Change Must Come

I don't think that the title to my blog is working. Since I don't see any way of changing the name of my blog, I am going to transfer over to a new one. Saying LATIN WORLD isn't attracting the people that I wanted, English speakers that are interesting in deepening their understanding of Spanish. It may take me a while to create a new blog, then delete the old one. Patience, please.

This Place Is A Big Help!

As I struggle my way through "La Tia Julia Y El Escribidor" (Aunt Julia And The Scriptwriter), I find myself enormously grateful to spanishdict.com for helping me to cope with all of the vocabulary stumblings. I recommend this site to all who want to read Spanish/Latin American works in their own language!

http://www.spanishdict.com

All That Vocabulary!

A major stumbling block for those trying to imbibe another language is vocabulary, vocabulary, vocabulary. Spanish is especially prone to causing frustration in this area because there are many, many dialects; reading literature from different Spanish Speaking areas exposes you to an enormous number of words that are vital for understanding. This causes me to read a book in Spanish much more slowly than I would read the same book in English. It takes incredible patience to attain true knowledge of the Spanish language because after you put aside the first basic textbook, you realize that nobody in the world speaks or writes (real books) in Standard Spanish.

I am planning to start a blog where I write almost everything in Spanish, but I am not naive enough to believe that I can do it without making mistakes and scrambling lots of meanings. I hope that people will politely point out my mistakes to me. Laugh if you want! It is not my fault that I was not born a native speaker, but I am very optimistic that I can come close.

Joyful Reading!

I love reading AUNT JULIA AND THE SCRIPTWRITER (La Tía Julia Y  El Escribidor) by Llosa! What an enjoyable book. I'm going to spend a lot of time with this work of wonderful literature before moving on. Pedro Camacho is a name I'm remembering as I work thriugh this book.

Llosa versus Màrquez

I absolutely LOVE reading AUNT JULIA AND THE SCRIPTWRITER! My first Llosa reading. Can it be that I will like Llosa better than Màrquez?

I am thinking of creating a second blog where I write in Spanish, and use this one for English. If I choose to do so, I know that I will make plenty of mistakes using the Spanish language, for it is not my native tongue. But it will be fun, and I may get that much closer to native ability.

Solitude for Latinos?

In EL AMANTE DEL TEATRO, Lorenzo O'Shea wants to take time from work so he can sit all day and watch this woman across from him move around in her apartment, sometimes with the curtain drawn, sometimes with it open, but never in communication with her. How can anybody spend day after day doing that?

Here are Carlos Fuentes' words in this story: "La soledad no espanta a los hispanos. and "Ningùn latino se ha muerto de soledad." He is saying that solitude doesn't scare hispanics and that no Latino ever died from being alone.

Understanding La Latindad--Or Trying To!

En Fuente's EL AMANTE DEL TEATRO, I catch something of the Latino mindset..at least I think.  When Lorenzo falls in love with the woman across from him by watching her through his window, he thinks nothing of going to a Spanish doctor (there in la Gran Bretaña) and requesting a fake certificate of illness so he can sit and wiatch this woman for a month without going to work. Why would an otherwise honest Spanish doctor in Great Britain do this? Because AMOR comes first, before all other causes. Also because it is a great way to "get back" at snooty British who feel themselves so superior. For those of you who read Spanish, consider these lines:

"Oponerle obstàculos al amor es un delito superior a extender un falso certificado de enfermidad."

"La Latindad, cuando no es ejercicio que perfecciona la envidia, es complicidad nutrida por el sentimiento de que, siendo culturalmente superiores, recibimos trato de segundones en tierras imperiles."


These lines are from Carlos Fuentes' El Amante Del Teatro or The Theater Lover. I hope I'm not breaking any laws by quoting them.

Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter?

I have temporarily misplaced my copy of Fuentes' "Inqueta Compañía". As I was in the mood to work on my Spanish Lit, I picked up Mario Vargas Llosa's "La Tía Julia Y El Escribidor." So far it's about a man who studied law for security but really wished he could be a writer. He has a good job as the Director of Information at Radio Panamericana. Llosa has a very interesting style of writing and I'm finding the book enjoyable. I think I will finsih this book and get back to Fuentes' novelas later.

Novela or Short Story?

I have begun reading Carlos Fuentes' novela (or short story) EL AMANTE DEL TEATRO. It is included in a book of Novelas (or short stories) titled: INQUIETA COMPAÑIA. Lots of what is called La Latindad is talked about in this story. It's quite exciting so far. The hero is Lorenzo O'Shea. He explains that lots of Mexicans have Irish surnames because lots of Anglo-Irish migration happened to Mexico, not just the Spanish as we may think.

Learning To Read Spanish?

Recently I went to a Borders clearance sale and was happy to come across a book called EASY SPANISH READER--A THREE-PART TEXT FOR BEGINNING READERS. It is a wonderful book to use to get started in reading Spanish. BY WILLIAM T TARDY. It is interesting, full of cultural elements, and starts with easy Spanish that gradually gets more complex. When I run across someone who is earnestly longing to learn to read in Spanish, I will likely present the book to them as a gift.

Native American versus the Spanish White

The Pedro Paramo story took place during the Mexican Revolution, a time of Indian Revolt against the White Mexican establishment. Actually, most Mexicans had got their blood mixed by this time. But darker and poorer, Indian by culture, having no social status, marked you as un Indígeno, and you knew which side you were on.

So Abundio kills Pedro Pàramo in the end. In the beginning of the story, Abundio reveals himself to Juan Preciado as another son of Señor Paramo, born on a petate on the floor. That probably means that he was not legitimate, as Juan Preciado was though his mother had been cast off.

Abundio's description of Sr. Pàramo was: "He's hate. He's just pure hate."

Portuguese Too

I worked on some Brazilian Portuguese this weekend. I have a long, long ways to go with it. Spanish will always be my first love, but this language holds a lot of importance, too.

Today I worked to finish reading a commentary (en castellano) on Cien Años De Soledad, and I intend to finish watching the Pedro Pàramo movie (en castellano) on You Tube.

Finished! In Less Than a Hundred Years

I finished Cien Años De Soledad (One Hundred Years Of  Solitude) By Márquez. All in Spanish. But I can't brag, because I didn't really absorb it the way I wanted to. I was so busy looking up words I didn't know that I tended to lose my train of thought. It will take a re-reading to truly get it into my mind, get the genealogy straight, etc. But I'm  not going to re-read it right away. Next, I am planning to read "Inquieta Compañía" by Carlos Fuentes. It is a collection of short stories that really interests me.

I apologize to anybody reading this blog who feels that I don't have my act together with reviewing these books. I have to go into this slowly. Remember it is the capturing the nuances in the Spanish language   that interests me the most, not the story lines of the literature, although they interest me, too.

Pedro Páramo Movie?

I found the old Pedro Páramo movie in Spanish on You Tube. I have only watched asmall part so far, but it is helping me to "connect" with the story.

Some Thoughts on Pedro Páramo

Juan Preciado travels back to Comala to meet his father, as his dying mother had requested. On the way he meets a man who says that this father, Pedro Páramo, was also his father, and that "He's hate. He's just pure hate." and that "we were born on a petate on the floor." (Not Juan Preciado, who's mother was legally married to Señor Preciado).

These quotes of from an English translation of Pedro Páramo by Lysander Kemp.

Understanding Oral Spanish

Lately I have been focusing on Spanish Listening Comprehension rather than reading books. The books are still important to me, and I will return to them soon.

Some Books are Read in English

I am reading Pedro Paramos by Juan Rulfo in English translation. In my list below, I am reading all of the books in Spanish. Here I will report what I read in English, for I don't have the money to buy a copy of everything in Spanish. Plus it would take too long, anyway.

Not Trying To Be A Scholar!

This is not about intellectuality, being scholarly, looking smart, etc. I'm trying to understand Spanish deeply, to tap the nuances. Lots of very good reading will help me to do this. I want to get to know that Latin soul...

List Of Spanish and Latin American Books

I am going to read these books for my portfolio (part of a college degree EQUIVALENCY!) and write quality essays on each. Please be patient, for it will take me a while to construct this list.

Chile



Colombia

Cien Años De Soledad por Gabriel García
El Amor En Los Tiempos De Colera por Gabriel García Màrquez
Crónica De Una Muerte Anunciada
María por Jorge Isaacs

Mexico

Inquieta Compañía por Carlos Fuentes
Un Grito Desesperado por Carlos Cuauhtémoc Sànchez
Malinche por Laura Esquivel
Manual Del Abogado--Pràctica Jurídica por Carlos Arellano García


Peru

La Ciudad Y Los Perros por Mario Vargas Llosa
La Tía Julia Y El Escribidor    "            "         "
Travesuras De La Niña Mala                       Llosa

Spain

La Colmena por Camilo José Cela
Platero Y Yo por Jiménez

Reading Again

I was so happy to get back to my reading of CIEN AÑOS DE SOLEDAD. I am now 3/4 of the way through. For some reason, I have a passion for reading good books in Spanish!

Recovering From the Spanish Push

Why is that whenever I get passionate about Spanish and study like crazy, I end up being deathly sick for a while?

Lately I have been including a slight study of Brazilian Portuguese. But I don't understand why I keep getting sick! I'm too stubborn to give it all up, yet I can't deal with feeling so sick that I think I am going to die. Maybe I am not eating right.

Audio Spanish

I have a few Puerta del Sol left over from the days when I used to subscribe to them, before the recession hit. Cassette tapes! Am I outdated or what? They date from 2006-2009. I listen to them frequently, and they still help a lot. I don't know when I will again be able to subscribe, if ever. I listen to videos on Univisión instead.

Lately I have found myself  dabbling with elementary Brazilian Portuguese, hoping I will be able to have that language under my belt, too. But it will take time.

Book List?

Soon I will make a list of all the books that I will read, write short essays on, and include in a special electronic portfolio. No, I don't have a college degree. The portfolio and a few certifications will be my substitute.

Although it is getting easier and easier for me, I still get frustrated that, while reaing a literary work, I have to stop and look up a word. And then another word, and then another word...

How Do I Understand Solitude?

I am struggling to grasp the Latin concept of Solitude or SOLEDAD. The theme comes up in literature frequently, giving me the impression that it is an important aspect of their culture. Anyone reading this is welcome to try to enlighten me.

Reading In Spanish: Hard Work!

It's hard work to read in Spanish when your native language is English.

I am 3/4 of the way through CIEN AÑOS DE SOLEDAD (One Hundred Years Of  Solitude) por Gabriel García Márquez. But I will have to read it, again, for it is difficult to follow a story line when you are struggling with Spanish vocabulary.