Fiction. Latino/ Latina Studies. Originally published in Buenos Aires in 1995, BEER CANS IN THE RIO DE LA PLATA received the prestigious Editorial Emece award for best novel that same year. This is a long overdue English translation of that novel, Stamadianos' first, that was praised by reviewers throughout South America. This stunning first novel garners its author comparisons to James Joyce as it is a retelling of THE ODYSSEY, turning the epic upsidedown. Astute readers will enjoy the numerous Homeric references and their inversions throughout: from the character Ulysses himself, who is irresponsible, treacherous, and selfish, to various plot devices that parallel the poem. Stamadianos has refashioned the epic to tell a moden tale of betrayl and self-interest. -- Booklist.