Is this worth reading? I just finished my first Bolano book (Amulet)

The english Picador edition is quite neat and articulate

>>9765702
Of 2666 i mean

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>>9765697
I say this as an avid Bolano enthusiast, go to The Savage Detectives or some of his shorter works (Nazi Literature, Last Evenings...). while I have not read his poetry collections, his poetry does translate into his fiction and SD is sort of a parody of his poetic ventures. Though I have no doubt that his poetry is just as blissful as his writing, I think his fiction will be more of a welcome to you.


Fuck it, Bolano thread!

>>9765754
Yeah, I just figured the poetry might be a more "pure" version of what he wanted to say, since he apparently started writing fiction in order to be more marketable and support his family. His prose is definitely poetic though, you're right about that. I'll start with SD, since I know it's in the same fictional universe as Amulet to some extent. What's your favorite book of his?

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>>9765835
2666. It is a culmination of most his works and is absolutely jarring. What I took away from that book still sticks with me to this day and has completely reshaped how I see the world.

I discovered Bolano by chance when I came across Nazi Literatures and read it in a day, by the end of the week I had bought several of his works. I read Savage Detecs in a week when I was waylaid with the flu, the whole fever dream atmosphere roped me in further, so much that I began having literal fever dreams of riding in cars in Mexico, it was a really vivid time and a hell of an experience (though I don't know if I'd recommend it, as I was throwing up a lot)

Enjoy, I hope you'll come to appreciate him as much as I do!

>>9765697
His poetry is very prosaic, and his novels quitepoetic, so there's really no difference between the two. That said, his poetry is not as good as his narrative, nor is it as highly regarded. You aren't losing much (also considering that you are reading a translation) if you dismiss his poetry and focus solely on his narrative.
Also, i would advise to keep learning spanish. There's an incredible amount of masterpieces, both poetic and prose, that are best read in Spanish. Literature in spanish is as rich as its english or french counterparts, while having more unique voices, thanks to the many countries of latin america that produce great literature

>>9765880
2666 seems interesting to me but doesn't it bother you that it was unfinished? I feel like I wouldn't be able to stop thinking about what was missing if I were to read it.

I can tell from Amulet that it's best to read him in a dreamlike state of mind, truth be told I'm sure I missed a lot of what he was trying to convey but with further reading and thought I'll hopefully be able to uncover more of it.

>>9765935
Ok that's good to hear, although I might still read the poetry after his major works since I tend to prefer poetry in general.

I'm planning on studying Russian lit but Spanish was my second choice, that's definitely the next language I want to focus on. Do you have any favorites or recommendations that might be hard to find elsewhere?

>>9765979
While it is unfinished, it does leave some threads resolved, and partially thats what I like about it. I took the unresolved aspect of it similar to how a certain character feels about The Crimes

Haven't read him yet. Have copies of 2666 and SD. I've read a few "difficult" books recently, so I'm looking to take at least a small break from those. How does Balano stack up to the difficult books pushed around here? Pynchon, Gaddis, McElroy, etc. SD sounds really fun, but if it's a tough one I might read some short stories/shorter novels for a bit. Same question for 2666. Thanks in advance.

>>9766361
Well, I'm glad I read a shorter work first to get an idea of what he was about. As for those other books, they're American pomo, which Bolaño isn't really a member of, so he's not quite as annoyingly difficult as they might be.

>>9765697
>>9765935
>That said, his poetry is not as good as his narrative, nor is it as highly regarded.
I have heard this as well.

>>9766361
>How does Balano stack up to the difficult books pushed around here?
I have only read Savage Detectives, but I thought it was extremely accessible and blew through it in under a week. Only thing that makes it inaccessible is that the middle 70% or so of the book is very meandering and plotless with lots of different narrators. This is why lots of readers grow bored with the book and abandon it (they are plebs who read for plot). Page for page it is very easy going. Would appreciate if someone could chime in on the relative difficulty of SD and 2666 as that one sounds a bit intimidating.

>they like Bolaño

He's bad even in Spanish.

>>9766405
Thanks for the reply. Really appreciate it. I also have a copy of By Night In Chile. Might read that first and then go on to SD.

>>9766502
Thanks to you, too. I'll get into him soon. Little over halfway through The Sound and the Fury right now. Will probably start something of his right after this.

>>9766361
2666 is only difficult because of its subject matter. The prose is very lucid and hardly opaque.