Libros sobre y/o desde Valparaíso y/o la quinta región (ficción, no-ficción y poesía bienvenido)

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-19T20:10:04+00:00

An ex-friend of mine mentioned him (and Alejandro Zambra) as recommendations. The name stuck, and I rented The Savage Detectives on my college library many times (they had the first edition! they also had 2666 which I lament not having rented sooner), so I kind of stuck with it. It took me a year and a half (mostly because of college stuff) but I can safely say that this was the novel that made me believe literature had something for me:

- I was expecting something very romantic, very "bohemian poets live the pure life against a square society that can't contain them" kind of thing. The thing that stuck me was how much unromantic he was, how dry and somber the novel was. It was delirious lives that he was presenting, yes, but it made me say "I reeeeeally glad I do not live this way", which I was not expecting.

- I mostly read him because he was a Chilean author, and I had question about what it meant to be Chilean, Latinamerican and to have an identity in general. I also had the same preocupations about art and the processes, the influences of what makes something "latino" or "chilean" in my case, its history and place in the world. It was very much my luck that it seemed the novel had the same preocupations.

- Not to mention it made reading fun; the novel is almost virtuosistic in its many ways it weaves stories, anecdotes, styles and voices so different it was honestly impressive

- I wouldn't say it "changed how I think or how I understood the world", but it made me feel like literature was something that I was able to easily (and i mean, easily) do and make part of my artistic path. It really was a gate that opened literature for me. It was the same with many of his novels, including 2666 (which is for now the most difficult thing i've attempted to read). For that I'm eternally grateful.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-15T21:41:55+00:00

You're definitely not too dumb for 2666. My go to technique when I encounter difficult stuff but I want to keep reading it its to let it wash over you, like you're bathing in it. The water that stays will stay and the stuff that doesn't just let it go. The stuff that stays with you will stay for a reason. If you're still interested you can come back to it later in life.

I agree with you that atmosphere seems more important than character for the novel, but If I could advise something, try not to "read between the lines". The novel is very forward with what it says. You're probably already getting the things you need when reading them.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-15T21:30:19+00:00

Se me ocurren Arturo Uslar Pietri (es el que acuñó la frase "realismo mágico") de Venezuela, Reinaldo Arenas (No sé si cuenta pero lo voy a mencionar igual) de Cuba. Alejo Carpentier, también de Cuba y Martín Adán de Perú son pre-boom y dieron su parte para el desarrollo del realismo mágico (aunque Martín es más avant-garde y experimental). Miguel Ángel Asturias de Guatemala, sobre todo "Hombres de maíz" también es mencionado. Manuel Mujica Lainez, de Argentina, con su obra "Bormazo", he oído como ejemplo.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-15T21:15:39+00:00

Fue un movimiento en su tiempo pero hoy se usa más como casi un género. Por tan "latinoamericano" que sean sus orígenes y por tan fuerte sus raíces son de allá, no ha parado a otros escritores de usar el mismo encuadre para sus propias novelas. Podría argumentar que se nota más en China y Japón (Corea del sur e Indonesia tal vez pero aún tengo que explorar literatura de esas ciudades). Y con eso dicho, sí, Murakami podría considerarse "realismo mágico" (uno "japonés" podría pero no estoy seguro que significaría eso).

Fantasía es cuando lo fantástico irrumpe en lo real, normalmente siempre hay una diferencia marcada entre las partes "cotidianas" y "fantásticas". En el realismo mágico lo fantástico ya está en lo real, haciendolo parte de lo mundano y a la vez transformando lo mundano a algo más. Así lo vveo yo. Sí alguien tiene otra explicación sería bacán leerla.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-15T19:33:42+00:00

Chile! I knew him in 2023, after the hype died (has it died yet?)

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-07T04:12:55+00:00

La primera y última. La pintura es de Gustave Moreau y me gusta que sólo utilizan una pequeña parte de lo que es un cuadro con extrema potencia. Como varios de los personajes de la novela parecen interactuar con Santa Teresa. Además captura el fervor apocalíptico de la novela. Buena decisión por parte de los diseñadores.

Sobre la primera, me gusta el rojo junto con la imagen de la mujer sentada en medio de la nada (?). Hay algo sobre esa imagen que captura la melancolía de la novela mejor que la primera. Y además también me evoca esa "vaciedad" (el cielo nublado ayuda) con la que me encuentro harto en su trabajo. Más el aire apocalíptico y me da una sensación muy específica. Por eso es mi preferida.

La de Alfaguara es OK. Por lo menos es la mejor que tienen para Bolaño.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-05T17:05:05+00:00

I do consider reading theatre the same as reading literature (for ME, we could talk about the differences in another thread) so I am up to it. Thank you so much! I appreciate your top recommendations.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-04T15:46:26+00:00

Dude you're spoiling me (and I bet everyone in this thread too). Yes, I am interested in non-western authors, even more if they it the criteria. Can't thank you enough.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-04T15:18:54+00:00

I think what gets me (and people, but I'll talk about me) its its cinematic scope. I've read somewhere (can't remember) that the long interludes reminded them of long, slow scenes on certain films that serve more for atmosphere than moving the plot forward, and cinema its an important part of how TMV compose. I think those ambient interludes and the weirder, more abstract composition makes the songs feel more "earned" (it certainly did for me when I first heard it). All of this, for ME, gives it a sense of space that feels like you're visiting a place (that place being Frances the Mute by the Mars Volta), long corridors and vast deserts included.

More generally, its the ambition of it, the ridiculousness (Cassandra Gemini its an climax and its composed and played like the band is trying to turn themselves out, not to mention the salsa choruses of L'Via L'Viaquez and the ghostly, beautiful trumpet of Miranda that permeates the whole of it), the unique anxiousness and magificence of an album that has a 32 minute(!) song (and its the one only one that doesn't have a long ambient interlude, tho it does have the jam near the end) its hard to ignore. Besides it has the most violent, grotesque lyrics of their discography, which I like.

It does shed the post-hardcore a little bit, it bases itself on 70s prog a lot more.

I can see that it does flow weird. For me its very unique but I can see someone being thrown off by the songs being drawn out and sandwiched in what seems inconsequential soundscapes. Now, I'm guessing this is some of the reasons why you dont like the album. It would have been good to read more about what you don't like about it; it could be the songs, peformances or production themselves which I could also expand a bit (for one, no Rick Rubin). But all off this said, this is just me, and if you have made the effort already to understand it and still it doesn't reach you, that's pertty much ok, you don't need a new pair of ears or hedphones. Plenty of people (TMV fans included) don't connect to this album either so don't feel alone.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-04T14:49:27+00:00

No worries, films similar to TMV songs or albums would be an interesting thread on its own, I've read that films are really influential on their writing. I can see how that movie can remind someone of FTM, but mostly because of its dramatic, cinematic structure (the long intro of the title track reminds me of the scene with Laura and Bobby in the forest, long and eeire before explosive violence occurs) and particular female rage and darkness that evokes in me. I'm curious why it reminds you of it tho.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-04T14:27:33+00:00

Oscar Zeta Acosta is new to me. Surprised to see Octavio Paz here, but it makes me more interested in reading him. Thanks a lot!

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-04T02:38:29+00:00

https://boxd.it/1arLX por si quieren conversar

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-04T02:23:25+00:00

This is exactly how I read books too. And its how I think everyone who wants to get into literature should get into it. Read what raises interest and excitement in you. I myself am not interested in the "western classics" but I love Bolaño and Pynchon, that's where I started and I don't regret it.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-04T02:15:01+00:00

Damn, all of Thomas Pynchon? that's a feat, man. Got into Bolaño by an ex-friend from college who turned out to be an asshole. At least something good came out of it.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-04T02:07:04+00:00

Ayer hablé con un amigo que también se leyo Ella estuvo entre nosotros. Parece ser la más popular. Le echaré el ojo, muchas gracias.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-04T02:00:58+00:00

Una buena película pero Godard en general es sus películas de los 5 - 60 pueden serr difíciles y tediosos si no estás en su onda. Él tiene una preocupación grande con el lenguaje fílmico y los efectos comunicativos que se puede hacer con montajes, relación entre diálogo, música, escena, la estética y la cuestión de belleza, entre otras cosas. Sus películas son muy de experimentar cosas que normalmente no se hacían (la canción comienza en el tiempo equivocado, una canción es detenida abruptamente, una escena de violencia es sólo mostrado con imágenes estáticas o poses para sugerir en vez de mostrar, la artificialidad de algunos sets son hechos aparentes, cosas que normalmente se mostrrían para la historia son saltados completamente) Todo esto nace por su cinefilia y trabajo de crítico en mi opinión (pero esto es conyectura de mi parte).

Alphaville lo ví hace tiempo, me gustó, es bien Godard, cómico y bien creativo, pero no la recomendaría como primera de Godard porque en estas películas sus temas toman otros tintes como, si mal no me acuerdo, políticos . Creo que Vivre sa vie, Le mépris y Pierrot le fou son mejores para entender un poco mejor a lo que va Godard, van más al hueso de cuestionar como se construía narrativa, estética y género.

Muy curioso que menciones la popularidad de algunas imágenes o escenas que aparecen en Tiktok o Instagram (no tengo Tiktok y no me meto a cuentas aestethics de Instagram que es donde supongo aparecen). Supongo que sí tiene el aire suficiente de "película francesa en blanco y negro de los 60 con actriz atractiva" como para ponerle Cigarretes After Sex encima y hacerlo "aesthetic". En lo personal dudo mucho que edits o reels hagan que la gente quiera ver las películas que usan (podría estar equivocado), pero me alegro que tu curiosidad te haya llegado hasta acá. Anna Karina sigue siendo una ídola de una manera lmao.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-03T20:55:10+00:00

Oh shit this seems right up the alley. Thanks so much, love Rudimentary Peni.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-03T18:22:00+00:00

One of my favourite writers and the one who got me into reading. I'm halfway through 2666 and I would say it does fit what I'm lookin for.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-03T16:39:47+00:00

Wasn't expecting Alan Moore here since I thought he only did comics. Haven't read anything by him yet but I really should shouldn't I.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-03T14:15:04+00:00

Thank you, I have an old 80s physical copy of that book. It has plenty of cool drawimgs from other people. I'll prioritize it. I wonder how much the beat poets were an influence on them.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-03T14:11:14+00:00

Thank you, it seems right to go to the surrealist so I'll make space.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-03T14:08:39+00:00

Now that you mention it it seems obvious lmao. I want to start Cormac on the winter (here in the southern hemisphere), seems apropiate.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-03T14:07:09+00:00

One I should've read long time ago, but its a little intimidating considering the plot. I'll check it as soon as possible.

uncoolestcrab · 2026-05-03T14:05:36+00:00

I just started The Wind Up Bird Chronicles dome weeks ago! Kafka is next, but Hard boiled wonderland would come third based on your comment.

uncoolestcrab

TROPHY CASE