Well, The Book of Chameleons is not actually about chameleons. I expected this because none of the books we have read in this class have been about the literal meaning of their titles. As I read new books for this class, I try my best to identify the underlying themes.
For instance, when I was reading the second chapter, “The House,” Agualusa writes that the country needs sappers for mine-sweeping operations; I immediately thought, “war!” I was correct, as we, the readers, then see the post-traumatic reactions of the people in Angola.
Felix has a very interesting job: inventing “good” pasts for his clients. He notices that people with secure social status often lack a good family history, so he turns this into a business by making up the entire family trees and legacies for those people. Initially, this business sounded like nonsense to me. However, Agualusa’s writing explains the necessity of it:
“Well—sir—… you’re white.” “And what of it? You’re whiter than I am…” “White? Me?!” The albino choked. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his forehead. “No, no! I’m black. Pure black. I’m a native. Can’t you tell that I’m black?…” (p.18)
Here, a Black man suffering from albinism is mistaken for being white. His condition conceals his identity, and he feels a desperate need to assert his true self. The word “native” makes me think of belonging. The people who visit Felix may also be looking for that same sense of belonging. Agualusa writes that these people want “a name that resonates with nobility and culture.”
Later, in the chapter “Splendorium,” Agualusa describes Angela Lúcia’s ability to recognize locations by the light. She takes out a few slides and calls them her “splendorium.” This choice of words and the previous discussion about the past reminds me of the book Sternstunden der Menschheit (Decisive Moments in History). That book is about the collective legacy of humanity, focusing on those important moments as “stellar moments.” The book is really famous and people love to know about how great their ancestors were.
Similarly, the characters in The Book of Chameleons love to discuss their family stories, even if they are made up. Felix asks Angela, “Talking about family histories, you know you’ve never told me yours?” Like, he is the one who always made those up!! He is now asking Angela to tell him hers!!!
Discussion Question: Do you think family legacy matters today?
4 replies on “The Past and the Splendorium”
Melissa:
I definitely share your reaction upon seeing the title of the book; based on simmalr texts in this class, there is a signinficant degree of unexpectedness regarding what a book seems to say versus what it ultimately does say! I also find Felix’ job remarkable. The invention of “pasts” is something I have never heard of before.
I really liked your connection between Felix and his identity and the sense of belonging he is giving other people. and how he is trying to give that sense of belonging to others when he himself cannot find it.
Hi, great title by the way! I think what you said about how “people love to know about how great their ancestors were” could also be a driving factor in this novel. People want new identities to escape who they were in the war, but also so much of our identity is tied to the past that one can never really escape it.
It is interesting to analyze this book in relation to Zweig for several reasons: while certain moments in the novel, like particular characteristic forms of light, possess an ephemeral splendor, many of the events of Angola’s recent past are precisely the least luminous in recent human history. Is it possible to narrate the history of humanity solely through these disconnected glimpses of the sky’s beauty?