtparis
boring
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2021
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This is a boring book for the general reader, who has no special attachment to Columbia. Way too much detail about distant family members and clergymen. It may eventually get to more focus on the protagonist and his father, but the price of so many boring pages was too high for me, and I finally quit after 84 pages.

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K. Gorelick
evocative of an amazing man and a horrendous time
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2023
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Hector Abad brings his father to life, in a memoir that recalls the horror of the worst of recent Colombian history and one of the best of its martyrs. I wish i could have met hix father, and I hope those dark days never return

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momwifEsq
A beautiful and eloquent tribute
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2020
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My Great Grandparents were born and raised in the United States. I have had the opportunity to travel widely for most of my life. It never ceases to amaze me how blessed we are with freedoms & rights in this country that do not exist in much of world. Before you bash a political party in the USA, say a prayer of gratitude for the ability to do so.

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momwifEsq

A beautiful and eloquent tribute

Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2020
My Great Grandparents were born and raised in the United States. I have had the opportunity to travel widely for most of my life. It never ceases to amaze me how blessed we are with freedoms & rights in this country that do not exist in much of world. Before you bash a political party in the USA, say a prayer of gratitude for the ability to do so.

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K. Millin
Moving biography of a much loved father
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 27, 2019
Verified Purchase

The description of life in Columbia is at the same time beautiful for the loving family life created by an amazing couple described by their son, and frightening about the corruption and death squads that his father countered. He was a very brave man with a clear vision of what is right that he kept sharing and working towards despite major opposition. The strength and loving supporting the mother is as important in this story.

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Passivill
excellent personal history of Colombia
Reviewed in Australia on January 25, 2020
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Easy to read. Gentle. Honest book. Accurate

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Marco
Beautiful story
Reviewed in Canada on January 9, 2014
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One of the best books I'have read, very moving story about familiy relationships specially between a boy and his father

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GeorgH
eyeopener
Reviewed in Germany on August 28, 2014
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Well, I grew up in Europa in the sixties and were told, that all those things we heard about Latin America and the killing of people over there was pure propaganda by the Left. Now, almost 60 years later I am reading more and more about it and did find out, that one lied at us and that all this was true.
That book is beautiful written and easy to read although the content is everything but easy!
Thanks to Hector Abad, I want to read more about Latin America.

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Amethyst
Food for thought
Reviewed in Italy on January 14, 2014
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Very well written. Measured and touching, it provides an insight on Colombian families dynamics and political recent years turmoil and violence.

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Oblivion: A Memoir Kindle Edition

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About the Author

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Oblivion

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Product details

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About the author

Héctor Abad Faciolince

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A beautiful and eloquent tribute

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A beautiful and eloquent tribute

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Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving biography of a much loved father

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent personal history of Colombia

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful story

5.0 out of 5 stars eyeopener

5.0 out of 5 stars Food for thought

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Moving biography of a much loved father

excellent personal history of Colombia

Beautiful story

eyeopener

Food for thought