tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post8798232750172118157..comments2024-01-02T15:37:04.858-05:00Comments on Caravana de recuerdos: La pruebaRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-32252491805188284782013-04-12T13:23:47.438-04:002013-04-12T13:23:47.438-04:00Belated thanks for those recs, Eric. I haven'...Belated thanks for those recs, Eric. I haven't read four out of the five you mentioned by name nor all of the translated into English works yet, so I guess I've still got quite a ways to go!Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-53074483607808291002013-04-09T00:00:24.519-04:002013-04-09T00:00:24.519-04:00I haven't read all that much either: just what...I haven't read all that much either: just what's out in English plus two more (Cumpleanos, El Mago). At this moment my favorites are Landscape Painter and Miracle Cures; just started La Villa, and have very high hopes for the new short story collection.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14576509353310919073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-19668557255047955622013-04-08T16:41:16.499-04:002013-04-08T16:41:16.499-04:00Eric, it's easily the worst Aira I've read...Eric, it's <em>easily</em> the worst Aira I've read so far considering that I liked all the others to varying degrees--some quite a bit at that. My favorites are the short story "Cecil Taylor" and the semi-recent novella <em>La Vida Nueva</em>, but I've really only read a handful of his works to date. Still hope to get to two to three more before the end of the year, though. Do you have a favorite by him?Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-43269216425247861262013-04-08T16:35:04.241-04:002013-04-08T16:35:04.241-04:00Brian, Aira's usually inventive and unpredicta...Brian, Aira's usually inventive and unpredictable enough that I would have never imagined him being boring before even though he has his share of detractors (like E.R. above). Plus, I would have thought that all the punk references would have made <em>La prueba</em> more appealing to me; however, they only underscored its otherwise dull qualities. Rise tells me that this is one of the favorite Aira titles of one of his English translators, but for the life of me I can't imagine why.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-40634491497169676162013-04-08T12:50:23.259-04:002013-04-08T12:50:23.259-04:00¡Hola Ever y/o "E.R., el extraterrestre"...¡Hola Ever y/o "E.R., el extraterrestre"! Tengo entendido que la mayoría de las obras de Aira son buenas pero que un porcentaje de ellas (ojalá un número no muy significativo) en realidad son no tan buenas. Supongo que es como una lotería, ¿no? De todos modos, aunque sigo tener ganas de leer más obras de Aira, finalmente puedo entender tu decepción en cuanto a sus libros aburridos porque <em>La prueba</em> era tan pesado que me sorprendiera durante la lectura de ello. ¿Es éste el mismo escritorazo genial que nos dio el cuento <em>Cecil Taylor</em>? Muy dificíl explicar eso asunto, ¿viste? De todos modos, voy a seguir con Aira porque en general me gusta mucho (ojo: hasta este punto) y, quizá más importante, ya tengo cuatro libros suyos en el tintero además de un par de textos críticos sobre él. Buscaré ese texto de Abraham que mencionas, pero veo que el tipo ha escrito mucho sobre Aira. ¡Un abrazo!Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-10231184996105057532013-04-08T12:26:18.492-04:002013-04-08T12:26:18.492-04:00Stu, I definitely recommend Aira--just not this no...Stu, I definitely recommend Aira--just not this novella. For stuff of his that's available in English, I'd start off with either <em>An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter</em> or <em>How I Became a Nun</em>...or both!Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-15491463209026613332013-04-08T07:27:20.089-04:002013-04-08T07:27:20.089-04:00So do you find this to be the *worst* Aira then?So do you find this to be the *worst* Aira then?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14576509353310919073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-60884988524174217402013-04-08T05:55:29.180-04:002013-04-08T05:55:29.180-04:00Great commentary. Though until the end this does n...Great commentary. Though until the end this does not sound like a dull story. I must admit that the pop culture Rock music references as well as the gritty street punk aspects of the story make this sound intriguing to me.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-26227279949529529142013-04-07T18:27:22.007-04:002013-04-07T18:27:22.007-04:00Hola, richard!
Me está pasando eso con los último...Hola, richard!<br /><br />Me está pasando eso con los últimos libros que leí de Aira, ya hace unos años. Siento como verguenza porque me aburren y los dejo por la mitad, además no sé a quién decírselo porque quedo como un extraterrestre. Y pasa eso que decís: está todo bien con lo teórico, la parodia, todo lo que toca, sus tematizaciones, la metaliteratura, etc.; pero como novelas me pasa eso que se define perfectamente con la palabra coñazo.<br />Esta semana leí un ensayo de un filósofo argentino, Tomas Abraham, no sé si lo ubicás; en fin, que resuelve otra vez eso de que aira es un genio. Me volví a entusiasmar, pero no sé qué pasará si agarro un libro. El placer que me produjeron sus dos o tres primeros textos (primeros para mi lectura) quedó extraviado quién sabe dónde. Por lo pronto, voy a guardar ese entusiasmo bien lejos de sus libros, por lo menos un tiempo...<br />Saludos!e. r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07511683454711115536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-50794805230878186812013-04-07T13:19:59.472-04:002013-04-07T13:19:59.472-04:00Oh I really want to get to Aira he is the major ar...Oh I really want to get to Aira he is the major argentina I ve yet to read ,this maybe isn't the one to start with hey richard ,all the best stuAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-58817391657524041962013-04-07T12:04:03.099-04:002013-04-07T12:04:03.099-04:00Jill, I know, I wouldn't have believed it was ...Jill, I know, I wouldn't have believed it was boring either--especially after having read my own post! Of course, I now see I failed to explain why. The usual Aira ingredients (i.e. the ones I like) and the occasional great stray line were all there, but so was an overreliance on the symbolic elements of the punks vs. squares divide, too much cartoonish violence, and <em>lots</em> of clunky dialogue (probably due to the dialectical presence of Marxists!). P.S. I think Marcia was too plain Jane to be branded as Trotsky even in jest (she's kind of like an unwitting example of everything that the punks in the story aren't), but that should be all the more reason to excoriate your female family members in the manner you suggest. In other words, nicely done, Comrade!Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-78563669228279157282013-04-07T11:48:12.989-04:002013-04-07T11:48:12.989-04:00Rise, ha--that's hilarious to think of Aira as...Rise, ha--that's hilarious to think of Aira as a model of the NaNoWriMo writing methodology! It's kind of true, too, although I'm sure his results are usually better. Unfortunately, I also thought of using some sort of a "test of the reader's patience" crack when I was writing up my post last night. I obviously forgot to include it, but the bottom line is that <em>La prueba</em> basically isn't so hilarious. Gah!Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-21349952273735438522013-04-07T08:22:12.533-04:002013-04-07T08:22:12.533-04:00I can't believe this is boring! It sounds lik...I can't believe this is boring! It sounds like it has so much promise - especially for you, given the nihilism and darkness! I love that the lesbian punks took the names of Mao and Lenin (but why don't they call Marcia Trotsky or something?) and I love the line "envuelta en su aureola" ["all wrapped up in her halo"] of heterosexual conformity and virginity" which I totally must steal, I mean, borrow and transform ever so slightly when excoriating my female family members for their having succumbed so successfully to socialization! (a little Sunday alliteration for you).rhapsodyinbookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07041412748239010264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-8268527644283917542013-04-07T07:10:24.204-04:002013-04-07T07:10:24.204-04:00A test of reader's patience.? Proof that the N...A test of reader's patience.? Proof that the NaNoWriMo method of composition isn't foolproof? Maybe I'll just look up the OST.Risehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17446964640160585194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-57885205576140713502013-04-06T22:43:25.289-04:002013-04-06T22:43:25.289-04:00That's a good one, Séamus!That's a good one, Séamus!Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-57936898511610396952013-04-06T22:35:45.136-04:002013-04-06T22:35:45.136-04:00Punks not dud!Punks not dud!Séamus Dugganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00574186409184247059noreply@blogger.com