Hello world!
Hello everyone. My name is "Perfect" [...] My parents gave me my name. They said that when I was a baby, I looked like such a perfect child no matter which way they turned me. But as I grew up, things changed. My parents kept asking more of me; the school kept demanding better performance. I am so tired. I just want to scream: "I am not perfect!" My Little Perfect World. Jimmy Liao
I’m not perfect, that is true! And my name is not Perfect, that is true too. My name is Eliana, and literature and reading were not always a perfect match for me. Firstly, I arrived late to it; but perhaps reading was an attempt to find a space for me, a space where I could relax and imagine, more than just spend my free time, a free time that I don’t have. Reading was and is, in my case, a space to feel the world in other words and images. I talk about images because I arrive at literature through the wordless graphic novels, such as The arrival (2006), by Shaun Tan, translated into Spanish under the title Emigrantes. When I read this book, I can feel what he feels; the images turned into a voice that told me a part of the story of a man. And a similar case was when I read Cigarra (2018) by the same artist. I can remember some wordless books and graphic novels that I enjoy and love, like those mentioned and others like Los días raros (María Heredia & Roger Ycaza, 2015) and The sound of colors (Jimmy Liao, 2021). También, I can remember some long books that I couldn’t finish, such as War and Peace (Tolstoy).
Before this lovely encuentro for me, I had read some long books, but I don’t remember del todo. With some of them, I re-read, and it was an opportunity for me! I abandoned some of them before the end or after a pair of chapters. Anyway, the images were a chance to read other literature and discover other voices that allowed me experience other words, images, and perspectives.
The second reason for my imperfect reading is that I don’t have much time to read, and additionally, I read slowly!
My expectation for this course is to finish reading the long book that I have chosen: Nuestra parte de noche by Mariana Enriquez, a book that I selected since I want to start reading this author, who is unknown to me.
Finally, I studied my undergraduate degree in Colombia, which was in Visual Arts and Education.
“The arrival” by Shaun Tan
Hi Eliana, and welcome to RMSt 520! I believe the word “perfect” comes from the Latin “perfectus,” which means both “completed” and “dead.” So perhaps there is only life in the incomplete… though we return also to the theme of the period that puts a stop to things. Are long books a struggle against death itself, as they attempt to ward off completion or perfection?
Anyhow, I hope you enjoy Nuestra parte de noche… and also of course The Savage Detectives!
Hello Eliana, it is nice to meet you through your words.
I too am a slow reader so I feel a sense of solidarity. It is beautiful to see that a wordless graphic novel such as Emigrantes has been the entry point to literature. I am curious to see how your work in visual arts lends to how you engage with storytelling. It makes me think of a quote from a documentary I watched recently that stated stories at their most essential form need no words.
Hi Eliana, thank you for sharing your interest in wordless graphic novels. I just took a look at the books you shared and cicada looks so cool! If you have a physical copy of it, I would love if you can lend it to me.
I am curious about something you mention which is that you arrive late to reading and literature. Do you think there is a right time to arrive to it?
Looking forward to see your takes on Nuestra parte de noche 🙂