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A Little Lumpen Novelita
«Ahora soy una madre y también una mujer casada, pero no hace mucho fui una delincuente». Así inicia Bianca el relato de su dura entrada a la edad adulta en Roma, en Una novelita lumpen . Tras la temprana muerte de sus padres en un trágico accidente automovilístico, Bianca, poco más que una adolescente, protagonista y voz por medio de la cual se hilvana la narración, se descubre avocada al abismo de su indiferente existencia, dirigida irremediablementea un camino que no conduce a ningún futuro. Desde entonces dedica sus horas a lavar, tintar y cortar pelo mientras su hermano menor se mezcla con gente de dudosa reputación en el gimnasio donde trabaja. La aparición de dos hombres misteriosos supondrá la oportunidad de cometer un delito que podría rescatarles de las penurias económicas. La pequeña fortunade un viejo y ciego actor podría resultar en una puerta de huida que los llevase a algún lugar; el que fuera, pero a alguno. Bianca tiene mucho que ganar y nada que perder, pues ¿qué ha de esperar quien ha abandonado toda esperanza?
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Roberto Bolaño
133 books5,829 followersFor most of his early adulthood, Bolaño was a vagabond, living at one time or another in Chile, Mexico, El Salvador, France and Spain. Bolaño moved to Europe in 1977, and finally made his way to Spain, where he married and settled on the Mediterranean coast near Barcelona, working as a dishwasher, a campground custodian, bellhop and garbage collector — working during the day and writing at night.
He continued with his poetry, before shifting to fiction in his early forties. In an interview Bolaño stated that he made this decision because he felt responsible for the future financial well-being of his family, which he knew he could never secure from the earnings of a poet. This was confirmed by Jorge Herralde, who explained that Bolaño "abandoned his parsimonious beatnik existence" because the birth of his son in 1990 made him "decide that he was responsible for his family's future and that it would be easier to earn a living by writing fiction." However, he continued to think of himself primarily as a poet, and a collection of his verse, spanning 20 years, was published in 2000 under the title The Romantic Dogs.
Regarding his native country Chile, which he visited just once after going into voluntary exile, Bolaño had conflicted feelings. He was notorious in Chile for his fierce attacks on Isabel Allende and other members of the literary establishment.
In 2003, after a long period of declining health, Bolaño passed away. Bolaño was survived by his Spanish wife and their two children, whom he once called "my only motherland."
Although deep down he always felt like a poet, his reputation ultimately rests on his novels, novellas and short story collections. Although Bolaño espoused the lifestyle of a bohemian poet and literary enfant terrible for all his adult life, he only began to produce substantial works of fiction in the 1990s. He almost immediately became a highly regarded figure in Spanish and Latin American letters.
In rapid succession, he published a series of critically acclaimed works, the most important of which are the novel Los detectives salvajes (The Savage Detectives), the novella Nocturno de Chile (By Night In Chile), and, posthumously, the novel 2666. His two collections of short stories Llamadas telefónicas and Putas asesinas were awarded literary prizes.
In 2009 a number of unpublished novels were discovered among the author's papers.
He continued with his poetry, before shifting to fiction in his early forties. In an interview Bolaño stated that he made this decision because he felt responsible for the future financial well-being of his family, which he knew he could never secure from the earnings of a poet. This was confirmed by Jorge Herralde, who explained that Bolaño "abandoned his parsimonious beatnik existence" because the birth of his son in 1990 made him "decide that he was responsible for his family's future and that it would be easier to earn a living by writing fiction." However, he continued to think of himself primarily as a poet, and a collection of his verse, spanning 20 years, was published in 2000 under the title The Romantic Dogs.
Regarding his native country Chile, which he visited just once after going into voluntary exile, Bolaño had conflicted feelings. He was notorious in Chile for his fierce attacks on Isabel Allende and other members of the literary establishment.
In 2003, after a long period of declining health, Bolaño passed away. Bolaño was survived by his Spanish wife and their two children, whom he once called "my only motherland."
Although deep down he always felt like a poet, his reputation ultimately rests on his novels, novellas and short story collections. Although Bolaño espoused the lifestyle of a bohemian poet and literary enfant terrible for all his adult life, he only began to produce substantial works of fiction in the 1990s. He almost immediately became a highly regarded figure in Spanish and Latin American letters.
In rapid succession, he published a series of critically acclaimed works, the most important of which are the novel Los detectives salvajes (The Savage Detectives), the novella Nocturno de Chile (By Night In Chile), and, posthumously, the novel 2666. His two collections of short stories Llamadas telefónicas and Putas asesinas were awarded literary prizes.
In 2009 a number of unpublished novels were discovered among the author's papers.
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August 14, 2021
Compelling. Fiercely compelling.
As if Roberto Bolaño dares a reader to put down his novelita after reading the first brief chapter.
"Now I am a mother and a married woman, but not long ago I led a life of crime." Bianca goes on to tell her story of the time in her life when she was a teenager living in the wake of both her parents killed in an automobile crash.
Bianca and her brother continue to live in the same family apartment in Rome supporting themselves on a combination of orphan pension and crap jobs but then her brother invites two guys he met at the gym into their home. A plot is hatched so all four can escape grinding poverty.
What a gripping tale. But wait. Let's not forget this novelita is written by none other than Roberto Bolaño, author with imagination on fire, master of constructing tales with multiple meanings.
Let's return to A Little Lumpen Novelita and take a closer look. Here are a number of facets from this literary jewel that may unlock hidden mysteries if we choose to examine them more closely:
One of the few political reference in the book is when Bianca hears kids shout “Fascism or barbarism!” from cars. Recognizing in a Marxist context the word “lumpen” refers to lower class people uninterested in revolutionary advancement, what might be the political undercurrents of the author’s use of “lumpen” in his title?
Searching for employment, Bianca looks through the newspaper. “The listings, whether they spelled it out or not, were mostly for escorts, but I’m no prostitute. I used to lead a life of crime, but I was never a prostitute.” However, she does have sex as part of the group’s grand plan to get rich quick. At each point in her tale, I kept asking myself: To what extent is Bianca suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder? How is she shielding herself from the harshness of what is taking place around her and to her?
In the aftermath of her parent's death, Bianca has a new psychic ability: for her, light is forever shining. "Some nights I looked out the window and the night was as bright as day. Sometimes I thought that I was losing my mind, that it couldn't be normal, such brightness, but deep down I knew I would never lose my mind." Coupled with the stress she endures, there is the looming prospect, a la Edgar Allan Poe, we are witnessing an account of madness.
The two men currently living in their apartment look so much alike they are frequently mistaken for brothers – one is a Bolognan and the other a Libyan. During the night one of the men enters Bianca’s room. Bianca’s tells us they made love. She thinks it was the Bolognan.
She thinks? Very, very strange for a teenage woman to lose her virginity to a man she’s been living with for weeks and not know who he is. Which leads one to the question: What is really going on here? Bianca tells us directly TV and videos play an important role in this story. Does such a revelation serve as a tip-off that Bianca is creating her own script to infuse her life with more depth, drama and intensity? Employing her imagination in this way is understandable when we acknowledge the drabness of her work-eat-watch TV routine.
Taking a step back we can also ask: Where does everyday reality end and fantasy begin? Are the Bolognan and the Libyan real people or are they made up characters playing a role in Bianca’s script? Or, perhaps these two men are real but the elaborate episode involving a former Mr. Universe is where Bianca’s mental movie begins. This is but one way in which Roberto Bolaño displays his mastery as storyteller: to leaven and color his tale with numerous meanings and myriad interpretations. I encourage you to read this phenomenal short novel to explore for yourself.
Lastly, I'd like to serve up a final reflection for consideration. The book's epigraph is from Antonio Artaud:
"All writing is garbage.
People who come out of nowhere to try and put into words any part of what goes on in their minds are pigs.
All writers are pigs. Especially writers today."
Consummate storyteller Bianca is obviously erudite and articulate, capable of great finesse in turning a memorable phrase. If she wrote out her adolescent saga in sixteen chapters, might not this epigraph also belong to her? Viewed thusly, we are reading a personalized chronicle written by a wife and mother who passes harsh judgement on what she has written - very harsh judgement, for such writing has turned her into a pig.
Roberto Bolaño, 1953 - 2003
“I dreamed about the desert. I was walking in the desert, dying of thirst, and on my shoulder there was a white parrot, a parrot that kept saying: “I can’t fly, I’m sorry, please forgive me, but I can’t fly.” He was saying this because at some point in the dream I had asked him to fly. He weighed too much (ten pounds at least, he was a big parrot) to be carried for so long, but the parrot wouldn’t budge, and I could hardly walk, I was shaking, my knees hurt, my legs, my thighs, my stomach, my neck, it was like having cancer, but also like coming – coming endlessly and exhaustingly – or like swallowing my eyes, my own eyes, swallowing them and at the same time trying not to bite down on them, and every so often the white parrot tried to help, saying: “Courage, Bianca,” but mostly it kept its beak shut, and I knew that when I dropped on the hot sand and I was dying of thirst it would fly, fly away from this part of the desert to another part of the desert, fly away from my expiring flesh in search of other, less expiring flesh, fly away from my dead body forever, forever.” - Roberto Bolaño, A Little Lumpen Novelita
November 12, 2023
This book is very short, a novella or maybe just a long short story – less than 100 pages. So I’ll be careful about giving away too much. The GR blurb tells us what the book is about, including the opening lines which I was going to quote, so I’ll use that:
"Now I am a mother and a married woman, but not long ago I led a life of crime": so Bianca begins her tale of growing up the hard way in Rome. Orphaned overnight as a teenager - "our parents died in a car crash on their first vacation without us" - she drops out of school, gets a crappy job, and drifts into bad company. Her little brother brings home two petty criminals who need a place to stay. As the four of them share the family apartment and plot a strange crime, Bianca learns how low she can fall.”
These buddies, two guys who work at the gym with him, come to live with the brother and sister as ‘friends.’ The sister, more socially astute than her brother, tells us “They weren’t his friends, though my brother chose to think they were.”
The young woman gets involved with both men. She says they look alike and she doesn’t even tell us their names; she calls them the Libyan and the Bolognan. Needless to say, they lead her astray with a bizarre scheme. The story is about seizing control of one’s fate.
It's Bolano, so there is good writing. Here's a sample passage that I liked. “But when I got home they were always there, the house spotless, because they made it their job to cheerfully do everything that I used to do. Cheerfully, I say, and gladly, though I knew perfectly well that it was a fake cheer, as fake as mine, that their apparent good will hid feelings of emptiness, of sadness and grief in the face of the void.”
I also liked these lines that open the book from the French writer and poet, Antonin Artaud:
“All writing is garbage.
People who come out of nowhere to try and put into words any part of what goes on in their minds are pigs.
All writers are pigs. Especially writers today.”
Bolano was born in Chile but lived mainly in Mexico and later, Spain. He died, aged 50, in 2003. Shortly before his death, his fame skyrocketed with his first major best-seller, The Savage Detectives. I have read and enjoyed that book as well as The Skating Rink and By Night in Chile.
Top photo of apartments in Rome from sites.google.com
The author from theguardian.uk.co
[Edited 11/12/23]
"Now I am a mother and a married woman, but not long ago I led a life of crime": so Bianca begins her tale of growing up the hard way in Rome. Orphaned overnight as a teenager - "our parents died in a car crash on their first vacation without us" - she drops out of school, gets a crappy job, and drifts into bad company. Her little brother brings home two petty criminals who need a place to stay. As the four of them share the family apartment and plot a strange crime, Bianca learns how low she can fall.”
These buddies, two guys who work at the gym with him, come to live with the brother and sister as ‘friends.’ The sister, more socially astute than her brother, tells us “They weren’t his friends, though my brother chose to think they were.”
The young woman gets involved with both men. She says they look alike and she doesn’t even tell us their names; she calls them the Libyan and the Bolognan. Needless to say, they lead her astray with a bizarre scheme. The story is about seizing control of one’s fate.
It's Bolano, so there is good writing. Here's a sample passage that I liked. “But when I got home they were always there, the house spotless, because they made it their job to cheerfully do everything that I used to do. Cheerfully, I say, and gladly, though I knew perfectly well that it was a fake cheer, as fake as mine, that their apparent good will hid feelings of emptiness, of sadness and grief in the face of the void.”
I also liked these lines that open the book from the French writer and poet, Antonin Artaud:
“All writing is garbage.
People who come out of nowhere to try and put into words any part of what goes on in their minds are pigs.
All writers are pigs. Especially writers today.”
Bolano was born in Chile but lived mainly in Mexico and later, Spain. He died, aged 50, in 2003. Shortly before his death, his fame skyrocketed with his first major best-seller, The Savage Detectives. I have read and enjoyed that book as well as The Skating Rink and By Night in Chile.
Top photo of apartments in Rome from sites.google.com
The author from theguardian.uk.co
[Edited 11/12/23]
November 12, 2022
“Now I’m a mother and a married woman, but not long ago I led a life of crime. My brother and I had been orphaned. Somehow that justified everything. We didn’t have anyone. And it all happened overnight.”
That enticing opener drew me into this novella right away. I can’t say that I’ve been considering reading Bolaño for a long time, but in the past couple of years, I’ve most definitely had my eye on some of his work. When I came across A Little Lumpen Novelita, not only did the title intrigue me, but the short length encouraged me. Before committing to something like 2666, which weighs in at nearly 1,000 pages, it made a lot more sense for me to sample a bit of his writing first. And what is it about his titles that are so tempting?! I could be convinced to read them for no other reason … By Night in Chile, Last Evenings on Earth, The Savage Detectives, Monsieur Pain, The Romantic Dogs. Nothing like a fantastic title to attract this reader’s attention! Of course, there is the masterful writing that is required to get me actually involved in the story itself. And I could see that here straightaway.
“I saw the shadowy negative of romantic situations. I saw the negative of passionate moments whose point of reference was always a TV series or the whispering of girls now forgotten. Sometimes I saw the negative of a whole life: a bigger house, a different neighborhood, children, a better job, time passing, old age, a grandchild, death in the public hospital or covered with a sheet in my parents’ bed, a bed that I would have liked to hear creak, like an ocean liner as it goes down, but that instead was silent as a tomb.”
Actually, there’s something of a dreamlike quality to this one: the constant mentioning of light and dark, night and day, as well as the loss of vision of one of the characters. Sex is always performed in the dark – the main character remaining ignorant as to which of her brother’s two friends she might happen to be screwing on any particular night. This is then followed up with her prostituting herself to a blind man. After finishing this, I realized that I saw the entire sequence of events played out in black and white. There wasn’t even a flash of color in my mind while envisioning what Bolaño put into words. I think there’s a lot of brilliance to be uncovered in this short piece with the light and dark representing something quite deeper, of course.
“Now I know that there’s no such thing as closeness. One person’s eyes are always shut. The first person sees and the second doesn’t. Or the second person sees and the first doesn’t. Only a mother can be close, but that was unknown territory back then. A blank space. There was only the illusion of closeness.”
So yeah, I’m ready for something meatier from Bolaño now. Bring it on!
That enticing opener drew me into this novella right away. I can’t say that I’ve been considering reading Bolaño for a long time, but in the past couple of years, I’ve most definitely had my eye on some of his work. When I came across A Little Lumpen Novelita, not only did the title intrigue me, but the short length encouraged me. Before committing to something like 2666, which weighs in at nearly 1,000 pages, it made a lot more sense for me to sample a bit of his writing first. And what is it about his titles that are so tempting?! I could be convinced to read them for no other reason … By Night in Chile, Last Evenings on Earth, The Savage Detectives, Monsieur Pain, The Romantic Dogs. Nothing like a fantastic title to attract this reader’s attention! Of course, there is the masterful writing that is required to get me actually involved in the story itself. And I could see that here straightaway.
“I saw the shadowy negative of romantic situations. I saw the negative of passionate moments whose point of reference was always a TV series or the whispering of girls now forgotten. Sometimes I saw the negative of a whole life: a bigger house, a different neighborhood, children, a better job, time passing, old age, a grandchild, death in the public hospital or covered with a sheet in my parents’ bed, a bed that I would have liked to hear creak, like an ocean liner as it goes down, but that instead was silent as a tomb.”
Actually, there’s something of a dreamlike quality to this one: the constant mentioning of light and dark, night and day, as well as the loss of vision of one of the characters. Sex is always performed in the dark – the main character remaining ignorant as to which of her brother’s two friends she might happen to be screwing on any particular night. This is then followed up with her prostituting herself to a blind man. After finishing this, I realized that I saw the entire sequence of events played out in black and white. There wasn’t even a flash of color in my mind while envisioning what Bolaño put into words. I think there’s a lot of brilliance to be uncovered in this short piece with the light and dark representing something quite deeper, of course.
“Now I know that there’s no such thing as closeness. One person’s eyes are always shut. The first person sees and the second doesn’t. Or the second person sees and the first doesn’t. Only a mother can be close, but that was unknown territory back then. A blank space. There was only the illusion of closeness.”
So yeah, I’m ready for something meatier from Bolaño now. Bring it on!
February 19, 2020
Χαίρομαι πολύ που τα τελευταία χρόνια εχω ξεπεράσει την άρνηση που είχα να διαβάζω μικρά σε μέγεθος βιβλία γιατί για κάποιο λόγο είχα στο κεφάλι μου ότι δεν είχαν κάτι να πουν όσο ένα ογκώδες βιβλίο. Χαζομάρες δικές μου εχω διαψευστεί πολλάκις από τότε. Η μικρή αυτή νουβέλα του Μπολάνιο ανήκει σε αυτή την κατηγορία που παρά το μικρό της μέγεθος καταφέρνει ��α σε μαγνητίσει και να σου κρατήσει το ενδιαφέρον. Διαβάζεται σ’ ένα κάθισμα. Μια καθηλωτική και συνάμα σκληρή αλλά πραγματικά καλογραμμένη ιστορία ενηλικίωσης.
Ρομπέρτο Μπολάνιο σου υπόσχομαι ότι κάποια στιγμή θα το διαβάσω και το 2066 το οποίο έχω εγκαταλείψει 3 φορές.
Ρομπέρτο Μπολάνιο σου υπόσχομαι ότι κάποια στιγμή θα το διαβάσω και το 2066 το οποίο έχω εγκαταλείψει 3 φορές.
November 29, 2016
The real only stands for a different kind of unreality, a less random, more fleshed out unreality.
An Italian girl, Bianca, and her unnamed brother, two recently orphaned teenagers left alone in the world, struggle through the disaster of their parents' deaths in a car accident to make a new path for themselves.
The narrative is shaped by an undercurrent of sad foreboding in Bianca's voice, but it comes with a vein of an adolescent's insouciance towards the gravity of her situation, which ironically gives her the courage to push on with life.
The whole thing feels like an innocent fantasy which Bianca projects on to her surroundings. There is good reason to believe that the two mysterious 'friends' of her brother's, who are only known as a man from Bologna and another from Libya, might be a figment of her overwrought imagination, a product of her luminous, recurrent dreams she tells about.
Because they appeared mysteriously and conducted themselves in a way incompatible with people their kind. How come two jobless vagrants clean and wash, cook meals for all, and keep everything tidy in the house for free? That was Bianca fantasizing about order. Likewise both men alternately go to Bianca's room at night to have sex with her, and it is to one of them she loses virginity. That's her fantasy for a life partner after she'd broken up with her boyfriend. The two "friends" finally come up with the idea of breaking bad and enlist the siblings to rob a blind and rich ex-bodybuilder. That was Bianca's idea of parents (or fate) helping them from the dead?
It is fantasy because the book starts with, Now I'm a mother and a married woman, but not long ago I led a life of crime. But there was no crime, none that Bianca committed: there were only plans that were never followed up on.
I can't say anything with certainty. It's surreal. Maybe it really is surreal! But without reading into the symbolism, the story just doesn't take off. It feels underdeveloped and premature. Reviewers have complained that the writer builds the story and the characters for a hundred pages without bringing it to a conclusion. I think it was deliberate. Bianca says early in the story:
Life, despite what I expected, continued unchanged.
And so it did.
A Little Lumpen Novelita is Bolaño's swansong. It works, but only just.
September 14, 2018
Είχα πολύ καιρό να διαβάσω βιβλίο που να με κάνει να χάσω την αίσθηση του χρόνου σε τέτοιο βαθμό, να με απορροφήσει τόσο πολύ, να μην θέλω να σηκώσω το κεφάλι μου. Το άνοιξα μια φορά και το έκλεισα μια όταν έφτασα στο τέλος. Είναι το πρώτο βιβλίο του Bolaño που διαβάζω και η αλήθεια είναι ότι το διάλεξα λίγο στην τύχη, επειδή έτσι, ήθελα να διαβάσω κάτι δικό του και μου άρεσε ο τίτλος του συγκεκριμένου και το πήρα. Μου άρεσε η γραφή, η ροή του, η ατμόσφαιρά του, η αίσθηση του, το τέλος του που δεν ήταν τέλος.........χαίρομαι που δεν ήξερα τι θα διάβαζα, δεν το είχα ψάξει καθόλου. Μου άρεσε πολύ και σίγουρα θα ακολουθήσουν κι άλλα δικά του.
May 13, 2018
Δεν έχει σημασία αν μιλάμε για μικρή ή μεγάλη φόρμα. Ο Μπολανιο ξέρει να σε μαγεύει.
March 4, 2021
Από τα βιβλία που σε κάνουν να χάνεις την αίσθηση του χρόνου. Μια σύντομη, έξυπνη, ρεαλιστική και δυνατή ιστορία ενηλικίωσης που διαβάζεται με μια ανάσα. Πρώτη μου επαφή με την γραφή του Bolaño και δηλώνω γοητευμένη από την οικειότητα και την ηρεμία που μου μετέδωσε το ύφος του. Το "Λούμπεν μυθιστορηματάκι" είναι το τελευταίο έργο που εξέδωσε ο συγγραφέας πριν πεθάνει. Ανυπομονώ να διαβάσω περισσότερα βιβλία του!
October 31, 2019
Το τελευταίο βιβλίο που πρόλαβε να εκδώσει εν ζωή ο Roberto Bolaño.
Ένα σιωπηλό χρονικό μιας ασήμαντης θηλυκής φιγούρας που μας προσπερνά στο δρόμο, με βλέμμα παγωμένο, γεννημένη για να παραμείνει ανώνυμη, και που μέσ�� της βράζει - και καμιά φορά ακόμη κλαίει - βουβά.
Είναι ένα κείμενο που δονείται στην κάθε λέξη του, και σε αιχμαλωτίζει στο ύπουλο και νοσηρό του σύμπαν. Όταν το αντιλήφθηκα ήταν πλέον πολύ αργά...έμεινα σαστισμένος να κοιτάζω την ηρωίδα καθώς ξεγλιστρούσε αγέλαστη μέσα από την τελευταία σελίδα.
Αριστούργημα.
Ένα σιωπηλό χρονικό μιας ασήμαντης θηλυκής φιγούρας που μας προσπερνά στο δρόμο, με βλέμμα παγωμένο, γεννημένη για να παραμείνει ανώνυμη, και που μέσ�� της βράζει - και καμιά φορά ακόμη κλαίει - βουβά.
Είναι ένα κείμενο που δονείται στην κάθε λέξη του, και σε αιχμαλωτίζει στο ύπουλο και νοσηρό του σύμπαν. Όταν το αντιλήφθηκα ήταν πλέον πολύ αργά...έμεινα σαστισμένος να κοιτάζω την ηρωίδα καθώς ξεγλιστρούσε αγέλαστη μέσα από την τελευταία σελίδα.
Αριστούργημα.
May 24, 2018
Una Bolanita novelita.
Στα όρια του κλασικού θα τολμούσα να πω, ο Bolano παραδίδει μαθήματα γραφής, με επίκεντρο το βουβό πόνο.
Κινείται στο ρυθμο του παγοδρομίου κ του τρίτου Ράιχ
Στα όρια του κλασικού θα τολμούσα να πω, ο Bolano παραδίδει μαθήματα γραφής, με επίκεντρο το βουβό πόνο.
Κινείται στο ρυθμο του παγοδρομίου κ του τρίτου Ράιχ
October 16, 2014
They weren’t his friends, though my brother chose to think they were.
Much like the apocryphal "last recordings" of Eric Dolphy which continued to arrive for years, the Bolaño caravan into English continues long after his death. There have been a number of jewels in recent years so I suppose a dud was inevitable. I am quick to qualify, the book is only inert as being an undercooked fancy. An Italian woman recounts her adolescence when after her parents died she and her brother were left to their own devices. Did a weird community develop a la The Cement Garden? No, she worked at a salon while her brother hangs out with disagreeables at a gym. What follows is the slimmest of ideas. It can barely sustain the introduction of pivotal character two-thirds of the way through the novella. The effect is jarring. There is but a single aesthetic flourish around p.92 where the Master becomes apparent. That said, I didn't feel any hope in this text, not a philosophical hope but a literary one where somehow the plot could find its legs.
I remain ready to be convinced otherwise, but this wasn't the best way to spend a rainy afternoon.
Much like the apocryphal "last recordings" of Eric Dolphy which continued to arrive for years, the Bolaño caravan into English continues long after his death. There have been a number of jewels in recent years so I suppose a dud was inevitable. I am quick to qualify, the book is only inert as being an undercooked fancy. An Italian woman recounts her adolescence when after her parents died she and her brother were left to their own devices. Did a weird community develop a la The Cement Garden? No, she worked at a salon while her brother hangs out with disagreeables at a gym. What follows is the slimmest of ideas. It can barely sustain the introduction of pivotal character two-thirds of the way through the novella. The effect is jarring. There is but a single aesthetic flourish around p.92 where the Master becomes apparent. That said, I didn't feel any hope in this text, not a philosophical hope but a literary one where somehow the plot could find its legs.
I remain ready to be convinced otherwise, but this wasn't the best way to spend a rainy afternoon.
November 21, 2016
bolano muhteşem bir romancı. düşünce ile yazı ya da gerçeklik ile yazı arasındaki farkı neredeyse yok eden muhteşem bir yazar.
neredeyse çocukça bir basitlikte yazar. basit cümleler art arda sıralanır, birikir. bu birikimden sanki bir ışık fışkırır. ya da basit cümlelerin sonunda, o cümlelere benzemeyen başka bir cümle şimşek gibi çakar. cümlelerin ışığı bazen her şeyi aydınlatır, bazen de bir tür körlüğe sebep olur. cümleler, paragraflar, hikaye, tüm metin hem açık seçik gözünüzün önündedir, hem de kafa karıştırıcıdır. hem benimsersiniz, hem yadırgarsınız bolano'yu. hem memnun eder bolano hem rahatsız eder. hem inandırır hem şüpheden şüpheye sürükler.
vahşi hafiyeler ve 2666'da gördüğümüz bu yazınsal nitelikleri yapısı farklı olsa da lümpen roman'da da görmek mümkün. zira lümpen roman bir olgunluk eseri. büyük, kalabalık, dağınık romanlarından bir öz taşıyor içinde. hızla okuyup çabucak bitirecekken duraklatan, bittikten sonra tekrar okuma isteği uyandıran, tekrar okunsa da tükenmeyeceğini hissettiren şey bu öz.
lümpen roman suça, suçluluğa, suçluluk duygusuna odaklanıyor. bolano'nun büyük romanlarındaki kahramanlara benzeyen kahramanlar, o romanlardaki gibi zorlu sınamalardan geçiyorlar. değişiyorlar, dönüşüyorlar, yüzleşiyorlar, sorguluyorlar. hikayenin bir yanı baştan itibaren okura uzak, soğuk ve tuhaf ilerlerken sona doğru okuru sarmaya, kuşatmaya başlıyor. okur sanki birdenbire kendini sınavın içinde buluyor. hem lümpen roman'daki karakterlerin sınavı bu hem de okurun kendi hikayesinin. bolano romanlarındaki "öz" de bundan başka bir şey değil. sorgulamak, yüzleşmek, hesaplaşmak.
neredeyse çocukça bir basitlikte yazar. basit cümleler art arda sıralanır, birikir. bu birikimden sanki bir ışık fışkırır. ya da basit cümlelerin sonunda, o cümlelere benzemeyen başka bir cümle şimşek gibi çakar. cümlelerin ışığı bazen her şeyi aydınlatır, bazen de bir tür körlüğe sebep olur. cümleler, paragraflar, hikaye, tüm metin hem açık seçik gözünüzün önündedir, hem de kafa karıştırıcıdır. hem benimsersiniz, hem yadırgarsınız bolano'yu. hem memnun eder bolano hem rahatsız eder. hem inandırır hem şüpheden şüpheye sürükler.
vahşi hafiyeler ve 2666'da gördüğümüz bu yazınsal nitelikleri yapısı farklı olsa da lümpen roman'da da görmek mümkün. zira lümpen roman bir olgunluk eseri. büyük, kalabalık, dağınık romanlarından bir öz taşıyor içinde. hızla okuyup çabucak bitirecekken duraklatan, bittikten sonra tekrar okuma isteği uyandıran, tekrar okunsa da tükenmeyeceğini hissettiren şey bu öz.
lümpen roman suça, suçluluğa, suçluluk duygusuna odaklanıyor. bolano'nun büyük romanlarındaki kahramanlara benzeyen kahramanlar, o romanlardaki gibi zorlu sınamalardan geçiyorlar. değişiyorlar, dönüşüyorlar, yüzleşiyorlar, sorguluyorlar. hikayenin bir yanı baştan itibaren okura uzak, soğuk ve tuhaf ilerlerken sona doğru okuru sarmaya, kuşatmaya başlıyor. okur sanki birdenbire kendini sınavın içinde buluyor. hem lümpen roman'daki karakterlerin sınavı bu hem de okurun kendi hikayesinin. bolano romanlarındaki "öz" de bundan başka bir şey değil. sorgulamak, yüzleşmek, hesaplaşmak.
June 4, 2018
Στη βιβλιοθήκη μου υπάρχουν κάμποσα βιβλία του Ρομπέρτο Μπολάνιο που περιμένουν για χρόνια ολόκληρα να διαβαστούν από την αφεντιά μου, αλλά η πρώτη μου επαφή με το έργο του μεγάλου αυτού συγγραφέα έμελλε να είναι η συγκεκριμένη νουβέλα -το τελευταίο έργο που έγραψε πριν πεθάνει-, την οποία αγόρασα πριν δυο-τρεις μέρες. Ε, τα κάνουμε που και που κάτι τέτοια κουλά εμείς οι βιβλιοφάγοι. Λοιπόν, πρόκειται για μια πραγματικά πολύ καλογραμμένη και ενδιαφέρουσα νουβέλα, συνδυασμός κοινωνικού δράματος και ιστορίας ενηλικίωσης, με στοιχεία από το αστυνομικό είδος. Το δυνατό στοιχείο της νουβέλας είναι η όλη πρωτοπρόσωπη αφήγηση, την οποία θα χαρακτήριζα αρκετά χειμαρρώδη και ικανή να κρατήσει τον αναγνώστη στην τσίτα μέχρι την τελευταία σελίδα. Προσωπικά, ο τρόπος αφήγησης κατάφερε να με βυθίσει για τα καλά στο μελαγχολικό κόσμο της ιστορίας και να με κάνει ένα με τη νεαρή αφηγήτρια. Γενικά η γραφή είναι εξαιρετική, μπορεί να πει κανείς ακόμα και μεθυστική. Το μόνο σίγουρο είναι ότι μέσα στη χρονιά θα διαβάσω και άλλα βιβλία του Μπολάνιο.
December 11, 2016
Söz konusu Bolano olduğunda nesnel bir yaklaşıma sahip olmam imkansız, zira yazar benim için iki elin parmak sayısını geçmeyen, en büyük gördüğüm ustaların başında yer alıyor.
Şilili yazarın 'Lümpen Roman'da kendine mekan seçtiği yer İtalya. Seda Ersavcı tarafından çevrilen bu novella Bolano'nun hayatta iken, kendi iradesiyle yayımladığı son kitap olma özelliğini taşıyor. Siyasi zulümlerin gölgesinde şekillenen, güçlü ve etkileyici büyük romanlara sahip olan Bolano burada çok daha butik bir öykü kaleme almış.
Bolano, 'Lümpen Roman'da Bianca isimli baş karakter üzerinden 'suç' olgusu üzerine felsefi bir öykü sunmuş. Yanlıştan doğru çıkar mı? Suç nihayete ermemiş olsa bile niyetiyle insana tabi hale gelmez mi? İnsanın ahlaken, hukuken, vicdanen doğru olmayana eğilmesine sebep olan şeyler, aslında o insanın karanlığını ortaya çıkaran etkenler değil midir ve bu tersine sağlanıp, kötüden iyiye yol çizilebilir mi? Katharsis bu anlamda tekamül sürecinin bir sonucu olabilir mi yoksa hep devam eden çizgisel bir şey midir?
Ahlaki bir bakış açısına sahip yazarlar bana hep biraz dikteci gelmiştir. Ancak Bolano'da durum çok farklı. O bir tanık gibi, sadelikle öyküyü anlatırken; okurun kendi kendine düşünmesini sağlıyor. Bu yanıyla beni çok etkiliyor. Derin derin ruhsal çözümlemeler yapıp karakterlerin iç dünyasını önümüze sermiyor. İçinde yaşanılan ana denk düşen ve okurun kendi tecrübeleriyle kararlanbileceği edebi bir doküman sunuyor. Nasıl ki 2666'da bölümlerin altında sessizce ilerleyen ve nihayetinde mana kazanan his, roman boyunca gelişip güçlenirken; burada da karakterin hisleri karşısında okurun kendi aynasına bakması durumu dallanıp budaklanıyor.
Ne kadar 2666'ın ilk bölümü olan çevirmenlerle ilgili kısımda kapıldığım sadelik hissi burada da beni cezbetse de; Bolano'nun konuyu daha etraflıca ve uzun bir şekilde ele almasını isterdim. Bu yüzden puanımı dört olarak belirledim.
Seda Ersavcı çevirisinin gücüyle, tertemiz bir şekilde tanık olabildiğim yazarın cümle kurma becerisi ilham verici, onu da not düşmek isterim.
Bolano'ya başlamak için uygun bir tercih mi, bence değil. Zira ilk kez karşılaştığım bir Bolano var bu romanda. Ama yine de Bolano var, o bile yeter!
Türkçede daha önce Metis ve Pegasus tarafından basılmıştı Bolano. Şimdi bütün haklarını Can Yayınları aldı. Bütün kitapları yeniden basacaklar. Bunun devamında da yazarın henüz Türkçeye kazandırılmamış eski yapıtlarını ve henüz İspanyolcada yeni basılan Bolano'nun izni olmadan ortaya çıkartılan gizli kitaplarını da basacaklarını ümit ediyorum, bekliyorum.
Roberto Bolano okumanızı tavsiye ederim!
7.5/10
Şilili yazarın 'Lümpen Roman'da kendine mekan seçtiği yer İtalya. Seda Ersavcı tarafından çevrilen bu novella Bolano'nun hayatta iken, kendi iradesiyle yayımladığı son kitap olma özelliğini taşıyor. Siyasi zulümlerin gölgesinde şekillenen, güçlü ve etkileyici büyük romanlara sahip olan Bolano burada çok daha butik bir öykü kaleme almış.
Bolano, 'Lümpen Roman'da Bianca isimli baş karakter üzerinden 'suç' olgusu üzerine felsefi bir öykü sunmuş. Yanlıştan doğru çıkar mı? Suç nihayete ermemiş olsa bile niyetiyle insana tabi hale gelmez mi? İnsanın ahlaken, hukuken, vicdanen doğru olmayana eğilmesine sebep olan şeyler, aslında o insanın karanlığını ortaya çıkaran etkenler değil midir ve bu tersine sağlanıp, kötüden iyiye yol çizilebilir mi? Katharsis bu anlamda tekamül sürecinin bir sonucu olabilir mi yoksa hep devam eden çizgisel bir şey midir?
Ahlaki bir bakış açısına sahip yazarlar bana hep biraz dikteci gelmiştir. Ancak Bolano'da durum çok farklı. O bir tanık gibi, sadelikle öyküyü anlatırken; okurun kendi kendine düşünmesini sağlıyor. Bu yanıyla beni çok etkiliyor. Derin derin ruhsal çözümlemeler yapıp karakterlerin iç dünyasını önümüze sermiyor. İçinde yaşanılan ana denk düşen ve okurun kendi tecrübeleriyle kararlanbileceği edebi bir doküman sunuyor. Nasıl ki 2666'da bölümlerin altında sessizce ilerleyen ve nihayetinde mana kazanan his, roman boyunca gelişip güçlenirken; burada da karakterin hisleri karşısında okurun kendi aynasına bakması durumu dallanıp budaklanıyor.
Ne kadar 2666'ın ilk bölümü olan çevirmenlerle ilgili kısımda kapıldığım sadelik hissi burada da beni cezbetse de; Bolano'nun konuyu daha etraflıca ve uzun bir şekilde ele almasını isterdim. Bu yüzden puanımı dört olarak belirledim.
Seda Ersavcı çevirisinin gücüyle, tertemiz bir şekilde tanık olabildiğim yazarın cümle kurma becerisi ilham verici, onu da not düşmek isterim.
Bolano'ya başlamak için uygun bir tercih mi, bence değil. Zira ilk kez karşılaştığım bir Bolano var bu romanda. Ama yine de Bolano var, o bile yeter!
Türkçede daha önce Metis ve Pegasus tarafından basılmıştı Bolano. Şimdi bütün haklarını Can Yayınları aldı. Bütün kitapları yeniden basacaklar. Bunun devamında da yazarın henüz Türkçeye kazandırılmamış eski yapıtlarını ve henüz İspanyolcada yeni basılan Bolano'nun izni olmadan ortaya çıkartılan gizli kitaplarını da basacaklarını ümit ediyorum, bekliyorum.
Roberto Bolano okumanızı tavsiye ederim!
7.5/10
February 2, 2019
Δε θυμάμαι πόσο καιρό έχω να διαβάσω βιβλίο χωρίς να σταματήσω, από την πρώτη σελίδα στην τελευταία. Φυσικά βοηθησαν και οι 119 σελίδες του. Μα, ο Μπολάνιο ποτέ δε σε απογοητεύει. Στέκεται πάντα γενναιόδωρος στον αναγνώστη του και δίνει την ολότητά του ανεξάρτητα από το μέγεθος του βιβλίου. Ευχαριστώ το φίλο μου που με παρότρυνε να το διαβάσω, επέμεινε και εν τέλει μου το έστειλε, με τη δική του γενναιοδωρία. Άντε και στα επόμενα!
August 21, 2018
Μπολάνιο κατώτερος του αναμενόμενου ωστόσο παραμένει Μπολάνιο.
November 10, 2014
I have no idea what the compulsion is. There are quite a few Bolaño books that I haven’t read yet, and which I don’t own. There are a couple of them that I own but which I haven’t read yet. So, I’m not sure what the compulsion was to buy this one in hardcover the day it was released. Maybe it was because there wasn’t much of interest that had come out that week? I don’t remember what other books were published that week. But, that doesn’t really answer the question since I buy so few books these days. Maybe I just wanted the feeling of buying a book instead of just acquiring them, which is what I seem to do these days (and no, I don’t steal books. I’m not a Bolaño character)
Since, I actually paid money for this and I have a week or so left where I can read books I choose, maybe that’s why I read it? And because it is short? I don’t know, but I decided to read this. I could have read one of the three other Bolaño books that I own but haven’t read.
Maybe I’m just trying to figure out for myself why I spent money and the very small amount of time on this book, when again, there are other Bolaño books I could read without spending money on, and piles of books that I really do mean to read sometime in the next decade.
As you can see from the three stars, and if you know that my feelings on the other Bolaño books that I’ve read (I think I’ve used the phrase, his books are perfect examples of the reason why i like to read), you’ll realize that I’m not in awe of this one. It actually made me wonder upon finishing it just how much more stuff there is of his out there waiting to be translated into English, and if it’s possible that we are at the bottom of the barrel of his stuff. But how big is the bottom of this barrel?
This is again one of his “last published works”, this seems to be a description given to many of his recently published works in America. To be fair this is an actual novella of new material, and not just a episode from 2666 or Savage Detectives reworked (or in an early form) that is being sold as it’s own piece. Maybe I heard this somewhere, or maybe it’s just a conjecture I thought of a while back and now believe I must have read it and didn’t just make this up, but I get the feeling that Bolaño published a lot of things in his lifetime to make money to survive in between working on his longer works and that he was more than happy to cannibalize off of his own larger works. (On re-reading this, I’m pretty sure that there is a Bolaño character in one of the novels who cannibalizes his own work and re-publishes things just to try to win literary prize money). I know from the publishing history of 2666 that he was also very concerned with providing for his family after his death. This novella feels like a longish short story, but with some reformatting tweaks was turned into a hundred page novella, and which would earn some money off of fans of his work and help in the building up of some security for his family.
I can’t blame that guy for something like that.
I just didn’t really enjoy the story all that much.
It’s about a teenage girl whose parents die in a car accident. She’s left orphaned with her brother. They stop going to school. She starts to work in a hair salon, he sweeps up in a gym and starts lifting weights. They watch movies together. Two older friends of her brother sort of move into their apartment. She embarks on the thug life (ok, petty criminal life).
Surprisingly she doesn’t embark on the petty crimes of stealing books. Something glorified in other Bolaño works, and also in another novel written originally in Spanish, about a beautiful young book thief and an older bookseller who becomes enthralled by her (that would be Severina by Rodrigo Rey Rosa, you can read my review here.)
I’m not going to say what the crime is she gets involved in, but it’s the sort of hair brained thing that the sorts of characters she is living with would come up with. It’s ambitious, but also kind of depressing in the scope involved. It’s smarter though then the crime of the young adult novel Monster. That’s not saying much, though.
The book is short. It’s broken into a bunch of short chapters. But each short chapter is followed by about three to five blank pages, which makes this 109 page book only about fifty pages of actual text/story/whatever you want to call it. It’s a very nice looking book though.
Kind of think about the layout of David Foster Wallace’s This is Water.
I’m ok with short, it just doesn’t seem to go anywhere. This is the kind of story that would be told as a chapter in one of Bolaño’s larger novels, it would be like the backstory of one of his female characters who is now invoked in something more substantial. And it's not even one of his more interesting characters that he’s given us.
Also there is something a little creepy about the character, I don’t really buy the character as a teenage girl, but rather she is kind of a fantasy that a middle aged man might have about what a teenage girl who is kind of sophisticated (read the code word you want for this) beyond her age is like. It’s not that he goes into any explicit detail, or glorifies her actions, but there is still something creepy in the portrayal. And I just don’t buy her as an authentic character, there is too much aged worldliness about her that doesn’t feel like how a teenage girl would really be. But she is what an older intellectual with a rebellious spirit would probably like an idealized teenage girl to be like.
This book doesn’t diminish my love for Bolaño, but it didn’t feel like a book that was all that necessary. It would have been better as a long short story in a collection rather than as it’s own standalone piece. By itself it is up against too much competition from Bolaño’s other work and just doesn’t stand up to those works.
Since, I actually paid money for this and I have a week or so left where I can read books I choose, maybe that’s why I read it? And because it is short? I don’t know, but I decided to read this. I could have read one of the three other Bolaño books that I own but haven’t read.
Maybe I’m just trying to figure out for myself why I spent money and the very small amount of time on this book, when again, there are other Bolaño books I could read without spending money on, and piles of books that I really do mean to read sometime in the next decade.
As you can see from the three stars, and if you know that my feelings on the other Bolaño books that I’ve read (I think I’ve used the phrase, his books are perfect examples of the reason why i like to read), you’ll realize that I’m not in awe of this one. It actually made me wonder upon finishing it just how much more stuff there is of his out there waiting to be translated into English, and if it’s possible that we are at the bottom of the barrel of his stuff. But how big is the bottom of this barrel?
This is again one of his “last published works”, this seems to be a description given to many of his recently published works in America. To be fair this is an actual novella of new material, and not just a episode from 2666 or Savage Detectives reworked (or in an early form) that is being sold as it’s own piece. Maybe I heard this somewhere, or maybe it’s just a conjecture I thought of a while back and now believe I must have read it and didn’t just make this up, but I get the feeling that Bolaño published a lot of things in his lifetime to make money to survive in between working on his longer works and that he was more than happy to cannibalize off of his own larger works. (On re-reading this, I’m pretty sure that there is a Bolaño character in one of the novels who cannibalizes his own work and re-publishes things just to try to win literary prize money). I know from the publishing history of 2666 that he was also very concerned with providing for his family after his death. This novella feels like a longish short story, but with some reformatting tweaks was turned into a hundred page novella, and which would earn some money off of fans of his work and help in the building up of some security for his family.
I can’t blame that guy for something like that.
I just didn’t really enjoy the story all that much.
It’s about a teenage girl whose parents die in a car accident. She’s left orphaned with her brother. They stop going to school. She starts to work in a hair salon, he sweeps up in a gym and starts lifting weights. They watch movies together. Two older friends of her brother sort of move into their apartment. She embarks on the thug life (ok, petty criminal life).
Surprisingly she doesn’t embark on the petty crimes of stealing books. Something glorified in other Bolaño works, and also in another novel written originally in Spanish, about a beautiful young book thief and an older bookseller who becomes enthralled by her (that would be Severina by Rodrigo Rey Rosa, you can read my review here.)
I’m not going to say what the crime is she gets involved in, but it’s the sort of hair brained thing that the sorts of characters she is living with would come up with. It’s ambitious, but also kind of depressing in the scope involved. It’s smarter though then the crime of the young adult novel Monster. That’s not saying much, though.
The book is short. It’s broken into a bunch of short chapters. But each short chapter is followed by about three to five blank pages, which makes this 109 page book only about fifty pages of actual text/story/whatever you want to call it. It’s a very nice looking book though.
Kind of think about the layout of David Foster Wallace’s This is Water.
I’m ok with short, it just doesn’t seem to go anywhere. This is the kind of story that would be told as a chapter in one of Bolaño’s larger novels, it would be like the backstory of one of his female characters who is now invoked in something more substantial. And it's not even one of his more interesting characters that he’s given us.
Also there is something a little creepy about the character, I don’t really buy the character as a teenage girl, but rather she is kind of a fantasy that a middle aged man might have about what a teenage girl who is kind of sophisticated (read the code word you want for this) beyond her age is like. It’s not that he goes into any explicit detail, or glorifies her actions, but there is still something creepy in the portrayal. And I just don’t buy her as an authentic character, there is too much aged worldliness about her that doesn’t feel like how a teenage girl would really be. But she is what an older intellectual with a rebellious spirit would probably like an idealized teenage girl to be like.
This book doesn’t diminish my love for Bolaño, but it didn’t feel like a book that was all that necessary. It would have been better as a long short story in a collection rather than as it’s own standalone piece. By itself it is up against too much competition from Bolaño’s other work and just doesn’t stand up to those works.
February 6, 2020
3.5, rounded up.
I'd always been a bit intimidated by Roberto Bolaño, fearing both the length and presumed complexity of his major works, so this was a good introduction for me. And though I am not quite sure I understood all that was going on, or intended (I have a sneaky suspicion there is an entire layer of subtext flying completely over my head!), I enjoyed this brief but jam-packed shorter work.
In a way, this reminded me of some of the early works of Pinter (especially The Birthday Party), in which an outside force inexplicably and threateningly descends upon a supposedly normal existence. Reading other reviews, and gleaning ideas from my book group read, has expanded my understanding of this, and I'll be thinking about it for quite some time I suspect. I think the key may reside in that odd choice of words 'lumpen', which is defined as both "uninterested in revolutionary advancement" (that underlying subtext!) and "boorish and stupid" ... which might refer to both the characters and my own incomprehension! :-( I no longer fear Bolaño, however, and at some point would like to tackle his longer epics.
I'd always been a bit intimidated by Roberto Bolaño, fearing both the length and presumed complexity of his major works, so this was a good introduction for me. And though I am not quite sure I understood all that was going on, or intended (I have a sneaky suspicion there is an entire layer of subtext flying completely over my head!), I enjoyed this brief but jam-packed shorter work.
In a way, this reminded me of some of the early works of Pinter (especially The Birthday Party), in which an outside force inexplicably and threateningly descends upon a supposedly normal existence. Reading other reviews, and gleaning ideas from my book group read, has expanded my understanding of this, and I'll be thinking about it for quite some time I suspect. I think the key may reside in that odd choice of words 'lumpen', which is defined as both "uninterested in revolutionary advancement" (that underlying subtext!) and "boorish and stupid" ... which might refer to both the characters and my own incomprehension! :-( I no longer fear Bolaño, however, and at some point would like to tackle his longer epics.
October 25, 2022
Una Bolanita novelita
O Μπολάνιο καταφέρνει κάτι εκπληκτικό: Καταφέρνει να δώσει ήχο στο βουβό πένθος και μακάρι να μπορούσα να το περιγράψω καλύτερα αλλά δεν θα είχε νόημα, γιατί θα περιέγραφα τη δικιά μου εμπειρία. Ο Μπολάνιο καταφέρνει να γράψει για την ανθρώπινη απώλεια με τρόπο ρεαλιστικό, καθολικό και καθοριστικό.
Ίσως το κείμενό του να είναι μεγάλο για να μπει ως λήμμα σε λεξικό, αλλά σίγουρα θα μπορούσε. Συναισθηματικά κόβει με λεπίδα, με ένα τρόπο ταχύτατο και ευφυέστατο, μαγεύοντας τον αναγνώστη, ο οποίος δεν έχει καμία διάθεση να αφήσει το Λούμπεν μυθιστορηματάκι κάτω. Έτσι κι αλλιώς είναι μια σταλίτσα.
Ο Μπολάνιο γράφει σε πρώτο πρόσωπο μια ιστορία ενηλικίωσης και επιλέγει τη Μπιάνκα, που μόλις έχασε τους γονείς της και τη ζωή της όπως την ήξερε. Η αφηγήτρια είναι τρωτή και ευάλωτη, αλλά και αδίστακτη. Βοηθάει πολύ που ο συγγραφέας αποφεύγει επιδέξια κάθε πιθανό κλισέ του φύλου της. Η Μπιάνκα βλέπει τον αδερφό της να επιλέγει τη ζωή του εγκληματία και ενώ η ίδια δεν διαφεύγει τελείως από αυτό τον δρόμο, σίγουρα απορρίπτει πολλές φαινομενικές λύσεις του πόνου της και αντιμετωπίζει με ωριμότητα τις επιλογές της.
Τι άλλο υπάρχει; Υπάρχουν δύο άντρες που πάντα καθαρίζουν και μαγειρεύουν, αλλά αρνούνται να δουλέψουν. Υπάρχουν τσόντες. Υπάρχει ένα κομμωτήριο. Ένας μυστήριος τυφλός εμπύρετος άντρας. Υπάρχει ένα μυστικ�� χρηματοκιβώτιο, κάπου καλά βιδωμένο, είτε σε κάποιον μουχλιασμένο τοίχο, είτε σε κάποια φιλόδοξα μυαλά.
«Υπήρχαν αυτοκίνητα που περνούσαν και δεν σταματούσαν. Υπήρχαν αυτοκίνητα που περνούσαν ήδη με κατεβασμένα τα τζάμια και μέσα ήταν νεαροί που φώναζαν «φασισμός ή βαρβαρότητα» και επίσης έφευγαν αμέσως. Εγώ δεν τους κοίταζα. Εγώ κοιτούσα τα νερά του ποταμού και τα εξώφυλλα των ταινιών μου και προσπαθούσα να ξεχάσω τα λίγα πράγματα που ήξερα.»
O Μπολάνιο καταφέρνει κάτι εκπληκτικό: Καταφέρνει να δώσει ήχο στο βουβό πένθος και μακάρι να μπορούσα να το περιγράψω καλύτερα αλλά δεν θα είχε νόημα, γιατί θα περιέγραφα τη δικιά μου εμπειρία. Ο Μπολάνιο καταφέρνει να γράψει για την ανθρώπινη απώλεια με τρόπο ρεαλιστικό, καθολικό και καθοριστικό.
Ίσως το κείμενό του να είναι μεγάλο για να μπει ως λήμμα σε λεξικό, αλλά σίγουρα θα μπορούσε. Συναισθηματικά κόβει με λεπίδα, με ένα τρόπο ταχύτατο και ευφυέστατο, μαγεύοντας τον αναγνώστη, ο οποίος δεν έχει καμία διάθεση να αφήσει το Λούμπεν μυθιστορηματάκι κάτω. Έτσι κι αλλιώς είναι μια σταλίτσα.
Ο Μπολάνιο γράφει σε πρώτο πρόσωπο μια ιστορία ενηλικίωσης και επιλέγει τη Μπιάνκα, που μόλις έχασε τους γονείς της και τη ζωή της όπως την ήξερε. Η αφηγήτρια είναι τρωτή και ευάλωτη, αλλά και αδίστακτη. Βοηθάει πολύ που ο συγγραφέας αποφεύγει επιδέξια κάθε πιθανό κλισέ του φύλου της. Η Μπιάνκα βλέπει τον αδερφό της να επιλέγει τη ζωή του εγκληματία και ενώ η ίδια δεν διαφεύγει τελείως από αυτό τον δρόμο, σίγουρα απορρίπτει πολλές φαινομενικές λύσεις του πόνου της και αντιμετωπίζει με ωριμότητα τις επιλογές της.
Τι άλλο υπάρχει; Υπάρχουν δύο άντρες που πάντα καθαρίζουν και μαγειρεύουν, αλλά αρνούνται να δουλέψουν. Υπάρχουν τσόντες. Υπάρχει ένα κομμωτήριο. Ένας μυστήριος τυφλός εμπύρετος άντρας. Υπάρχει ένα μυστικ�� χρηματοκιβώτιο, κάπου καλά βιδωμένο, είτε σε κάποιον μουχλιασμένο τοίχο, είτε σε κάποια φιλόδοξα μυαλά.
«Υπήρχαν αυτοκίνητα που περνούσαν και δεν σταματούσαν. Υπήρχαν αυτοκίνητα που περνούσαν ήδη με κατεβασμένα τα τζάμια και μέσα ήταν νεαροί που φώναζαν «φασισμός ή βαρβαρότητα» και επίσης έφευγαν αμέσως. Εγώ δεν τους κοίταζα. Εγώ κοιτούσα τα νερά του ποταμού και τα εξώφυλλα των ταινιών μου και προσπαθούσα να ξεχάσω τα λίγα πράγματα που ήξερα.»
June 11, 2023
Un cuento más que una novela, pero una muestra más del dominio narrativo de Bolaño, con esa prosa directa y concisa, y esa musicalidad que en ocasiones te hace sentir que en lugar de leer estas escuchando una sinfonía. Narrada en primera persona, la obra dibuja un panorama de melancolía, desencanto, alienación y desesperanza del que emerge la personalidad de la protagonista, cuyo arco evolutivo (de la ingenuidad a la madurez) se refleja a la perfección en la propia evolución de la prosa de la voz narradora a medida que el relato avanza. Esta es una de las características que más me ha llamado la atención y con la que más he disfrutado.
Quizá no sea el mejor Bolaño, pero es una obra muy recomendable, no solo para fans sino para quien desee una lectura breve (cuento/relato) de excelente calidad narrativa.
Quizá no sea el mejor Bolaño, pero es una obra muy recomendable, no solo para fans sino para quien desee una lectura breve (cuento/relato) de excelente calidad narrativa.
February 26, 2019
Bolano'nun ölmeden önce yayınladığı son kitap Lümpen Roman; benim okuduğum diğer kitapları içerisinde en muğlak durumda olanı. Uzak Yıldız için Bolano'nun romancılığının basit bir tarifini yazmıştım, bu kitap o tarife uymuyor. Karşıma ilk kez hikayeci olmayan bir Bolano çıktı. Ve sanki Bolano'nun içindeki bütün Borgeslik çekilip alınmış, oyunbaz bir tarafı yok, daha ciddi, sessiz sakin bir kitap Lümpen Roman.
Lümpen roman anlatım biçiminin yanısıra, konu olarak da klasik Bolano'dan farklı olduğu izlenimini yaratıyor başta, ama düşününce öyle olmadığını, aslında her zaman işlediği konulara bir bakış görüyoruz. Ben yine Bolano'nun faşizmin kökenleriyle ilgili bir araştırmaya giriştiğini düşündüm.
İşlenen meseleyle ve yazarın anlatış biçimiyle, kullandığı yöntemler ve metaforlarla ilgili bir akıl yürütmeye girişmek istiyorum; aslında spoiler verilebilecek bir kitap değil lakin hiçbir etki altında kalmadan okumak isteyen okur için spoiler içine alıyorum.
İşlenen temayı beğensem de, kısa romanları sevmiyorum. Keşke bu romanı hem daha uzun uzadıya ele alsaydı -çünkü bu meselede daha işlenecek çok şey var, hem de klasik Bolano üslubunu korusaydı.
Lümpen roman anlatım biçiminin yanısıra, konu olarak da klasik Bolano'dan farklı olduğu izlenimini yaratıyor başta, ama düşününce öyle olmadığını, aslında her zaman işlediği konulara bir bakış görüyoruz. Ben yine Bolano'nun faşizmin kökenleriyle ilgili bir araştırmaya giriştiğini düşündüm.
İşlenen meseleyle ve yazarın anlatış biçimiyle, kullandığı yöntemler ve metaforlarla ilgili bir akıl yürütmeye girişmek istiyorum; aslında spoiler verilebilecek bir kitap değil lakin hiçbir etki altında kalmadan okumak isteyen okur için spoiler içine alıyorum.
İşlenen temayı beğensem de, kısa romanları sevmiyorum. Keşke bu romanı hem daha uzun uzadıya ele alsaydı -çünkü bu meselede daha işlenecek çok şey var, hem de klasik Bolano üslubunu korusaydı.
May 5, 2016
Feels like a few days of consistent improvisation that came off well enough to call a novella, particularly the first half before the arrival of Maciste. Foreboding, anticlimactic, the tone of The Third Reich, sort of. Riffs reliant on outerspace. Making love. Always on the verge of some great violence. Worth an hour or so of your time.
January 30, 2020
A Little Lumpen Novelita is my first Roberto Bolaño. I have no room for additional favorite novelists in my mind, my bookshelves, or my teetering to-read piles. But based upon
A Little Lumpen Novelita, and especially its disconcerting portrayal of unrootedness, I may need to make room for more Roberto Bolaño. 4.5 stars
A Little Lumpen Novelita, and especially its disconcerting portrayal of unrootedness, I may need to make room for more Roberto Bolaño. 4.5 stars
June 11, 2020
3.5 / 5
"Λούμπεν μυθιστορηματάκι"
Εξομολογήσεις βιωμάτων, συναισθημάτων, σκέψεων.
Μια αφήγηση καταπέλτης, κυνική που σου παγώνει το συναίσθημα από την αλήθεια της.
Ζωή Που παραπλανά. Επιθυμίες που μας παρακινούν να προβούμε σε ανήθικες πράξεις.
Το μυαλό και το σώμα υπακούν σε ενέργειες. Η ψυχή όμως ταξιδεύει. Αναζητά γαλήνη, ηρεμία κυρίως ελευθερία. Δραπέτευση από άσχημες σκέψεις. Δραπέτευση από μια φυλακή που οι ίδιοι έχουν δημιουργήσει.
Ο ωφελισμός, κατακλύζει τους ήρωες. Δεν αποζητούν όλοι τη δόξα. Είναι ένας τρόπος να επιβιώσουν.
Η Μπιάνκα σκληραίνει. Μεταβαίνει απότομα από την εφηβεία στην ενηλικίωση. Ο ρόλος της κυνικός, ανήθικος, μη προσαρμοσμένος στην ιδιοσυγκρασία της.
Λειτουργεί μηχανικά, παθητικά. Δεν έχει συναισθήματα.
Βυθίζεται κάθε μέρα στην άβυσσο. Μια άβυσσο τόσο σκοτεινή όσο και οι τύψεις της γι αυτό που αναγκάζεται να κάνει.
Πούλησε το κορμί της. Την ψυχή της όμως δε θα αποφασίσει να την πουλήσει.
"Λούμπεν μυθιστορηματάκι"
Εξομολογήσεις βιωμάτων, συναισθημάτων, σκέψεων.
Μια αφήγηση καταπέλτης, κυνική που σου παγώνει το συναίσθημα από την αλήθεια της.
Ζωή Που παραπλανά. Επιθυμίες που μας παρακινούν να προβούμε σε ανήθικες πράξεις.
Το μυαλό και το σώμα υπακούν σε ενέργειες. Η ψυχή όμως ταξιδεύει. Αναζητά γαλήνη, ηρεμία κυρίως ελευθερία. Δραπέτευση από άσχημες σκέψεις. Δραπέτευση από μια φυλακή που οι ίδιοι έχουν δημιουργήσει.
Ο ωφελισμός, κατακλύζει τους ήρωες. Δεν αποζητούν όλοι τη δόξα. Είναι ένας τρόπος να επιβιώσουν.
Η Μπιάνκα σκληραίνει. Μεταβαίνει απότομα από την εφηβεία στην ενηλικίωση. Ο ρόλος της κυνικός, ανήθικος, μη προσαρμοσμένος στην ιδιοσυγκρασία της.
Λειτουργεί μηχανικά, παθητικά. Δεν έχει συναισθήματα.
Βυθίζεται κάθε μέρα στην άβυσσο. Μια άβυσσο τόσο σκοτεινή όσο και οι τύψεις της γι αυτό που αναγκάζεται να κάνει.
Πούλησε το κορμί της. Την ψυχή της όμως δε θα αποφασίσει να την πουλήσει.
November 24, 2022
Kaç yaşında ölmek isterdiniz?
Kırkımdan önce. Otuz altı.
//
Bu kadar zor ve acı bir roman ancak bu kadar hızlı ve kolay okunabilir. Pek çok şey hakkında hiçbir şey, harika bir minimalizm örneği.
Kırkımdan önce. Otuz altı.
//
Bu kadar zor ve acı bir roman ancak bu kadar hızlı ve kolay okunabilir. Pek çok şey hakkında hiçbir şey, harika bir minimalizm örneği.
March 6, 2021
Elim Bolano’ya 3 yıldız vermeye gitmedi, 3,5’tan 4 olsun dedim. Bolano’nun ölmeden önce yazdığı son roman ve tarzına uymayan bir roman, üstelik bu kez içinde şair de yok. Onun olağanüstü hikaye anlatıcılığı yerini iyi bir roman yazıcısına bırakmış.
Bolano okuyacaklara ilk sözüm bu kitabı sonlara bırakın, ilk okumuşsanız Bolano’nun bu olmadığını kabul ederek diğer eserlerini okuyun derim.
Bolano okuyacaklara ilk sözüm bu kitabı sonlara bırakın, ilk okumuşsanız Bolano’nun bu olmadığını kabul ederek diğer eserlerini okuyun derim.
February 19, 2018
È un racconto svelto , denso e scuro , con tante ombre e un poco di luce esitante .
La storia di Bianca e suo fratello , di due balordi senza nome, il libico e il bolognese , è raccontata dalla ragazza in prima persona, come un lungo flashback ,una storia di uccelli in una tormenta di sabbia, senza rumore e senza occhi , che veniva da un altro mondo
in una Roma irreale .
Adesso so che la vicinanza non esiste . Qualcuno ha sempre gli occhi chiusi .
Uno vede quando l'altro non vede. L'altro vede quando uno non vede.
Solo una madre può essere vicina,ma questo allora era l'ignoto. Inesistente.
Esisteva solo il miraggio della vicinanza. E la vicinanza degli amici di mio fratello,
una vicinanza costruita , fra l'altro, a base di sguardi e piccole attenzioni,
non solo mi lusingava, ma mi piaceva pure.
In quel periodo sognavo molto e dimenticavo in fretta quasi tutti i sogni.
La mia vita in realtà era come un sogno. A volte mi affacciavo a una finestra qualsiasi della casa di Maciste e mi mettevo a pensare ai sogni e alla vita ,che era come mettersi a pensare ai miei sogni che dimenticavo con tale rapidità
e alla mia stessa vita che sembrava un sogno, e non arrivava da nessuna parte ,
niente si chiariva dentro la mia testa, ma il solo fatto di farlo, di pensare ai sogni e alla vita, toglieva un peso incerto dal mio cuore o quello che io chiamavo il mio cuore, il cuore di una delinquente, di una persona senza scrupoli o con scrupoli cosi distorti che faticavo a riconoscerli come miei.
September 1, 2020
Bolaño'nun okudugum ilk kitabi, çevirmen olarak Seda Ersavcı'yı çok başarılı buldum zira ana karakterin düşünce dünyası yazar tarafindan sürükleyici bir kurguyla anlatılmış olsa da yer yer bir kelimenin bile farkli yorumlanmasi kurgunun hemen bozulmasına sebep olabilirdi. Ama cok guzel ve temiz bir ceviri olmuş.
Kitaba gelirsek yazar; ana karakterin yaşam mücadelesini ajitasyona döndürmeden anlatirken zamanla daha da soğukkanlilikla devam eden ahlaki gelişimini samimiyetten uzaklasmadan basarili bir sekilde yansitabilmiş.
Ozetle iyi ki okudum dedigim eserlerden biri oldu.
Kitaba gelirsek yazar; ana karakterin yaşam mücadelesini ajitasyona döndürmeden anlatirken zamanla daha da soğukkanlilikla devam eden ahlaki gelişimini samimiyetten uzaklasmadan basarili bir sekilde yansitabilmiş.
Ozetle iyi ki okudum dedigim eserlerden biri oldu.
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February 29, 2024Čitanje Bolanja u meni izaziva želju da čitam još Bolanja.
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