Roberto bolaño
Roberto Bolaño's books, today, are among the most requested. And it is not surprising, he was one of the most outstanding contemporary writers in the Spanish-speaking world. His work, based on his experiences and supported by free literature, broke the paradigms of his time. Of this stands out Wild detectives (1998), a novel that greatly boosted his career, allowing him to achieve national and international recognition.
The Chilean writer forged an extensive literary portfolio that has dozens of books —among novels, collections of poems, short stories and essays—, which, today, continue to be published. His death, at the young age of 50, did not prevent his followers from enjoying more of his texts, since other works have been published posthumously, such as the notable narrative 2666 (2004)
Books by Roberto Bolaño
Advice from a Morrison disciple to a Joyce fan (1984)
It is the first novel of Chilean author, and was written in four hands with the Spanish Antoni Gracía Porta (better known as AG Porta). It was originally published in 1984 and republished in 2006. In this last reproduction a story of both was included, called "Diario de bar". The narrative was awarded in 1984 with the Ámbito Literario prize.
Synopsis
angel rose He is a young man passionate about literature, extreme things, his girlfriend Ana and the music of Jim Morrison. The Barcelonan live a roller coaster of emotions with your partner, a south american girl who is in bad steps. The woman's story is surrounded by violence, which makes Ros debate between that situation and concern about a book that she has not been able to finish.
the ice rink (1993)
The first edition of this novel was presented by the Fundación Colegio del Rey in Spain, after winning the Ciudad Alcalá de Henares award. On that occasion it had a limited number of copies, however, that same year it was reissued in Chile by Editorial Planeta. This is the second book published alone by the author, after the path of the elephants (1984)
Ten years later a third edition was published by Seix Barral and a fourth in 2009 by Anagrama. The novel has as its main axis a murder, which is unraveled by appreciating different perspectives of its protagonists in this regard.. Bolaño commented that his work dealt with: “beauty, which lasts a short time and whose end is usually disastrous”.
Synopsis
In a clandestine ice rink in a coastal town in Catalonia a crime occurred. There are several versions of the fact. Three men of different nationalities (Mexican, Chilean and Spanish, respectively) express their vision of the murder in retrospect. The detective in charge has the not easy responsibility of connecting the dots of the statements in order to solve the mysterious case.
Wild detectives (1998)
just as said, this is the crowning piece. The text was published in Barcelona in 1998 by the Editorial Anagrama label. It is a novel divided into three parts that take place between 1976 and 1996. The first and third segments —set in Mexico City in 1975 and in the Sonora desert in 1976, respectively— are described through the diary of one of the protagonists, Juan García Madero.
For its part, the middle chapter is a compilation of 52 testimonies that provide more details regarding the two-year journey (1975-1876) undertaken by Arturo Belano —alter ego of Bolaño— and Ulises Lima —alter ego of the poet Mario Santiago Papasquiaro—in his search for the poet Cesárea Tinajero. These 52 statements were collected over 20 years (between 1976 and 1996). The book itself is a tribute to the poetic movement of infrarealism —called “visceral realism” within the plot— and its followers.
Synopsis
The poets Belano and Lima decide to investigate Cesárea Tinajero and find his whereabouts, since he disappeared on Mexican soil some time after the Revolution. She is the leader of the visceral realism poetic movementto which men belong.
The investigation is not easy at all, and spans two years in which a considerable number of intricate events occur. When Belano and Lima think their journey is over and caress the desired prize, the tragedy characteristic of human existence does his thing.
Chile night (2000)
It is the seventh novel of the writer. The text —based on the journey of bolaño to Santiago de Chile in 1999—is narrated in the first person by the right-wing cleric of Opus Dei, Sebastián Urrutia Lacroix. In the words of the author, he sought to reflect: “… the lack of guilt of a Catholic priest. The admirable freshness of someone who, due to intellectual training, had to feel the weight of guilt”.
Likewise, Bolaño defined the narrative as: "... the metaphor of an infernal country, among other things. It is also the metaphor of a young country, of a country that does not know very well if it is a country or a landscape”.
Synopsis
While the ecclesiastic Urrutia lay in a sick bed, narrated relevant events of his life. Among the incidents are a trip to the "Là Bas" farm, his studies in Europe in the sixties and the gatherings he had with the writer María Canales. He does not leave out the lectures on Marxism that he dictated to Augusto Pinochet and the Military Junta of Chile in 1970.
During his agony, Urrutia went through a lot of pain, high temperatures and hallucinations, which makes him think that it will be his last night. His story is sometimes stopped by an "aged young man", which can be interpreted as a reflection of his conscience. or like a ghost.
Antwerp (2002)
Published in Barcelona in 2002, it is the eighth novel by the writer. The work was dedicated to his children: Alexandra and Lautaro. A year after publication, in an interview for the newspaper The Mercury, Bolano stated:
"Antwerp I like it a lot, maybe because when I wrote that novel I was someone else, in principle much younger and perhaps braver and better than now. And the exercise of literature was much more radical than today, which I try, within certain limits, to be intelligible. So I didn't give a damn if they understood me or not."
What the writer expressed suggests that the work was made a long time ago. This can be seen affirmed in a note by Bolaño in La Unknown University (2007) —posthumous poems—, where he maintains that Antwerp It was written in 1980, when he was working as a night watchman at the Estella de Mar campsite, in Castelldefels.
About the Author
The writer and poet Roberto Bolaño was born Tuesday April 28, 1953 en Santiago de Chile. He grew up in a lower middle class family. His father, León Bolaño, was a boxer and truck driver; his mother, Victoria Ávalos, a teacher. His childhood and early adolescence were lived in his native country. When he turned 15, he moved to Mexico., where he continued his secondary studies.
In 1975 he founded, along with other young writers, the poetic movement of infrarealism. Soon after, he published his first collection of poems: reinvent love (1976). Eight years later he ventured into the genre of the novel with the works Advice from a Morrison disciple to a Joyce fan y the path of the elephants (both in 1984). These were followed by other texts, such as: Romantic dogs (1993) Distant star (1996) and Cuban Tres Guitar (2000)
Accolades
Thanks to the ingenuity and originality of his works, the writer won the following awards:
- Felix Urabayen 1984 by the path of the elephants (1984)
- Municipal Institute of Literature of Santiago in 1998 for the story Phone calls (1997)
- Herralde de Novela (1998) and Rómulo Gallegos (1999) for the novel Wild detectives (1998)
- Salambó (2004), Altazor (2005) and Time magazine Award for the best novel of the year 2008 for 2666 (2004)
Death
bolaño died on Tuesday, July 15, 2003 in Barcelona (Spain) due to liver failure. Although he left several books unfinished, One of the most significant is, without a doubt, 2666. It is an extensive novel that the author intended to publish in 5 parts. However, his family decided to present it as a single text in 2004. Today, 2666 It is one of his most outstanding works.