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chillcox15's review against another edition
5.0
Another banger from one of our greatest living writers. Birthday is Aira in his autobiographical vein, so much so that this could be read as a personal essay without too much complication.
holly_b_29's review against another edition
3.0
i just don’t know. the eloquence and rhythm of aira’s syntax is lovely, but i honestly don’t think it’s as prophetic as it could be - but, then again, that is kind of his intention (not being super prophetic, i mean). some parts of this book were stunning while others had me lacking focus a bit. i liked it but it somewhat hurt my head, not necessarily in a brilliant philosophical way either. the cover design is cool. really solid translation too. i think i may like this book more if i were to re-read it later on or just in a different mindset.
abigaillaurawriter's review against another edition
5.0
This slim book was like eating a large meal. There is so much packed into this book that it'll take a while to digest. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was captivating, thought provoking, interesting and a quick read. Highly recommend!
karenreader's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
Beautifully written but goes into tangled stories.
wenzy's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this up simply on a whim. I looked at the cover, the tininess of the book, read the back and I was intrigued. César Aira turns 50 and it just doesn’t feel as momentous as he thought it would. Then, months later he has a shocking realization that makes him look back on his life and looks toward the future. It’s simple and nothing really happens. It’s just Aira reflecting on himself, the nature of his writing and of literature, and examining why one should even write and why not. He self-deprecates in a way that doesn’t come off as tiresome and manipulative but rather he’s quite funny and modest. A perfect blurb on the cover that represents him and this book that is done by Milenio: “A mind on fire”. He has this “Flight Forward” style of composition where he writes without revision and just inventing as he goes with somehow a willingness to examine that with a certain mindfulness which feels like a thought process as well. A mind on fire indeed. Aira is just spilling everything out here and while some of it may be fictionalized it’s still him talking personally and directly. Speaking from natural curiosity, mental illness and being a perpetual student, I can confidently say I have spent most of my life just sitting and thinking. Constantly looking back on what was or could have been while going forward, and taking a look at myself. Hours and days lost constantly going over every single recent experience and interaction and what I did wrong or what I don’t know and how I can be better about being reliable when it comes to information; thinking about what I haven’t done and will I be able to do anything else. Which is what Aira does here with the phases of the moon, listening to a young writer in a cafe and thinking about whether he could write a novel the night before he dies. Aira balances an admirable resignation and bravery when looking at himself, the advantage that youth has over him, and the uncertainty of age. I didn’t initially plan on it but timing just kind of lined up and I am also looking back on life on my birthday. I finished this book on May 2nd but I turned 24 on July 10th which is when I’m writing this and I’m still young and I believe I have a lot more time left but it’s just funny the timing of this review and self-analysis. I can’t help but look back and also look forward and thinking I’m almost a quarter of a century old. I really resonated with Aira in this novella. To better sum everything up: here is a man contemplating and philosophizing over aging, life, death, writing, religion, reading, knowledge, individuality, and regret. This short book packs a punch and I must now look into more of Aira’s work.
pontieurr's review against another edition
2.0
Ensayos breves sin mucha conexión entre ellos. Son amenos porque es Aira quien los escribe pero realmente no se siente que vayan a alguna parte.