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mothcannibalism's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
nobodyatall's review against another edition
3.0
The five short stories that start this collecting were excellent. The two essays that follow were somewhat inaccessible to me. Overall, I liked it and will have to find more Bolaño to read.
missnicolerose's review against another edition
3.0
Stories were good. Liked the cliffhangers that end many of his stories. The story is never quite finished and allows the reader to draw their own conlcusions.
The essays, not so much. After giving the first the ole college try, I skimmed the rest. Don't really feel like I missed out on much.
Would like to read another collection of stories to compare, but not high on my priority list.
The essays, not so much. After giving the first the ole college try, I skimmed the rest. Don't really feel like I missed out on much.
Would like to read another collection of stories to compare, but not high on my priority list.
lucasmiller's review against another edition
5.0
At this point, I cannot remember why exactly I started reading Bolano. Jp and I went to Books a Million and bought copies of 2666 at the same time. He wanted to get the edition which was three separate volumes in a cardboard box. We started reading it together, sitting on oppostie couches in the the living room of the apartment on 15th street. I believe he was out after a few hundred pages. I lurched through the whole shaggy beast. But on reflection, surely that, the posthumous masterpiece, wasn't my first time reading Bolano?! I collected a few of the shorter works, and read a short story collection, but it wasn't really until graduate school that I did a lot of reading.
I took a "Human Rights in Latin America" course, and because I couldn't read Spanish I was consigned to write a historiography paper. I chose the military coup in Chile and the early years of the Pinochet regime as my topic. I read works of history, memoir, and fiction. This was done somewhat intentionally to read Latin American authors who interested me. I read a fair deal of Bolano for the project, Two short novels and two short story collections.
Three years ago I read the Savage Detectives. It might be my favorite, but it might simply be the one I've read most recently.
Around the same time I went to a friends of the local public library annual book sale and purchased The Insufferable Gaucho and The Return for two dollars each. The glare at me, former library books, from my shelf.
Bolano often writes books that are frustrating because the characters in his books seem to intentionally obfuscate the plot, but what I'm so drawn to, particularly in a format like this, a short short story, a handful of fleshed out longer short stories, and two funny, off the cuff essays, is the way his writing propels the reader forward. I am consistently surprised when I remember that I am reading in translation. Bolano's words flow off the page. He can make such inanity into a page turning experiences. He certainly doesn't write best sellers in the conventional sense, but I can't recommend his work highly enough.
I took a "Human Rights in Latin America" course, and because I couldn't read Spanish I was consigned to write a historiography paper. I chose the military coup in Chile and the early years of the Pinochet regime as my topic. I read works of history, memoir, and fiction. This was done somewhat intentionally to read Latin American authors who interested me. I read a fair deal of Bolano for the project, Two short novels and two short story collections.
Three years ago I read the Savage Detectives. It might be my favorite, but it might simply be the one I've read most recently.
Around the same time I went to a friends of the local public library annual book sale and purchased The Insufferable Gaucho and The Return for two dollars each. The glare at me, former library books, from my shelf.
Bolano often writes books that are frustrating because the characters in his books seem to intentionally obfuscate the plot, but what I'm so drawn to, particularly in a format like this, a short short story, a handful of fleshed out longer short stories, and two funny, off the cuff essays, is the way his writing propels the reader forward. I am consistently surprised when I remember that I am reading in translation. Bolano's words flow off the page. He can make such inanity into a page turning experiences. He certainly doesn't write best sellers in the conventional sense, but I can't recommend his work highly enough.
wyattslater's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
barrypierce's review against another edition
2.0
This is very much a so-so collection from Bolaño. The fiction stories didn’t do anything for me, which is strange because I’ve always enjoyed Bolaño's strange view of the world. However, the end of this collection contains two non-fiction essays which are absolute sensations. Literature + Illness = Illness is a non-fiction collection of vignettes in which Bolaño discusses his life with the cancer that will eventually kill him. A stark piece which gives a pared back view into his mind and his inspirations.
The Myths of Cthulhu can be read as Bolaño's love letter to Latin American fiction. He urges us to ignore the term “bestseller” and to read the names that everyone’s forgotten. Don’t read what everyone else reads, where’s the fun in that!? This was my favourite piece from the collection and I think I want it tattooed onto my face, an act which I’m sure Bolaño would’ve loved.
The Myths of Cthulhu can be read as Bolaño's love letter to Latin American fiction. He urges us to ignore the term “bestseller” and to read the names that everyone’s forgotten. Don’t read what everyone else reads, where’s the fun in that!? This was my favourite piece from the collection and I think I want it tattooed onto my face, an act which I’m sure Bolaño would’ve loved.
lalalena's review
3.0
Short story and essay collections are always a bit of a crapshoot. The title story is the best of the bunch and the essay Literature + Illness = Illness is great too.
alexlanz's review against another edition
"Police Rat" and the two essays were amazing.
piccoline's review
4.0
Better than I'd expected actually. There's a real dividing line between the stuff that Bolaño published during his lifetime and the stuff that's been mined from his desk since. This came out late, so I feared it was dregs. It's not.
The story "Police Rat" is worth the price of admission on its own. I loved "Alvaro Rousselot's Journey". The other stories are strong, too, and if they're not as quite as strong as in _The Return_ or _Last Evenings on Earth_, well, that's an awful high bar.
The two essays are also great, even powerful. You probably need to care about literature as an effort, art as something that has deep importance and meaning to really get much out of them. But I suppose if you're not that person, you probably haven't ended up reading this book by Bolaño.
The story "Police Rat" is worth the price of admission on its own. I loved "Alvaro Rousselot's Journey". The other stories are strong, too, and if they're not as quite as strong as in _The Return_ or _Last Evenings on Earth_, well, that's an awful high bar.
The two essays are also great, even powerful. You probably need to care about literature as an effort, art as something that has deep importance and meaning to really get much out of them. But I suppose if you're not that person, you probably haven't ended up reading this book by Bolaño.
emmastia's review
4.0
So I am just a big fat fan of his stuff - this book has some short stories and essays and they are just great. I think the key to fully enjoying him is not to read his stuff back to back - when you leave long gaps between reading, returning to his work is like coming home to an old friend (albeit a demented and an odd one, but great fun nonetheless).