I can’t seem to stop thinking about the disappointing turn Zadie Smith’s otherwise beautiful reflection on climate change for the New York Review of Books takes at the end. Early in the piece, Smith talks about how comfortably her contemporaries have settled into discussions of the “new normal”—avoiding, like the bereaved, allusions to what once was. She takes up arms against … More Blame Derrida
Many thanks to Scott Esposito of The Quarterly Conversation, who brought Daniel Bosch’s recent essay on William Kentridge to my attention. Those of you who read Sergio Chejfec’s My Two Worlds will remember Kentridge’s appearance toward the end of the book, and how his explicitly rendered lines of sight echo the narrator’s particular way of … More a bouquet of dark matter
Sergio Chejfec’s had a busy year. In the States, he’s been traveling from coast to coast for My Two Worlds (trans. M. Carson), which was nominated for a Best Translated Book Award back in February, and teaching with NYU’s Creative Writing in Spanish MFA program. And then there’s the latest novel, La experiencia dramática, which … More the dramatic experience
Earlier this week, The Quarterly Conversation published a piece I wrote about Juan José Saer (whose Scars, published in Steve Dolph’s translation by Open Letter Books, was nominated for a Best Translated Book Award this year), in which I mention a few barbs the author directed at the likes of Nabokov and Mario Vargas Llosa. … More readings: Saer on Robert Walser
So, Jonathan Franzen held a press conference today. Though he might have been well served to hold off just a bit longer – at least until he shored up a few flaws in his logic. Speaking at the Hay, a British festival of the arts, he expressed some unsurprisingly conservative views about the long-term cultural … More oh, Jonathan.
Conversational Reading recently published an interview with Natasha Wimmer on her latest translation of Bolaño, The Third Reich (FSG 2011). Recommended. Not only does it offer insight into the inner workings of the novel (which, I’ll admit, I haven’t yet read), it also reminds us how articulate Wimmer is on the subject of translation. As … More speed reading with Natasha Wimmer
Chilean “antipoet” (and physicist, and mathematician) Nicanor Parra was awarded the Premio Cervantes yesterday. One of the most prestigious in the Spanish language, the prize recognizes an author’s lifelong contribution to letters; there can be little question that, in the course of his 97 years, Parra has had a profound effect on the way poetry … More where credit is due.
It’s no secret that I can’t resist a good interview with César Aira – and I’ve found that most of them offer at least a few moments of brilliance. He has a way of answering even rote questions in unexpected, incisive ways. Today’s piece from Kill Your Darlings is no exception. Here’s a taste: Due … More Aira: “the novel is an anachronistic genre”
So, it’s been a little longer than planned. But the time was not lost – in fact, a few things have come to fruition in the past weeks. As a way of jumping back in, and before I post my review of El secreto de sus ojos, which is on its way, I thought I’d … More Hello, Like Before
I may be way behind on writing reviews, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been reading a few. Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times just published a very positive piece on Vida, the freshman collection of Patricia Engel. In Kakutani’s words, The stories in Patricia Engel’s striking debut collection are like snapshots from someone’s … More In the News: Kakutani on Patricia Engel
Heather Cleary 