Libros en español

[macocael]

Though not new books, quite old really, anyone interested in Latin American literature, defined broadly, should not hesitate to read the works of the great Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano. He is a "mosaicist" stylistically, but writes about history, society, and moral/cultural matters with great acuity and genius. Try out The Book of Embraces (El Libro de los Abrazos) for starters. Of course, he is best known for Memorias de Fuego and Venas Abiertas de Latina America, but all his books reward study.

[Marianopolita]

Once again it’s that time of year in which I challenge myself to reading some good books. There’s something about the summer that just gives me inspiration to read more even though I read books of all kinds all year round. I chose my preliminary summer reading list for 2009 a few weeks ago and surely as time goes by it will change or I may just read other books. I make a list as a guide so I know what books I would like to focus on. However, in a broad sense I just go with the flow. Once I finish one, I take break for a few days then move on to another.

2009 proves to be another great year in Spanish literature and I will feel fortunate if I can read at least a few of what is available. Time is always of essence but should not be an excuse to not dedicate time to such an enriching past time. Therefore, once again here on DR1 I will use this thread for my summer reading reviews, comments, suggestions etc. In the past I have started separate threads for book reading book I don’t sense a great community of Spanish book readers on this forum so this thread will be where the bulk of my comments will be posted in conjunction with my summer reading section in my mini blog. The only difference is it will also have comments on French literature as well that’s also part of my reading list this summer. (DR1 Dominican Republic Forums - Summer reading 2009)



I just finished reading La orilla africana by Rodrigo Rey Rosa. I mentioned this book in post #83 in 2007 which is the first book to kick off my reading for the summer of 2009 although it’s not on my preliminary list. A few days ago I had the urge to read a short novel and that was the one I pulled off the shelf. (http://www.dr1.com/forums/527931-post83.html)




In brief, this author continues to please me with the simplicity of his writing style. The book is interesting because it really has no beginning or end. The setting is in Tangier, Morocco and the author, a Guatemalan native who moved there at one point to flee from the conflict in his home country thus the descriptions, the story, and the language; (Arabic of the Maghreb region) are very real. The book is about the happenings and fate of two young men one Moroccan and the other Colombian as they experience life in this local culture. One was born into it the other having to learn to adapt at the same time under the influence and symbolism of a lechuza (owl) which in the local culture is not a symbol of good luck.

My curiosity once again has been peaked regarding literature from this region. I will get more exposure from another author’s perspective from a book on my current reading list however in French.

Looking ahead regarding reading more from this author from Guatemala is Piedras encantadas also mentioned in my post #83. I will be able to get a used copy of the book and I look forward to reading it in the near future. The setting is in Guatemala, the story seems controversial and surely it will reflect some of the Latin American social idiosyncrasies that are so embedded in the culture of a potential volatile region of Latin America. The current events of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras are prime examples of a perpetual problem of these three countries- crime and violence.





-Marianopolita

[Marianopolita]

As anticipated I am enjoying my reading sabbatical completely. Although the daily routine of life continues, I like to dedicate extra time to reading as much as possible until mid fall. It’s not only reading novels that are enjoyable but also discovering new authors and their literary collection that make this past time so enriching. I am sure many fellow readers share my sentiments.

Since the focus is on Spanish literature, I will say that there continues to be a wealth of interesting books of all kinds. This includes novels, political books, autobiographies, biographies just to name a few popular categories. Without doubt documentation is happening, writers are putting pen to paper and in my opinion there seems to be a contemporary literary boom. I often hear people say there’s nothing to read. I think the problem is that they do not know what to choose and who the popular authors are.

For those who are tapping into Spanish literature for the first time, it is a good idea to start with some of the best sellers which will give you quite a vast exposure to how diverse Spanish literature is. Although the contemporary greats of the past twenty to thirty years or so are still popular; there’s a whole new group of authors specifically in Latin America who are definitely well on their way to becoming the next generation of great writers. I think once you find a book and an author that you like, the journey into Spanish literature and its diverse selections is one that can possibly have no end.

The ways to discover new authors or diversify your literature selection include browsing in book stores and reading the summary at the back of the books. If you are an online shopper, Amazon specifically, the system automatically suggests books based on your purchase history, join a book club, read websites dedicated to books or ask fellow readers who share this hobby and passion.


DISCOVERY OF NEW AUTHORS

One author I discovered on Amazon last week is William Ospina. He is Colombian and apparently is well on his way to becoming part of the elite writers of Latin America. I read the reviews online of one book, Ursúa and purchased it based on the editorial summary and the comments by readers. In brief it’s a novel about the Spanish conquest of America. It turns out this week he was awarded the winner of the Rómulo Gallegos de novela, edición 2009 award for his most recent novel El país de la canela. There are many good links about the writer, award and the novel.





William Ospina gana premio Rómulo Gallegos | La Voz de Houston | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle, William Ospina gana Premio Rmulo Gallegos - El Universal - Cultura


I finally purchased a copy of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I hope to be able to read the novel in the very near future. It’s no fun reading articles and commentary by others who read the book without being able to give my opinion. However, for now I am sticking to my preliminary list as detailed in the link in the post above. Once I read those books, I will put together another list for the second part of the summer.

I am currently reading Purgatorio by Tomás Eloy Martínez. It’s a very good novel by this Argentinean writer. I am glad I decided to sample his literature. I will post my commentary soon once I am finished the book.



-Marianopolita

[Marianopolita]

Purgatorio- Tomás Eloy Martínez

Vale la pena leer este libro si quieres conocer a este escritor argentino que figura en la lista de los mejores escritores de nuestros tiempos. He visto sus libros en las librerías pero no me interesaba comprar uno, aunque fue ganador del prestigioso premio, Premio Alfaguara de Novela 2002 por su novela El vuelo de la reina.

Esta novela cuyo tema principal se mueve entre el pasado y el presente, trata del purgatorio de la protagonista que está afligida a causa de su amor por su esposo. Mientras la trama se desarrolla, el/ la lector@ aprende el valor del amor y el poder de los sentimientos cuando Simón desaparece de repente y vive los próximos treinta años tratando de encontrarlo.

Recibe mensajes y cartas sobre su supuesto paradero. Creyendo los engaños de la gente, la protagonista viaja a varios países como Brasil, Venezuela y México y vive años buscando a Simón. En mi opinión, el/ la lector@ debe entender la importancia de saber un poco de la historia de un país para que el tema principal tenga más sentido. La Argentina tuvo una dictadura militar desde 1976 hasta 1983. Como resultado, dejó su huella en la sociedad e influyó en el pensamiento y comportamiento de los argentinos. Creó mucha desconfianza y cierto recelo entre ellos.

Sin revelar más detalles sobre la historia, los temas principales son 'los desparecidos' y el purgatorio (el sufrimiento). Era imposible seguir viviendo sin saber qué pasó con Simón pero al mismo tiempo no sabía cómo dejar de pensar en él. Entre el pasado y el presente el escritor desarrolló bien la trama. Es un libro que toca temas profundos.

Si quieres probar una voz contemporánea, te recomiendo este libro de Tomás Eloy Martínez. Seguro que en el futuro leeré más en su colección.


-Marianopolita

[Marianopolita]

PURA VIDA
José María Mendiluce

Life in the land of 'pura vida' is not as great as one may think at least not for some in Costa Rica. It depends on the perspective from which one chooses to assess the situation. Like many places in the world, the rich, the poor and the middle class will have a different version of their country depending on their own personal situation. Some will say it’s a great place to live and others will run given the opportunity.

The story in a broad sense really centers on the plight of the less affluent Black Costa Ricans of Jamaican origin that historically feel like misplaced persons in another man’s land. Those who are unaware of Costa Rica’s history may not even know that Costa Rica has a Black population (Afro-costarricense) from Jamaica who arrived in the late 19th century to work on the railroad. The first generation of Costa Ricans of Afro (Jamaican) descent began after the arrival of this original group. However, what kind of life did they live and how were they welcomed and accepted by the locals? In modern day Costa Rica these descendants of Jamaicans live predominantly on the coast in Limón and it’s well known that it’s an area were Costa Rica’s afro community lives.

The theme is one with which many in Latin America should be able to identify or understand exists. Limited job opportunities, poor and incomplete education and cycles of poverty in many families make hope for the future very grim. Some families survive and live day to day but see the hope for the youth dissipate as they involve themselves in drugs, the drug culture, alcohol, and a care free life that eventually passes them by. To break the cycle of poverty for some can be perceived as a miracle.

The protagonist in this story Ariadna, a foreigner originally from Barcelona and lives in New York is the glimmer of hope for a young Black Costa Rican who meets her on a job assignment in Costa Rica. Both intrigued by the drastically different life styles of each other rapidly become involved and it’s not long before the protagonist realizes that 'pura vida' comes with a huge emotional cost.

The author José María Mendiluce presents a realistic portrait of a life that so many know of in Latin America but some foreigners only understand when they see it or experience a part of it themselves. Unfortunately, the sad ending once again cuts a young man’s dream short due to the reality of his own misfortune.

This book is an easy read, well-written, and an eye-opener about the life of some people in a country that clearly has two faces. This novel, finalist of the Premio Planeta Award in 1998 could have easily been the winner.

My next book will be a switch in language to French. I will be reading a novel titled Il était parti dans la nuit written by an author from one of the Arab Northern African countries also known as the Maghreb region. I am interested in reading it because it’s about people who leave their country on home made boats (equivalent to yolas) in an attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. We all know what happens much too often and the result is a tragic loss of lives. I am looking forward to sampling this author for the first time and ascertaining a new perspective on a theme so familiar to many countries.

It will be interesting to see how this story compares to the risky and deadly yola crossings from DR to Puerto Rico.

See link for a brief 20 page preview:




Il était parti dans la nuit - Google Books


-Marianopolita.

[Chirimoya]

I haven't got my copy yet and would be interested to hear comments from people who have read this new novel:

El Puente de coral by Hugo Luis Sánchez
Hugo Luis Sánchez, a Cuban journalist turned novelist and short-story writer, has just published a new novel, El Puente de coral (The Coral Bridge), a novel which, according to fellow writer Marilyn Bobes, has no referent in Cuban literature. Born in Havana in 1948, Sánchez began publishing in 1993 with El Valle de los Archipiélagos (The Valley of the Archipelagos), followed by the novel Doble Jueves (Double Thursdays) and Según la Noche (According to the Night) in 2005.

He began writing El Puente de Coral (which is published by Ediciones Unión) in December 1992, when he was a Prensa Latina news agency correspondent in Panama. He thought it would be a short novel, but in time it expanded to 400 pages. In a recent interview he had this to say about the process of writing his novel:

“I took all that time because I didn’t want to finish writing it,” he says. “I had created a virtual world in which I felt comfortable, a town by the sea that I never wanted to leave. Every time I had the opportunity, I dived into that world. I returned to Cuba during the worst and most cruel years of the Special Period (economic crisis after the collapse of the Socialist Bloc). I abandoned my job as a journalist and became a taxi driver, sold cigars, PPG tablets (successful Cuban pharmaceuticals against high cholesterol levels) and served as a tourist guide in Old Havana in order to get by. The Coral Bridge is also about research, as it develops from 1930 to 1955 and I spent a lot of time studying that period at the Institute of Literature and Linguistics, above all at Bohemia magazine. It was something that fascinated me and I didn’t want to stop researching nor conclude writing the novel. It took great pains to write The End. The Coral Bridge is my most complete novel; I don’t know if I will ever write something similar again, or if I will even write literature again. On the other hand, I may sit down and not stop writing for another ten years. ”

Review extracted from: New Book: Hugo Luis Sánchez?s El puente de coral Repeating Islands

[Marianopolita]

I have never heard of this author before and I have searched for the availability of this book in the online market but it seems to be limited. I have mentioned this before, the big name Spanish publishing houses are popular on the high volume online websites but this book was published by Ediciones Unión, a publishing house with which I am not familiar.

I read the summary by the author and it does seem captivating and any addition to Caribbean literature in Spanish is great in my opinion as authors from this region face some stiff competition from authors from South America. It’s just such a high producing region especially countries like Argentina, Colombia, Chile and even Peru that it puts pressure on the less popular Latin authors to have a voice.

I began reading again as my summer reading plans were a disaster due to unforeseen events and once again I have had to stop. I started Isabel Allende’s new release, La isla bajo el mar and I have had to stop reading it. I hope to resume reading asap and I am considering starting from scratch as I only reached page 75. I started a separate thread with hopes of enticing some new readers and loyal fans. See here. ***Book recommendation***- La isla bajo el mar by Isabel Allende

If others are looking for good Spanish literature to read, especially novels, there are plenty of good choices both contemporary and classic that can keep you reading for many years to come. Some of the most popular books on the top ten charts currently include (in no specific order):

1/ "La isla bajo el mar" - Isabel Allende
2/ "El vencedor está solo" - Paulo Coelho
3/ "Demasiados héroes" -Laura Restrepo. I almost bought this book last month because it seems interesting but to add one more to a huge pile of books held me back. However, it’s good to buy them when they are on sale.

4/ "El viajero del siglo" - Andrés Neuman- Premio Alfaguara de novela 2009

I did manage to buy Piedras encantadas brand new from a private seller (refer to my post #102) and I will read it as soon as I can.



-Marianopolita.