A SIMPLE HABANA MELODY (FROM WHEN THE WORLD WAS GOOD)

New York City, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 2002. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/Fine Dust Jacket.. New York City, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 2002. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Edition/First Printing. 342 pages. The author's sixth novel. One of Oscar Hijuelos' finest achievements. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions, particularly copies that are signed on a tipped-in page. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents Oscar Hijuelos' "A Simple Habana Melody (From When The World Was Good) " . From the author of "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love", music again as its running motif, with a more poignant caress this time. "A love song to pre-war Cuba and the simple melody at the center of the book named 'Rosas Puras', written by Hijuelos' protagonist, the aging composer Israel Levis, in the 1920's for his protege and secret love, the singer Rita Valladares. The novel is set just after World War II, when Levis has returned to his childhood home in Havana after many years in Europe, at first in Paris, then in Buchenwald, where he was interned by Nazis who ignored the crucifix around his neck and focused only on his name. The bittersweet feelings Israel bears toward 'Rosas Puras' ('Beautiful Roses'), his best-known song, are further complicated when a German officer, who had gathered some musician/inmates for a concert, ask him to play the catchy old tune, unaware that Levis had written it. A novel of memory, a series of visits to the beautiful, vanished world of Levis' childhood and youth seen through the lens of his later suffering. Written with the author's richness of detail, sensuality, and musicality" (Regina Marler). An inspiring pioneer-figure among Hispanic-American writers, Oscar Hijuelos died prematurely and suddenly on October 12, 2013 at the age of 62, his place in American literature secure, and his contribution of enduring significance. An absolute "must-have" title for Oscar Hijuelos collectors. This copy is very prominently, neatly, and beautifully signed, dated (before its official May 28 publication), and inscribed in black ink-pen on the half-title page by the author: "Para Fabiola, con mucho carino [with much love], Oscar Hijuelos 5.4.2002". It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. The recipient, who is named, was a close friend of the author. This title is an American classic. This is the only such signed, pre-publication dated, and inscribed copy of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Copies available online have serious flaws or are in subsequent printings. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare signed copy thus. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize For Fiction in 1990 for "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love". One of the most brilliant American writers of our time. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER OSCAR HIJUELOS TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0060175699.