Hunger's Bride/August Fiction

Sun Aug 14 15:07:02 CDT 2005

Ignoro si a César Aira o Ricardo Piglia los han comentado en la lista.
Ambos son argentinos y, creo, de lo mejor que se puede encontrar por
estos días en español. Son escritores marginales que, últimamente, han
logrado cierta importancia.
Piglia hace clases en Princeton y su novela La ciudad ausente (está en
inglés) es clave para entender la tradición argentina. Juega
monumentalmente con los intertextos y su obra es un diálogo constante
con la tradición hispanoamericana. Es una novela excelente y compleja.
Aira es un deudor de las vanguardias que publica muchísimos libros. En
su mayoría novelas breves. Escribe prácticamente en código de
escritura automática y es, tal vez, uno de los mejores pensadores de
la literatura en español. Es un tipo muy lúcido y lleno de humor. De
hecho tiene un increíble diccionario de autores.
Diego Maquieira es poeta y es chileno. Ignoro si también te interesa
la poesía, pero es uno de los grandes. El único capaz de dar un paso
adelante y escribir después de Neruda y Nicanor Parra.
Otro escritor que no creo que esté traducido es Osvaldo Lamborghini.
Es muy difícil de leer y, durante muchos años, ha sido una figura de
culto. Wilcock, J.R. Wilcock, que en la mitad de su vida se mudó a
Italia y comenzó a escribir en italiano, es una de las grandes glorias
literarias poco conocidas. Escribía biografías apócrifas y lo
corrosivo de su humor se encuentra en pocas partes.
Estos escritores no son recientes. O depende qué entendemos por
reciente. La chilena Lina Meruane propone un juego experimental
adoptado de Diamela Eltit. Es joven y publica hace poco.
En fin, esos son los nombres que se me ocurren. 
Pero Bolaño, claro, va en la delantera.
Saludos,
G.

On 8/14/05, Ya Sam <takoitov at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks for that summary. Can you recommend any other Spanish or Latin
> American writers who have recently emerged on the literary scene and
> therefore might not be known by the P-listers? For example I've read in a
> Spanish review about such authors as Eloy Fernandez Porta and Juan Francisco
> Ferre whose work was compared to the experimental prose of David Foster
> Wallace and Mark Danielewski. Are there any names worth mentioning? Don't
> hesitate to answer in Spanish, if it's really difficult for you to write in
> English.
> 
> Y
> 
> >From: g maier <8302294 at gmail.com>
> >To: Ya Sam <takoitov at hotmail.com>
> >Subject: Re: Hunger's Bride/August Fiction
> >Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2005 11:44:22 -0400
> >
> >It's very difficult for my to share impressions about 2666, cause I
> >don't speak english very well.
> >But… I'll try.
> >2666 is the better example of Bolaño's literature. It have 5 chapters
> >and when he knew that in a few weeks he'll die, called to his friend
> >Ignacio Etxeverria and required him that when he die, 2666 was
> >published in 5 novels for earn more money to his widow and sons.
> >Etxeverria, a very famous critic in Spanish, unheared him and
> >published the novel like we have now. Etxeverria said –and I think the
> >same—that 2666 is only one book and must be read it in this way.
> >2666 –and the very big part of the entire Bolaño's literature—is a
> >crossover between Borges and american writers like DeLillo or Richard
> >Ford. And that's not so crazy. Bolaño have almost 4 highlights (¿?).
> >1. When he write about literature he use the Borges's game making a
> >match between the life-in-books versus the savage life. For Bolaño and
> >Borges a read, a very good reader, is allways a hero. In the first
> >chapter of 2666 he write under this paradigm. In it, 4 european
> >critics are looking for Benno von Archimboldi, a german writer that
> >anyone have never see it. Yes, like Pynchon. Archimboldi is missed and
> >those 4 critics go to Santa Teresa (the name in the novel for Ciudad
> >Juárez) to find it. The second highlight is when Bolaño write an
> >entire life like a biografy. Yes, again like Borges (or Juan Rodolfo
> >Wilcock, an unknow argentinian writer that impacted Bolaño). In those
> >opportunities he write like Carver or Ford. Paradoxically in 2666 the
> >third part, the chapter  about an american journalist, was written
> >like the Ford's literature. That's a very common exersice in Bolaño.
> >In a few words is a big novel about the evil and the life. And yes: is
> >straightforward and very easy to read.
> >The second chapter, for example, contain surrealist eztravaganzas but
> >in the last one you may never find those surrealist topics. In fact,
> >in the last chapter you find something like a russian novel in the way
> >of Dostoievsky.
> >In abstract is very complex and straightforward.
> >2666 also have funny jokes, thousand characters and an entire resume
> >of  his literature.
> >G.
> >PS for Rcfchess at aol.com:  no, I have no idea about a possible
> >translation of La Consegracion de la Primavera. Sorry.
> >
> >
> >On 8/14/05, Ya Sam <takoitov at hotmail.com> wrote:
> > > Could you share  your impressions about this book? I understand that
> >it's
> > > impossible to characterise in a few words such mountain of a novel, but
> > > still, what's it like? Is it similar in any way to Pynchon's work, I
> >mean is
> > > it more or less a straightforward narrative, or does it contain any
> > > fantastic elements and surrealist eztravaganzas like those one comes
> >across
> > > in Gravity's Rainbow? The more I read about this author, the more I am
> > > becoming convinced that this is the writer whose novels are a good
> >stimulus
> > > for studying Spanish. I've been learning the language independently for
> >two
> > > years now, and I'm sure that one's I'm through with Terra Nostra I'll
> >pick
> > > up 2666. I checked out the first chapter available on one of the Roberto
> > > Bolano sites http://www.sololiteratura.com/bol/bolfrag2666.htm and got
> > > immediately hooked up. That's certainly a novel I'm looking forward to
> > > reading.
> > >
> > > Y
> > >
> > > >From: gonzalo maier <8302294 at gmail.com>
> > > >To: takoitov at hotmail.com, pynchon-l at waste.org
> > > >Subject: Re: Hunger's Bride/August Fiction
> > > >Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2005 01:16:33 -0400
> > > >
> > > >I've read 2666 in spanish.
> > > >In fact I have read the whole Bolaño's work, but 2666 is his best
> > > >novel. A few critics said that is the best literary work in spanish
> > > >since Don Quijote. And who knows, can be.
> > > >It's just a masterpiece.
> > > >I just love it and recommend it.
> > > >If anyone in the list can read in spanish, check this critic:
> > > >http://www.letras.s5.com/rb221104.htm
> > > >That's all
> > > >(Sorry for my poor english)
> > > >G.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >On 8/12/05, Ya Sam <takoitov at hotmail.com> wrote:
> > > > > I just read that piece on Roberto Bolano and his gargantuan 2666.
> >Sounds
> > > > > very promising. Has anyone read it? I guess there should be quite a
> >lot
> > > >of
> > > > > P-listers who read in Spanish.
> > > > >
> > > > > >From: Rcfchess at aol.com
> > > > > >To: richard.romeo at gmail.com, Subject: Re: Hunger's Bride/August
> >Fiction
> > > > > >Date: Fri, 12 Aug 2005 16:25:36 EDT
> > > > > >
> > > > > >In a message dated 08/12/2005 3:50:30 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
> > > > > >richard.romeo at gmail.com writes:
> > > > > >
> > > > > >a slow  summer so I've begun Paul Anderson's mammoth Hunger's Bride
> > > > > >     IS THAT A DIFFERENT WRITER THAN SCI-FI'S POUL  ANDERSON?! (OR
> >A
> > > >TYPO?)
> > > > > >
> > > > > >NYTimes had an interesting piece on Roberto Bolano  who's work
> >beyond
> > > > > >Night in Chile and Distant Star are being translated  into
> > > > > >English--namely the Savage Detectives (600 pgs) and his  apparent
> > > > > >masterpiece before passing away in his early 50s, 2666, (1000  pgs
> > > > > >plus--described as an encyclopedic look at Latin America  revolving
> > > > > >around the murders of women that take place along the Tex-Mex
> >border)
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >IF YOU (OR ANYONE ON THE LIST) HAPPEN TO KNOW, IS  ALEJO
> >CARPENTIER'S
> > > > > >MASTERWORK La consagración de la primavera (SUPPOSEDLY  EVEN BETTER
> > > >THAN
> > > > > >HIS
> > > > > >WONDERFUL "THE LOST STEPS") BEING  TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH? I'VE
> >BEEN
> > > > > >WAITING
> > > > > >FOR YEARS...
> > > > > >
> > > > > >I wonder if there is too much connection made between the
> >encyclopedic
> > > > > >and the length of a novel? Is JR, Infinite Jest, or
> >Underworld--I'd
> > > > > >say no.
> > > > > >
> > > > > >Rich
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > _________________________________________________________________
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> > >
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> > >
> 
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