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De recuerdos y pesadillas
Antenoche soñé con ISI, mi academia de inglés. Sueño lúcido, en el que a medio conciencia me repartía entre mi cama de Heidelberg y la esquina frente al conservatorio. Viendo como no veía hace casi dos décadas la reja dorada de la farmacia, la heladería con las mejores merengadas del universo (60 bolívares costaban en el ’94. Me comía dos por ( Read more... ) -
Book review: My Brilliant Friend (The Neapolitan Novels #1), by Elena Ferrante
[X-posted to Goodreads.]
An addictive story of friendship, family ties and the casual brutality of life in Naples of the mid-twentieth century. Ferrante (or whoever is behind it) isn't one for ornery sentences or groundbreaking writing, yet through her straightforward storytelling she achieves both an incredible sense of realism --of each and ( Read more... ) -
On the past slipping away
Up to a year ago I would answer to the question "Where are you from?" with an automatic "Venezuelan". It's not that easy any more. I haven't set foot on Venezuela in over eight years. I gave up my passport in 2012. My close family trickled out in a span of six years; and while our parents' rushed decision to return to Barranquilla was met at the ( Read more... ) -
On pain
Infinite sadness was the elderly lady sitting next to me on my flight to Paris in 2001 (Sept 10, out of Miami. Narrow escape from mayhem). She was in her 90s, half blind and nearly deaf, yet traveling alone. A fine lady, she'd lost a husband and son to the Cuban revolution; remarried in the States and lived a good life, excepting the misfortune of ( Read more... ) -
On ideas having sex
OMG! Matt Ridley, my favorite science writer EVER, spoke at TED! On ideas having sex! -
On Mario Vargas Llosa and an unbelievably bad girl
I risk death in the hands of an angry mob of Peruvians for saying this, but: Vargas Llosa is overrated. His writing is not even close to the levels of complexity and beauty of García Márquez, the shock of an Horacio Quiroga, or the novelty of a Borges. His books are, however, very entertaining. "Las travesuras de la niña mala" is not an exception: ( Read more... ) -
On Lars von Trier and a bullshit police
Lars von Trier angered me so. I don't remember ever being so upset by a piece of art. He might see this a sign of victory, what with art being there to provoke and all, but no. Just no.
I went to see Antichrist on Monday after the recommendation from a friend, who’d declared it very good, if ultra-violent. Well, the violence was not an issue ( ( Read more... ) -
On "A suitable boy" --all 1474 pages of it!
[Cross-posted to GoodReads]
[Also, I'm trying -again- to write a review of each book I finish]
Rating: 4/5.
“A Suitable boy” is a novel of breadth more than depth. Mr. Seth embarks in an ambitious journey on Indian political, cultural, religious and caste conflicts at the aftermath of Independence and Partition.
The novel starts rather weakly, ( Read more... ) -
Quote of the day
"Even if a life feels right, it's not going to bring happiness if it's stagnant."
by Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project.
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