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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
This book is great. It's a tiny novella, but with a scope tuned for a novel three times its size. Aira's writing style is so incisive and direct that it still works on a smaller scale. That would be an accomplishment of its own, but the real treat is a slow-burn transition from picturesque landscapes to surreal body-horror, which is paced so elegantly that it all feels cohesive. I read it because of the intro by Bolano, but I'll definitely come back to this guy.
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dnf 31/8/23 al 39%
¿es porque está mal impreso, porque es un libro de la facu o porque es aburridisimo?
¿es porque está mal impreso, porque es un libro de la facu o porque es aburridisimo?
Ši knyga – meditatyvus meno ir realybės santykio apmąstymas. Trumpasis romanas, pasakojantis apie vokiečių tapytojo Johano Morico Rugendo kelionę Argentinos kalnais ir pampomis, trokštant atrasti tašką, „kur horizontas iš visų pusių plyti vienodu atstumu“ bei naują, universalią tapybos kryptį. Keliaujantis menininkas laikosi griežtos disciplinos – ieško savyje pakankamai ryžto nuotykiams, tačiau kartu nepamiršta susitelkimo įvykių dokumentavimui. Toks nusiteikimas Rugendą atveda iki gyvenimą keičiančios patirties – nutikimo. Jis ne tik padalina dailininko gyvenimą į „prieš“ ir „po“, bet ir perskelia patį pasakojimą per pusę – antroje knygos dalyje, išraiškos lygmenyje, nebelieka Rugendo minčių, o piešiama su didesne karštlige nei iki šiol. Sunku pasakyti, ar nutikimas pakeitė protagonisto dvasią, ar formos pokytis atitolino dailininką nuo skaitytojo. Romano stilius pasižymi vizualiu, pagauliu pasakojimu, o kultūrinių pastebėjimų ir gamtinių detalių kiekis kartais primena antropologinį „tirštąjį aprašymą“.
César Aira uses the same detached perspective that I've seen in Bolaño. This is the method that uses the tone of a nonfiction book but then, almost surreally, covers details that a biographer or a historian couldn't possibly know. So you'll have a dry account of how this painter's letters indicated that he picnicked on a field south of town one Saturday only to dive into the painter's brain and examine how the universe is a series of unfolding aesthetic revelations or something like that. The total disregard for a consistent voice is more then just jarring, it's positively liberating. What's so great about it is that it is totally apropos to the subject matter. Bolaño, for example, uses it for his psychopaths and shell-shocked individuals. Aira, a little more subtly, uses it to convey the perspective of a true artist. Rugendas cares very little for interpersonal relationships, or typical travel details, or even really his own health and safety. All that matters is his quest for the "physiognomy of nature." Therefore the narrative itself is almost dismissive of physical events, but lovingly details the philosophical musings of a master trying to perfect his craft.
I also find the understatement of the title particularly amusing. The titular "episode" is an almost mythological cataclysm that unhinges and transfigures the artist into an even more perfect vehicle for artistic interpretation. This event, far from being a disaster, enables the artist to finally reach his peak. Rugendas as a drug addled, deformed maniac is finally liberated from humanity and becomes a creature totally fearless in the pursuit of art.
I also find the understatement of the title particularly amusing. The titular "episode" is an almost mythological cataclysm that unhinges and transfigures the artist into an even more perfect vehicle for artistic interpretation. This event, far from being a disaster, enables the artist to finally reach his peak. Rugendas as a drug addled, deformed maniac is finally liberated from humanity and becomes a creature totally fearless in the pursuit of art.
Barely held my interest but that scene where dude and horse got struck by lightning a couple times... masterful.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes