The Savage Detectives
Back of the Book
New Year's Eve, 1975: Arturo Belano and Ulises Lima, founders of the visceral realist movement in poetry, leave Mexico City in a borrowed white Impala. Their quest: to track down the obscure, vanished poet Cesárea Tinajero. A violent showdown in the Sonora desert turns search to flight; twenty years later Belano and Lima are still on the run.
The explosive first long work by "the most exciting writer to come from south of the Rio Grande in a long time" (Ilan Stavans, Los Angeles Times), The Savage Detectives follows Belano and Lima through the eyes of the people whose paths they cross in Central America, Europe, Israel, and West Africa. This chorus includes the muses of visceral realism, the beautiful Font sisters; their father, an architect interned in a Mexico City asylum; a sensitive young follower of Octavio Paz; a foul-mouthed American graduate student; a French girl with a taste for the Marquis de Sade; the great-granddaughter of Leon Trotsky; a Chilean stowaway with a mystical gift for numbers; the anorexic heiress to a Mexican underwear empire; an Argentinian photojournalist in Angola; and assorted hangers-on, detractors, critics, lovers, employers, vagabonds, real-life literary figures, and random acquaintances.
A polymathic descendant of Borges and Pynchon, Roberto Bolaño traces the hidden connection between literature and violence in a world where national boundaries are fluid and death lurks in the shadow of the avant-garde. The Savage Detectives is a dazzling original, the first great Latin American novel of the twenty-first century.
Why You Should Read It
Aggressively literary, Bolaño’s engagement with the Latin American literary scene and its involvement with the politics of the time might come off initially as intimidating or inaccessible but readers will come to respect the way the author pays homage to the intelligence of his audience by indulging us in a plot that explores the nuances in the intersection of poetry and the lore of the Latin American Revolutionary spirit. The dual timelines in The Savage Detectives display the mystery that surrounds massive literary figures in the Latin American literary scene, whether the political conditions in the country can sustain its artistic potential or create an artistic opposition to it, as well as the initial rise to literary fame of the artist figure. An examination of the consequences and legacy of (widely acknowledged) literary greatness and its consequences on both the author and his readers. Bolaño’s sophisticated whimsy carries on the tradition of magic realism that breathes life into the complex plot.
Memorable Passage
I kept having dreams all night. I thought they were touching me with their fingers. But dreams don't have fingers, they have fists, so it must have been scorpions.
About the Author
Roberto Bolaño (1953–2003) was a Chilean novelist and poet whose literary prowess and innovative storytelling have established him as one of the most significant figures in contemporary Latin American literature. Born in Santiago, Bolaño's works, such as 2666 and The Savage Detectives, are known for their expansive narratives, intricate plots, and a cast of characters that reflect the complexities of the post-dictatorship era in Chile and the broader Latin American landscape. Bolaño's writing, marked by a blend of dark humor, existential inquiry, and keen social commentary, resonates with readers globally. Beyond his contribution to literature, Bolaño's life, including his experiences as an expatriate in Mexico and Spain, adds a layer of intrigue to his legacy. He is worth knowing for his ability to capture the zeitgeist of his time, his impact on the global literary scene, and the lasting influence of his work, which continues to inspire writers and readers alike.
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