Lovely work of fiction from a new (new for me) Argentinian author. If you want to pick this up thinking it's an anthropology of finance, don't. It's fLovely work of fiction from a new (new for me) Argentinian author. If you want to pick this up thinking it's an anthropology of finance, don't. It's fiction, and a really well-written one at that....more
A fun short story, full of malicious wit, reminiscent of the low-budget movie Carnage, where two couples are also facing each other in their class antA fun short story, full of malicious wit, reminiscent of the low-budget movie Carnage, where two couples are also facing each other in their class antagonism and mutual contempt. ...more
A wonderful collection of essays, anecdotes verging onto short stories, journal entries, and everything between, from an author I was, for the most p A wonderful collection of essays, anecdotes verging onto short stories, journal entries, and everything between, from an author I was, for the most part, happy to finally read from this year.
Although officially labeled as non-fiction, I would argue that Around the Day in Eighty Worlds gracefully skims the surface while dancing on the border waters between non-fiction and fiction, considering the almost lyrical descriptions and occasional tales woven throughout.
There are some less than ideal parts to the collection, of course. In some areas, it seems that Cortazar just wants to show off and flabbergast his audience with name-dropping and wide cultural references, sometimes amalgamated apparently only for this purpose. In other areas, the author is definitely enacting mild forms of 'literary revenge', by making fun of people who wronged him in the past in the literary world, in thinly veiled ways.
But I have no significant problem with any of that since it's all masterfully created and put together. The mild arrogance one can feel in him is matched by his intellectual prowess so there's no objection :). ...more
I would have given this collection of short stories, the second I read from Cortazar (after We Love Glenda So Much and Other Stories, a full 5 stars rI would have given this collection of short stories, the second I read from Cortazar (after We Love Glenda So Much and Other Stories, a full 5 stars rating if it were not for the way I felt he was casually treating domestic violence, with no hint of being bothered by it. It wasn't in a deliberately callous way to make us feel strongly against the narrator or something, it just seems as if it never occurred to the author himself that this violence is something to be outraged about. It feels as if he finds it only slightly distasteful and boring, but inevitable and somewhat justified. I may be reading too much into it, but it left a sour taste and I have mixed feelings towards the author now.
Besides that, most of the writing is undoubtedly brilliant. My favorite story was the one about Roman gladiator rings (in that case, Cortazar could be bothered to feel a little more strongly about the dehumanizing violence) and the parallel to a more contemporary setting (a double story), the one which also gives the entire collection its title, All Fires, the Fire.
I liked this initial read of something written by Cortazar. I understand why it's labeled as magical realism, the all-encompassing umbrella of South AI liked this initial read of something written by Cortazar. I understand why it's labeled as magical realism, the all-encompassing umbrella of South American literature, but even if it is, it's certainly of a different flavor than the magical realism we have all come to know through Marquez.
The style is more airy, dreamy, and flowery. Almost light, if you paid no attention to the often heavy themes the narrative voice presents as if talking about a blooming garden while sleepwalking.
I liked the themes themselves as well - like the fans of the beautiful Glenda who feel that they need to go to the ultimate consequence to prevent her from creating more imperfect works of art, or the perfectly mysterious and unknowable observer of other people's lives.
It's infused with some of the machism which derives from the Latin American space, but not in an obnoxious way. It makes for quick reading, though the style is certainly complex and unforgettable. ...more
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