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A review by heyhawk
Nazi Literature in the Americas by Roberto Bolaño
4.0
Bolano was one of the greats. This is a biographical dictionary of fictional writers who were to one degree or another extreme right wingers. Since Bolano was a leftist one night expect then to be straw men and women but Bolano was too good a writer for that. They seem like real people, refreshing to read in this day of dehumanizing the enemy. Bad ideas occur to real people, a fact worth remembering. It's a little like how Humbert Humbert (the narrator of Lolita) can occasionally lure you in until you pull back and look at what he's doing.
As with all South American literature I've read I feel ill equipped to catch a lot of the cultural references which I'm sure would enhance the enjoyment of the book. Several of the fake authors here feuded with authors who actually existed, but I only know that from online research.
This reminded me of Borges and Gene Wolfe both of whom did similar things if not on this scale. While I didn't like this as well as 2666 (an all time favorite), or if memory serves, The Savage Detectives, it is an incredible work of the imagination and I do recommend it.
As with all South American literature I've read I feel ill equipped to catch a lot of the cultural references which I'm sure would enhance the enjoyment of the book. Several of the fake authors here feuded with authors who actually existed, but I only know that from online research.
This reminded me of Borges and Gene Wolfe both of whom did similar things if not on this scale. While I didn't like this as well as 2666 (an all time favorite), or if memory serves, The Savage Detectives, it is an incredible work of the imagination and I do recommend it.