Because of the warming and comfortable way that Roberto Bolaño writes Amulet, and because of the various memories that it reminds me of, this weeks blog post, is somewhat of a departure from my usual psychoanalytical examinations characters, and is focused more on my own personal experiences and emotions that Bolaño’s work has had to myself. In Roberto Bolaño’s novel, Amulet, we follow the story of a young writer by the name of Auxilio, who is mostly works as a playwright and poet. Auxilio leads a comfortable life following her meeting with her acquaintances of Leon Felipe and Pedro Garfias, who act as a pair of mentor, and arguably fatherly figures for the younger and less experienced Auxilio. It is also important to remember that Auxilio is a new comer to Mexico City, as she states that her nationality and background originate in Uruguay, Montevideo. Although, Auxilio is clearly unfamiliar with her new setting in Mexico City, we can see that she has no issue getting used to the daily life of living and working/studying in the heart of Mexico City, at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Auxilio is shown at the start of the novel already well connected and living a fulfilling life, not just with her mentors of Felipe and Garfias, but also with the theatre students and others that she befriends. From the start of the novel, and the later contrasts with the life that Auxilio has had leading up to the beginning of the novel, we can see that Bolaño clearly started with the struggles that Auxilio has throughout the story already concluded. I actually liked Bolaño’s choice to begin the novel with the most of the struggles that further the plot already concluded, although plenty of authors and writers choose to begin their works with the ending or near ending of their work, Bolaño’s ending actually works exceptionally well, because we get a glimpse into Auxilio’s personality and the person that she becomes.

Overall, the various elements of Bolaño’s Amulet, reminded me of Paris Peasant, Agostino, and W. The descriptions of Mexico, particularly the description of the various public places, including the famous football stadium and Chapultepec Castle, as well as the vibrant nightlife, brought back vibrant memories of my own time spent in Mexico City as a young boy. Although I have not studied at UNAM, I can recall the stories that my mother told me of her Post-secondary education at the Tech de Monterrey, and reading Bolaño’s has made me feel nostalgia for my childhood and family in Mexico.

For my question, How do you find that way that Auxilio finds happiness in the connections that she makes? Do you think that her relationships, especially Felipe and Garfia, are beneficial for her?