Hi everyone, I conclude my vlogs with a little reflection, definitely a little rambling but that never hurt nobody. Some fitting music: Question: What did you take away from your favourite – or least favourite – book? What affected you personally? Hasta luego mis amigos, Curtis HR
Hi all, This week I discuss Fever Dream. I focus on the style of writing, the narrator’s perspective, a reflection on her memories, the absence of chapters, and also the content of the book itself. Question: What was some content of the story that you took away from this? Why do you think this book …
Hi all, This week I discuss Papi, mainly focusing on psychological projection, fantasy, what is real, and the role of dullness in life. Question: Is there a marked ‘truth’ to this story? Where does fact stop and fiction begin? Or rather, how should we read this book – as a fantasy-driven metaphor about a child’s …
Hi all, This week I discuss Distant Star. Here, I expand on what life may have been like during the years of late Allende/early Pinochet, the horrendous self-destruction of extreme fascist ideology, and justice (what is it?) I hope you like Machuca, and La muerte y la doncella (if you watch them) Question: Should one …
Hi all, This week I discuss the book I, Rigoberta Menchu, and mainly focus on her struggle between Christianity/Catholicism and Maya-Quiche spirituality. I draw on Inca Garcilaso de la Vega for inspiration! Also, we discuss the theatrics in the story of ‘explicit not-sharing’. *THE WORD IS TESTIMONIO! Of course… haha Question: How does one …
Hi all, This week we discuss Captain Pantoja and the Special Service, paying homage to the increasing demand for specialists (aka lust), the ridiculous professionalism/euphemisms of bureaucratic systems, and the racial depiction of Chino Porfirio. Question: What do you think is the role of the Brothers of the Ark in this story? Is there an …
Hi all, For our final week on 100 Years of Solitude, it’s all about love! Mainly, I talk about Amaranta and her sealed fate, the beautiful poverty-stricken love of Aureliano Segundo and Petra Cotes, and the wild passion of Aureliano and Amaranta Ursula. Question: Is there a ‘purest form’ of love? Is one manner of …
Hi all, This week I talk about Insanity, Incest, the Repetition of History and Houses (wut??) in One Hundred Years of Solitude. Question: What do you think the book is trying to say about technology? Is there a stance, for or against, that is being promoted? How do you explain the insanity of Jose Arcadio …
Hi all, This week I discuss some key themes in Pedro Paramo – mainly the idea of ‘bad blood’, how religious doctrine (catholic in this case) is irreconcilable with giving into earthly pressures, and hegemony and monopolization. Question: Is Pedro to blame for the story’s ensuing consequences? Do you think this is a case of …
Hi all, This week I talked about a lot haha. I discuss the story of Tlon, Pierre Menard, The Secret Miracle, and Borges and I. This week, I dedicate to understanding how the mind works, the role of language, what makes a person, the purpose of creating art, and the self… Like I said, many …
