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.