Matter of Self Esteem and Other Stores

Women struggling for independence professional and emotional populate the seven stories of Carme Riera's latest collection to be translated into English, A Matter of Self-Esteem. Originally written in Spanish and Catalan, the stories are built around love affairs, literary allusions and academic debate. Riera's overuse of the rhetoric of victimization and empowerment handicaps her in places, but these are otherwise intelligently crafted fictions. Trans. by Roser Caminals-Heath and Holly Cashman. (Apr.)