2666 Discussion

>>8671205
Its one of the greatest contemporary works of our time. Read in spanish if possible

>>8671205
Apparently Dracula makes a cameo.

>>8671205
>What are some of the notable themes?

globalism

>>8671205
The book is great, but I read it in Spanish so I don't know if it translates well.

>>8671205
Read it in Spanish, so I can't speak to the translation, but the NYT seems to like it.

Themes: uncertainty of reality and history; human cruelty; the transnationalization of evil; nazis.

If you're not sure if its worth your time, the posthumous "Los sinsabores del verdadero policía" (woes of the true policeman?) is much shorter and shares similar themes and character, but it's really just a draft for 2666

>>8671280
>"Los sinsabores del verdadero policía" (woes of the true policeman?)

Wasn't it considered a draft for a sixth volume of 2666? If so, it warrants more than just "shorter and similar."

>It was raining in the quadrangle, and the quadrangular sky looked like a grimace of a robot or a god made in our own likeness. The oblique drops of rain slid down the blades of grass in the park, but it would have made no difference if they had slid up. Then the oblique (drops) turned round (drops), swallowed up by the earth underpinning the grass, and the grass and the earth seemed to talk, no, not talk, argue, their comprehensible words like crystallized spiderwebs or the briefest crystallized vomitings, a barely audible rustling, as if instead of drinking tea that afternoon, Norton had drunk a steaming cup of peyote.

Yes it's worth it.

>>8671285
It's a good introduction to Bolaño's style and themes if OP doesn't want to read 1000+ pages.
It's more of a character study of Amalfitano, with similar philosophical themes

>>8671296
Oh and it also introduces Arcimboldi and gives some extra sketches of his novels.

>>8671280
is this book really graphic of disturbing? I'll read it regardless

>>8671310
*or

>>8671310
It has a lot of descriptions of corpse findings but in a scientific/journalistic kind of cold approach

>>8671310
Yes. Lots of dead women especially. A lot of the descriptions read like autopsy reports like >>8671317 mentioned. There's a necklace of women's nipples involved.

>>8671296
The only Bolaño I've read is Nocturno de Chile, the first 200 or so pages of Los detectives salvajes and a few of the stories in El gaucho insufrible, so I don't have a good handle on his oeuvre as a whole; but I remember some of my classmates in university making a big deal of his widow wanting to stretch out 2666's publication across the (projected) six volumes to make more money—one of them (I mean, classmate) saying that it was Bolaño's original intention, to leave a lasting inheritance to his dependents).
The fact that it might be (or have been planned, or sketched) as a study gives it more importance with regards to the author's creative process but less importance to his completed work, I think.

>>8671352
It was indeed Bolaño's original intention to stretch out the publication to leave his family more money -- thankfully his editor Ignacio Echevarría (who actually has a cameo in detectives salvajes as Iñaki Echevarne) managed to convince them otherwise. And anyways the family is making money through publishing other posthumous work, like Los sinsabores.

If you liked Nocturno de Chile, Estrella Distante has a similar setting (Chile during the dictatorship).

>>8671705
Nocturno is actually one of my favourite contemporary novellas (very much like Bernhard), but since nothing else by Bolaño seems to match it I've not read much else by him. I'll be sure to read Estrella distante since I'm actually very interested in narratives written under dictatorships.

Yep, it's very good. It's one of those books that make you nostalgic when you think back on some of the scenes.

>>8671288
Good excerpt. Don't remember this.

>>8671285
Shorter and worse.

It doesn't take that much time, it's the fastest long book i've ever read. I finished it in a week - for comparison i'm 350 pages through mason &Dixon at the moment two weeks in