Apr
7
McOndo
Posted by: | April 7, 2010 | Comments Off on McOndo
Los cuentos de McOndo me parecen, en general, bastante entretenidos. Todos son muy faciles de leer y todos son simples, en el sentido que no tratan de nada fuera e lo ordinario. Todo lo que pasa son cosas que nos pasan a nosotros mismos o lo mas prbable es que conocemos a alquien que ha […]
Apr
6
McOndo [1]
Posted by: | April 6, 2010 | Comments Off on McOndo [1]
Dejamos Macondo por McOndo. El Presentación del país McOndo me parece muy sincero con un humor que caracteriza más los periódicos de los universidades de las obras literarias, pero el lector puede relacionar con la lenguaje, y este parece accesible y sincero. Me parece un poco como un libro que he leído en Barcelona, que […]
Apr
6
Mc….ONDO!
Posted by: | April 6, 2010 | Comments Off on Mc….ONDO!
Después de leer varios cuentos de McOndo, veo que los textos representan lo que había indicado los editores en la presentación del libro. Dentro de los ensayos hay varios propósitos y al fin, (a los lectores no latinos), nos hacen pensar en otra…
Apr
5
McOndo
Posted by: | April 5, 2010 | Comments Off on McOndo
Para mi leer un libro no es cosa fácil porque no puedo enfocarme fácilmente! Pero con realismo mágico me parece más fácil de mantener mi concentración. Entonces, pensaba que al leer McOndo no puedo enfocarme, pero al contrario, fue mucho más fá…
Apr
5
La Mujer Quimicamente Compatible
Posted by: | April 5, 2010 | Comments Off on La Mujer Quimicamente Compatible
La Mujer Quimicamente Compatibleby Jordi SolerI think a lot of what Mcondo is about is de-romanticizing Latin America. It is busting the Disneyland-esque bubble that grew with North American and European perceptions of magical realism. Soler’s story is…
Apr
5
it feels like sunday
Posted by: | April 5, 2010 | Comments Off on it feels like sunday
In the theme of sexy, youthful, everyday short stories, I was talking with an old boyfriend of mine about Latin American literature over gmail chat. He’s an honours student in Spanish lit at University of California, Davis and he’s read this book before. And we talked about Latin American identity, neither of us from Latin America. Well he’s from Madrid and I’m from San Diego so in a pinch we could maybe pass ourselves off as almost close to Latin, but for colonial purposes we shy away from such attempts at legitness. So we are talking about Latin American identity and these short stories and of course there a tension between us, we broke up three years ago, but we left it on good terms and never really lost touch. But we are talking about Latin American identity and how the Boom exploded and how current Latin American writers are reeling from the pressure to write “Latin American” and are trying to define what exactly it means to be “Latin American” and… well fuck this, I’ll just copy and paste:
4:57 PM me: I’m reading this book- McOndo, an anthology of short stories by young latin american authors
(young as in post- cuban rev.)
Roberto: oh! I’ve read from that!
I think I have something here
give me a sec
me: oo which ones?!
4:58 PM Roberto: Presentacion
la vida esta llena de cosas asi
those two
me: i read la vida esta llena
Roberto: I can barely remember
but if you want to write on it I’ll brush up
4:59 PM my teacher’s opinion was this:
me: it’s about the girl who runs over a biker and tries to take him to the hospital
Roberto: ooh!
5:00 PM Latin world is under US influence from 40’s on, right?
me: yep
Roberto: good neighbor policy, etc
US keeps this control with companies
such as United Fruit, Gas…
The Boom rebels against that
as seen in 100 años
by Marquez
5:01 PM me: we jsut finished that
Roberto: and stuff by Fuentes, Cortazar, Fuentes
me: fuentes twice really?
Roberto: (delete that fuentes!)
(he’s really into himself)
me: (he’s kinda a douche too)
Roberto: so this Boom gave a sense of national pride, right?
(indeed he is)
me: pan-national, yeah
5:02 PM Roberto: so the US loses a bit of control, but you still need that market
and the boom is HUGE!
me: and resources
Roberto: all over the world
and latin america becomes a bit more…
”globalized”
even though 90 percent is third world
this globalization removes the interest in the boom
5:03 PM making metaphors into reality becomes part of common lit, movies, etc
and that’s why it’s so “uninteresting”
me: ok yeah
Roberto: because there’s no innovation
me: it’s all mimicry
Roberto: you can disagree with that
but most of the world got stuck on that one thing
and that’s all they know
5:04 PM so new writers use the same techniques
see Isabel Allende
(boring as all fuck nowadays)
me: laura esquivel
Roberto: yup
good book, though!
me: eh… you just like the naked bits.
Roberto: dolores mastretta
who doesn’t like the naked bits?
but it’s just all really stagnant
if you want to sell, I mean
me: any theory on why it’s all women?
5:05 PM Robert: well, there’s men
but the “non-latin” male writers learnt to do it better
Paul Auster, etc
I think it’s a…
how do I say it…
5:06 PM an effect of all the testosterone
me: without sounding misogynistic?
Robert: yup
too much testosterone=market for female writers
at least in south america
were people are trying really hard to finally be progressive
and less “machista”
5:07 PM and still suck at it
me: well when you have to try so hard, that’ll do it
Robert: exactly!
south america is so machista it hurts
even government-wise
5:08 PM those women are puppets for their husbands
and if they’re not
they’re just voted off
but it’s “cooler” if it’s a woman
sounds better
as long as “she still knows her place”
then again, that’s what I think…
am I talking too much?
5:09 PM me: i’m just thinking about feminism in latin america and it makes me kinda sad and quiet is all
Robert: it’s really sad
5:10 PM me: but the boom backlash is what i want to call the “de-fetishization” of latin american literature
Roberto: http://www.last.fm/user/Shepherdr6
(you should get one of these, man)
I agree with that
when it becomes common
5:11 PM me: latin authors trying to break from the gringo perspective of what makes latin american lit and identity
which is kinda ironic that I should say that
Roberto: actually… no
well in regards to that I think, and I underline I think
latin america is useless at seeing its own problems
so then “gringos” see it
and they get defensive
saying people should not push them
me: they being the latin americans
Roberto: but they have a HUGE chip on their shoulder
yes
5:13 PM note this is MY opinion…
me: but the States had such a hand in getting that chip up there
still do
Roberto: oh yes!
but there was a problem there to begin with
it’s just the US pushed too hard, like you yanks tend to do
me: don’t be gross Robbie.
Roberto: I wasn’t!
me: haha!
Roberto: and then the Latin american backlash came
but I think the initial complaint was needed
the US just turned it into a program
me: yeah
Roberto: and the US just caused most of Latin america’s problems anyway
(pinochet just being one…)
me: panama canal, maquiladoras on the border, guatemala…
Roberto: o let’s not get started.
5:16 PM man, I’m talking too much
sorry
me: no this is good, it’s making me think about the paper I have to write for this class
Roberto: when do you need to write it?
me: it’s due the 19th
Roberto: oh, you’re golden!
how long?
5:21 PM jo?
5:22 PM Pepe just called me
I’m going over to watch a movie
5:23 PM but good luck writing that essay
send me a draft when you have one
me: thanks!
ok i will—
super thanks!
Roberto: man, I just wrote a lot…
me: i’m using it
Roberto: really?
me: or arguing against it
we’ll see
🙂
Roberto: I won’t be offended
5:24 PM I’m only right when it comes to comic books and personal hygiene
so there
okay
me: i’m at my strongest when I’m arguing against you so it might turn out better that way
Roberto: over and out
me: ciao!
Roberto: I forgot how cute you are, jesus!
me: cuídate!
Roberto: okay
bye bye
Apr
5
McOndo: Post 13
Posted by: | April 5, 2010 | Comments Off on McOndo: Post 13
I like the motive behind this McOndo. As I said in my other blogs, the issue with the other authors is that they write to revitalize Latin America but in doing so exoticize Latin America, therefore writing it for a European audience. I like that in…
Apr
4
Span 365 McOndo
Posted by: | April 4, 2010 | Comments Off on Span 365 McOndo
The various stories read are a lot different form the other books read. They feel more real, they deal with real life and have more basic and human themes, the most prominent of which is sex and relationships between people as well as life.These storie…
Apr
4
Las calles desconocidas
Posted by: | April 4, 2010 | Comments Off on Las calles desconocidas
Después de leer los textos, me di cuenta que este tipo de escritura es muy diferente que el de las obras de García Márquez, Asturias y Carpentier. Como explique en la introducción, McOndo es un país que se adelanta del reino del realismo mágico y…
Apr
4
Cuentos de McOndo
Posted by: | April 4, 2010 | Comments Off on Cuentos de McOndo
Estos cuentos de McOndo me parecen relevantes, y exploran cosas que puedo entender porque son evidentes en nuestro mundo tan globalizado. Exploran problemas o asuntos que yo he experimentado en mi vida. Los cuentos que he escogido son “La Noche de u…
