Collections of short stories of noted Canadian writer Alice Munro of life in rural Ontario include Dance of the Happy Shades (1968) and Moons of Jupiter (1982); for these and vivid novels, she won the Nobel Prize of 2013 for literature.
People widely consider her premier fiction of the world. Munro thrice received governor general's award. She focuses on human relationships through the lens of daily life. People thus refer to this "the Canadian Chekhov."
Alice Munro at this point is a favourite. One of the writers 鈥搇ike Morrison, Baldwin, Proust, Tolstoy, Woolf among others, I can always expect to leave me marvelled, impressed and feeling a sense of loss parting with her work.
This collection of short stories was no different. Ten stories, each exploring the past, showing that the past isn't always some far-off place we can easily look back on, as though it's an antique object we raise and peer at, but also an ever-present and even intrusive part of life.
In the first and eponymous short story, a daughter reconstructs and examines her dead mother's past and the people her mother knew in her earlier years. In this and most of the stories, places the characters lived in/knew of are revisited and so are the people they knew in the past. As I read I kept thinking to myself this book is a perfect example of what Munro does with a short story. Expand and stretch narrative in her brilliant way, when you think you know where the story is headed, you are diverted and then brought back as things round up in a wonderful way. Story begetting story within short story, she does it so well to the point she makes it look easy, it's almost annoying how easy she makes it all look.
Most of the characters here are dealing with loss, regret, falling in and out of love. A wonderful book where Munro does with stories the way you'd expect someone with some elastic material like a balloon to, shape it into marvellous forms and graciously present them to you.
Munro never disappoints. These are all wonderful stories. Though, plot-wise, my life is nothing like the stories here, I am left wondering after each story how Munro knows my inner life so well. Her grasp of human nature, her evocation of the world of her characters: all of it is astounding. The more I read of Munro, the more I am convinced of her genius.
I must have read this more than 10 years ago, but as I re-read these short stories, I wasn't surprised to find that I easily remembered each and everyone. They all came back with overtones of my earlier reading in comparison to how I was responding to them now. The book of course hasn't changed - what has changed is me, and I suppose my reading requirements. I remember reading these stories with a kind of squeamish satisfaction - similar to when you pass an accident, driving slowly to absorb the awful details but secretly satisfied that you are not involved - that nothing that bad has happened to you.
I think Munro has tapped into that side of our behaviour - our tendency to gawk at the misfortune of others - and let's admit it the pleasure or enjoyment of feeling that we've managed to avoid such disasters - so far.
In addition to the 'drama' - there is the gossipy nature of many of the female characters. I think Munro is accurate in that this is an aspect of the small-town mindset and unfortunately it does seem more prevalent among the females, although the men also have their share of undesirable qualities - they resort to drink or violence when the narrowness of their lives is too much.
In "Goodness and Mercy"; a mother and daughter are on a cross-Atlantic ship. The mother, Bugs, is dying, more quickly than expected. The daughter, Averill has paid for the trip, out of money left to her by a father - never seen. Jeanine, a fellow passenger, invites the others to a party towards the end of the journey. Bugs feels too ill to attend but Averill goes, dressed up in her mother's finery.
"Your mother is not coming to the party?" said the professor to Averill. "Parties bore her," Averill said. "I get the impression that many things bore her," the professor said. "I have noticed that with performing artists, and it is understandable. They have to concentrate so much on themselves." "Who is this- the Statue of Liberty?" said the artist, brushing the silk of Averill's dress. "Is there a woman inside there at all?" Averill had heard that he had been discussing her with Jeanine lately, wondering if she was possibly a lesbian, and Bugs was not her mother but her rich and jealous lover. "Is there a woman or a hunk of concrete?" he said, moulding the silk to her hip. Averill didn't care. This was the last night that she would have to see him.
The men appear to be the main meanies so far, but wait a bit - and you'll see how Jeanine 'shines' just a page later. Also that reference to the Statue of Liberty is a rather succinct pointer to Averill's lack of freedom.
Jeanine said that somebody had told her once that when the milk was sour you could suspect a dead body on the ship. "I thought it was a kind of superstition," Jeanine said. "But he said no, there's a reason. The ice. They have used all the ice to keep the body, so the milk goes sour. He said he had known it to happen, on a ship in the tropics." The captain was asked, laughingly, if there was any such problem on board this ship. He said, "not that he knew of, no. And we have plenty of refrigerator space," he said. "Anyway you bury them at sea, don't you?" said Jeanine. "You can marry or bury at sea, can't you? Or do you really refrigerate them and send them home?" "We do as the case dictates," said the captain.
And here the captain tells a story about his own experiences, which Averill realizes is a life-buoy thrown to her - and suggests the possibility of benefit to her despite the gruesome reality of her mother's impending death.
But look at the callous cruelty of all those "thems" uttered by Jeanine - the offhand way in which she pretends she is not referring to Bugs.
Most of the stories offer this pattern of cruelty and humiliations as part of the reality of ordinary lives, and alongside this jealousy and competitiveness between people there is also another side of human suffering. There is intense loneliness and isolation in many of the characters.
In "Hold Me Fast, Don't Let Me Pass" a widow, named Hazel visits a town in Scotland that her husband used to visit during the war years. He was a Canadian pilot who had joined up with the British RAF. Hazel stays in a small hotel that is run by Annette, whom she quickly realizes is her husband's lover from that distant past. Hazel becomes involved, to a certain extent in the busy lives of Annette's contemporaries. Dudley Brown introduces himself to Hazel in the hotel, he's involved with Annette but at the same time there is a younger woman a red-head who pines after him. She lives with her child out of the village with the old lady, Miss Dobie - the same old lady that Jack, Hazel's husband lodged with back in 1940. This if you like is the story - apparent, but really there is a slightly different emphasis if you take note of a small paragraph at the beginning.
[Hazel] was a person you would not be surprised to find sitting by herself in a corner of the world where she didn't belong, writing things in a notebook to prevent the rise of panic. She had found that she was usually optimistic in the morning but the panic was a problem at dusk.
And there quite succinctly is the real story; it's a theme that is picked up in most of the other stories. I remember that my favourite from 10 years earlier was "Wigtime" and also "Differently" - both of these stories focus on a sexual intrigue - a woman in both cases leaving her husband, looking for broader horizons, more freedom. I remember reading these for the details of the affairs - how a woman could simply fall out of her marriage and into another man's bed - why? was the question I asked myself with delicious lasciviousness. But really - at this point in my reading neither of these stories drew me. I found love intrigues, the jealousies, the sorrows of partners deceived or forgotten rather bland, flat - and I wonder if this is in fact an element of Munro's style. On the surface her stories appear to be about all the dramas the highs and lows of daily life and yet, I found Hazel's "panic" present in these stories too.
In "Wigtime" two friends, who have known each other since they were in school, meet up and discuss how their lives have evolved over the years.
The other night when [Anita] had been sitting beside her mother's bed, waiting to give her mother an injection, she had thought about men, putting names one upon another as if to pass the time, just as you'd name great rivers of the world, or capital cities, or the children of Queen Victoria. She felt regret about some of them but no repentance. Warmth, in fact, spread from the tidy buildup. An accumulating satisfaction. "Well that's one way," said Margot staunchly. "But it seems weird to me. It does. I mean- I can't see the use of it, if you don't marry them."
We've just heard the story of how Margot gets her big house, out of her husband; several years ago she caught him in an affair with a young girl. And now she says "all I'd have to say was 'Wigtime', if he baulked at buying her anything she might need.
Margot concludes with a confession to her friend Anita:
"I'll tell you what I do," she said. "I go out and see Teresa." "Is she still there?" said Anita with great surprise. "Is Teresa still out at the store?" "What store?" said Margot. "Oh, no! No, no. The store's gone. Torn down years ago. Teresa's in the County Home. They have this what you call the Pyschiatric Wing out there now."
And so Margot relates how she goes out to see the woman whose husband she took, many years ago.
There is always with Munro this undercurrent to what is said in the main story. Often the extremes of human behaviour are very painful to read and yet there is also this softening as the characters in the stories either forgive themselves or make peace with what they have or haven't achieved in their lives - especially in relation to how all their "big" passions take on less and less importance as time passes.
I don't know whether I like these stories or not anymore. I feel as if there is a sane and subtle ridiculing of the human experience - but also something quite cold and callous about her interpretation of life. I'm not quite sure what she is offering as an alternative to her observations.
Wow, what a ride. Disquieting. Merciless. Thought-provoking. Two sisters, one man. Much misery. Men and women and their ascribed roles moving from generation to generation and leaving track on their children. Changing the pattern requires an effort that not all women are ready to make. Do we get any choice at making effective decisions about what our life is going to be like? Religion, society and fear become the worst enemies towards emancipation. There is no time to hesitate, because life releases a blow when one is not expecting it, and it cuts our plans short. Cautionary tale with subversive undertone, quintessentially Munro.
Coming back to Alice Munro - she speaks to me in an entirely new way, now. Stories of adult daughters and mothers and sickness and grief; infidelities and eccentricities; stories of aging - the "sardonic droop of defeat" (Differently, p. 218). Stories of women's friendships. Stories of how life happens to people, and what they become when it does. All perfectly realized, quiet and wise, perfectly told and told completely. Captured into a form over which Munro exerts complete control, making it all look so easy. Stunning.
Munro elbesz茅l茅sei az茅rt t疟nhetnek lass煤dadnak, mert egy olyan t茅rben j谩tsz贸dnak (a vid茅ki Kanad谩ban), ami a cselekm茅nytelens茅g lehelet茅t 谩rasztja mag谩b贸l. Olyan, mintha itt nem t枚rt茅nne, nem is t枚rt茅nhetne semmi 茅rdemleges, 茅pp ez茅rt csattan hangosan minden pofon, 茅pp ez茅rt olyan hangos minden botr谩ny. K枚zben meg a Munro-elbesz茅l茅s minden, csak nem esem茅nytelen, s艖t, igaz谩b贸l kifejezetten gazdag cselekm茅nyben, hisz komplett 茅letek vannak sz疟k 35-50 oldalba t枚m枚r铆tve. A k枚tet novell谩ira jellemz艖, hogy k茅t id艖s铆k van egym谩sra mont铆rozva: a m煤lt 茅s az 茅vtizedekkel k茅s艖bbi fikt铆v jelen, ahonnan a szerepl艖k visszatekintenek egykori 枚nmagukra. A k茅t id艖s铆k k枚z茅 r茅tegzett 茅vek pedig olyanok, ak谩r a mikroszk贸p lencs茅je: rajtuk kereszt眉l az 茅rintettek alaposabban, tal谩n okosabban tanulm谩nyozhatj谩k egykor elk枚vetett hib谩ikat.
Hm, tal谩n elhamarkodottan haszn谩ltam a "hiba" kifejez茅st. Mert mi is a hiba? L茅tezik hiba, ami m谩r az elk枚vet茅s pillanat谩ban az, vagy csak a k枚vetkezm茅ny teszi azz谩? T茅ny, hogy Munro szerepl艖i t枚bbnyire elk枚vetnek valamit, amit艖l addig konvencion谩lis mederben csordog谩l贸 茅let眉k saj谩tos ir谩nyt vesz. De a tett m枚g茅 茅kelt id艖 nem csak lencsek茅nt m疟k枚dik, hanem egyben el is mossa annak hiba-jelleg茅t: nem 铆t茅lkez茅sre, hanem tanulm谩nyoz谩sra buzd铆t. Mert ha meg茅lt眉k, tett眉nk k枚vetkezm茅nye nem k枚vetkezm茅ny, hanem maga a meg茅lt 茅let.
Munro azon ritka 铆r贸k k枚z茅 tartozik, aki egyszerre tud sz铆vvel 茅s 茅sszel 铆rni. Senki nem tud annyit a kapcsolatok felsz铆ne alatt megh煤z贸d贸 titkos v谩gyakr贸l 茅s elv谩gy贸d谩sokr贸l, mint 艖.
Alice Munro's short stories are always a delight to read, and Friend of My Youth is no exception. In almost every collection of hers I have read, there is a line or two of description that makes me start out of my chair and realize, yes, that perfectly describes something I have been feeling.
Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in 欧宝娱乐 policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at
鈥橝mistad de juventud鈥� es un colecci贸n de diez relatos que bien pueden considerarse peque帽as novelas. Por las p谩ginas de estas diez historias, transitan mujeres que rememoran su pasado y a las que vamos conociendo a trav茅s de sus sue帽os y deseos, as铆 como de las decisiones que las han perfilado en lo que son en la actualidad. Una mujer que sue帽a con su madre muerta; una maestra que se ha de hospedar por un tiempo en casa de unos cameronianos; la aventura de una mujer casada; el viaje en barco que realizan una mujer al borde de la muerte y su hija; algunos retazos de la vida de una poetisa, etc. Estos son solo algunos de los elementos que componen estos cuentos. Pero en ellos hay mucho m谩s, porque aunque se trate de historias cortas, Alice Munro no necesita mucho m谩s de que esas pocas p谩ginas para abordar la complejidad de lo que podemos encontrarnos en una novela.
La mayor铆a de las mujeres que retrata Munro comparten deseos de libertad y domesticidad, se debaten entre el anhelo por la seguridad de un hogar y su af谩n de independencia. Y a煤n cuando siguen los imperativos de su libertad personal, estos personajes, a diferencia de muchos otros de la ficci贸n contempor谩nea, que son incapaces de reinventarse a s铆 mismos sin hacer tabula rasa, son capaces de tender lazos con ex amantes, amigos de la infancia o parientes lejanos, reconociendo que el pasado ha dado forma al futuro.
Estamos, por tanto, no ante historias dulces, sino antes historias realistas, escritas (o traducidas) con la minuciosa y excelente prosa que es habitual en Alice Munro. Historias que, si bien no llegan al nivel de otras que he le铆do anteriormente, siguen siendo igual de recomendables.
Small town southern Ontario settings, ordinary people going about nothing more spectacular than living, loving, working, dying; but Alice Munro turns the seemingly mundane into glowing, jewel-like tales that reveal the 鈥榮hameless, marvellous, shattering absurdity鈥� of life. Each story leaves you faintly breathless, full of wonder at how she can so smoothly pull back the curtain, reveal the essence, the core of being. What I particularly loved in this, her seventh collection, first published in 1990, is how she allows you to see the kernel of the creative process, how she speculates as to the motivation of the figures she has created from newspaper reports or a letter of her mother鈥檚, how she makes the reader party to her lack of real knowledge about them. But then how can we ever know another person? We don鈥檛 even know ourselves.
Fran Lebowitz on Toni Morrison: 鈥淪he鈥檚 one of my best friends, and she is the only wise person I鈥檝e ever known. I know lots of very smart people, but I only know one wise person.鈥� I listened to Fran say this a while ago now, but it stuck. There are very intelligent writers, who craft these stories and novels packed with strong feelings of empathy and compassion for how and why people behave, and live, as they do. There are masterful works, humanist or not, formally inventive and innovative, by brilliant minds 鈥� wisdom isn鈥檛 required. Wisdom is something else. I don鈥檛 know what wisdom is the way I know that 1 + 1 = 2. But I feel strongly that Alice Munro was not only an intelligent writer, person and artist, but a wise one. I know Alice Munro can鈥檛 be the Alice Munro to everyone that she is to me. For others that writer will be someone else, if they鈥檙e lucky to have found them. I鈥檓 just grateful she is that artist for me 鈥� who really wrecks me and is so close to me I feel like I can touch her.
En la feria del libro antiguo en mayo tambi茅n compr茅 Amistad de juventud de Alice Munro que me ha gustado much铆simo. En 2013 le铆 Demasiada felicidad que me encant贸 y me apetec铆a volver a esta autora canadiense. Me reafirmo en todo lo que escrib铆 hace nueve a帽os, que pedazo de escritora es la Munro y como me gustan sus relatos. Es buen铆sima. Sus historias no se parecen a las de nadie m谩s, parece tener el superpoder de con un chasqueo de dedos meter m谩gicamente al lector en el mundo que retrata cada uno de ellos como hac铆a Mary Poppins con los ni帽os al meterlos en los dibujos de Bert. Empiezas a leer y, sin saber c贸mo, est谩s sentada con los personajes en su mesa de la cocina asistiendo a sus di谩logos, est谩s en medio de una cena de matrimonios en la que ellos no ven a sus mujeres, vas en coches en los que se completan infidelidades con amantes que no son m谩s que "ejercicio", como dice una de las protagonistas de uno de los cuentos de este volumen. Con Munro no lees los relatos, no los ves desde fuera, est谩s en ello, en este caso con todas esas mujeres que son o fueron amigas y cuyas amistades, de alguna manera, las hicieron quienes son.
Otra cosa que hace Munro en esta colecci贸n de historias de amistades es derivar la historia de un personaje a otro, haciendo que el lector acompa帽e a cada uno casi sin darse cuenta hasta que lo piensa y dice 芦pero...驴yo no hab铆a venido aqu铆 con Anne?禄 Y s铆, hab铆as llegado a la fiesta con Anne pero las vidas de todos, las de los personajes de los relatos y las nuestras, se entrelazan con hilos visibles y tambi茅n invisibles que en este caso solo Munro ve y decide guiarnos por ellos.
Todos los relatos, menos uno, me han gustado much铆simo, especialmente tres: Manzanas y Naranjas, 隆Oh de qu茅 sirve!, El d铆a de la peluca y De otro modo.
芦Con Ben hab铆a entrado, cuando los dos eran muy j贸venes, en un mundo de ceremonia, de seguridad, de gestos, de disimulo. Apariencias ingenuas. M谩s que apareciencias. Tretas ingenuas. (Cuando se fue pens贸 que nunca m谩s utilizar铆a tretas). Hab铆a sido feliz alli, de vez en cuando. Hab铆a estado triste, inquieta, desconcertada y feliz. Pero dijo con mucha vehemencia. Nunca, nunca. 芦Nunca fui feliz禄 dijo.
La gente siempre lo dec铆a. La gente hace cambios trascendentales, pero los cambios que se imagina禄.
"Un uomo pu貌 minare alla radice la tua vita per un tempo non prevedibile, e poi un bel giorno: finito. Da non credere". (Dal racconto 'Parrucca')
Una donna sta pranzando con suo marito in un ristorante della British Columbia e nel locale scorge un tale che assomiglia a un uomo di cui era stata innamorata. Un fatto tutto suo, iniziato e finito nei pensieri. E tornando a casa, tra file di larici in auto e poi sul traghetto per Prince Rupert, si sente scollata, proprio cos矛, dice, scollata da suo marito e si chiede se un tale, che ormai 猫 una fantasma, pu貌 farla soffrire di un'emozione che il suo matrimonio non pu貌 offrirle, perch茅 starci? E nei racconti di Alice Munro, questa donna che si chiami Anita o Margot, va via. E nella vita non succede. E allora, un giorno mi disse un'amica: per me Alice Munro ci prende solo per il culo. Nei racconti di Alice Munro c'猫 una donna sposata che non ha nessuna passione per il suo vicino aitante e noioso, che la scruta, la osserva mentre prende il sole in giardino; il marito 猫 geloso e il marito di lei nei racconti di Alice Munro fa del tutto per far s矛 che avvenga il fattaccio, che lei vada da lui una sera con la scusa di portargli delle coperte per l'inverno. Il marito vuole sperimentare sulla pelle quale sia il fondamento della sua gelosia. Ma nei racconti di Alice Munro, come se non bastasse l'assurdo che lei vada davvero da lui, nei racconti di Alice Munro lui la rifiuta. Lei torna a casa e suo marito capisce del rifiuto dal fatto che lei si versa da bere del gin assoluto, non avendolo mai fatto, e poi esclama: Non parliamone pi霉. Mai pi霉. I racconti di Alice Munro detta cos矛 sembrano strambi, inverosimili, quasi quasi racconti di chi ci prende un po' per il culo con metodo. Invece i racconti di Alice Munro li pu貌 scrivere solo lei, il lettore sa che da qualche parte il mondo di Alice Munro potrebbe essere vero, sa che ha dovuto scrivere i suoi racconti straordinari per dire che il guizzo - che conquista il cuore - non lo sappiamo dire, e sta in momenti che per dirli, ci vuole Alice Munro.
Tutti i 10 racconti sono notevoli, se dovessi sceglierne alcuni direi: Amica della mia giovinezza, Arance e mele, Five points, Diversamente, Parrucca.
Happy to tag this as read 鈥� I'm always going to be reading Alice Munro.
I had a grand plan of reading Alice Munro's work in order of publication date. I did start at the beginning, and read her first book, and I skipped around this book, since I am too wild to read short stories in order. So I did read this one, too, and reread some of it.
My grand plan is maybe never going to happen. Newer books call to me, from other authors and Alice too. But I just have to say: I love Alice Munro!! 鉂わ笍
Mi ha sempre incuriosito provare ad immaginare in che modo Alice Munro riesca a creare la struttura cos矛 particolare ed inimitabile dei suoi racconti.
Se cio猫 la scrittrice lavori all鈥檌nizio su una traccia delineata in modo tradizionale secondo un itinerario articolato e personaggi predefiniti nei loro rapporti e nel loro destino, una traccia su cui successivamente rimescola come tessere di un puzzle i flashback, le divagazioni, gli ambienti, i personaggi 鈥渟econdari鈥�, i ricordi, le notizie riferite quasi sottotraccia, fino ad ottenere un amalgama dotato dell鈥檈ffetto ammaliante, imprevedibile e un po鈥� straniante che caratterizza la sua prosa e rende le sue storie cos矛 simili alla vita.
O se invece le nascano come un dono naturale, addirittura di getto, l鈥檌spirazione e la capacit脿 di proiettarci fin dalle prime righe, senza preamboli, all鈥檌nterno di esistenze, vicende, relazioni umane che si evolvono e talora si contraddicono dando l鈥檌mpressione ingannevole che perfino la voce narrante ignori le svolte e le giravolte che la sorte riserver脿 ai personaggi, ribaltando sovente il ruolo stesso di protagonisti e comprimari.
Anche volendo prodursi in questo vano esercizio, si finisce puntualmente per concludere che il piacere risiede nel lasciarsi andare al flusso della narrazione e godersene il risultato, come ad esempio nelle fulminee dissolvenze che dall鈥檌ntimit脿 di un personaggio, quasi sempre femminile, esplorano il mondo circostante, andando a soffermarsi sui dettagli dell鈥檌nterno di un soggiorno, di un paesaggio lacustre o del malinconico arredamento di un pub dell鈥橭ntario rurale e provinciale.
Anche in questa raccolta si tratta in definitiva di storie ordinarie di vita quotidiana prive di avvenimenti forti, tragedie o eventi traumatici di particolare risonanza se non per coloro che vi trovano coinvolte le loro fragili esistenze. Ed ecco che di tanto in tanto, nel corso del racconto e dopo un salto narrativo di anni, veniamo informati quasi incidentalmente dell鈥檃vvenuta morte di un personaggio o del suo essersi trasferito altrove; esce quasi in punta di piedi dal racconto che tuttavia procede avvolto nella delicata e soffusa atmosfera creata dalla Munro, impressa nella nostra memoria anche dopo la lettura come un mondo realmente visitato, forse un sogno che assomiglia molto alle nostre vite.
Her g眉n bir 枚yk眉 okuma niyetiyle ba艧lay谋p elimdeki Bolanolar鈥檇an sebep 鈥渉er g眉n鈥� k谋sm谋nda atlamalar olsa da sonunda bitirdim.
Alice Munro鈥檡u ilgin莽 buluyorum. Tarz谋n谋 tamamen sevdi臒imi s枚ylemek zor ama anlatt谋臒谋 her hikayenin i莽inde beni yakalayan muhakkak bir艧eyler oldu. Kimi zaman karakterler, kimi zaman atmosfer ve bir anda d眉z bir 莽izgide giden hikayeyi al谋p onlarca y谋l 枚ncesine ya da sonras谋na ta艧谋yarak anlat谋ya ba艧kala艧谋m ge莽irtmesi.
脰zellikle Gen莽lik Arkada艧谋m, Benze艧mezlikler ve 陌yilik ve Merhamet 枚yk眉lerini bir ba艧ka sevdim.
鈥淭anr谋鈥檡a olan inanc谋n谋 yitirdi臒inden beri ilk defa bu kadar mutluydu. (Bunu bu 艧ekilde ifade etmek yetersizdi. Murray daha ziyade sanki kapal谋 tutulan bir odaya girmi艧 ya da bir 莽ekmeceyi a莽m谋艧 ve inanc谋n谋n bir a臒a莽 dal谋 gibi kuruyup gitti臒ini, o odan谋n ya da 莽ekmecenin bir k枚艧esinde bir toz y谋臒谋n谋na d枚n眉艧t眉臒眉n眉 g枚rm眉艧t眉.)鈥�
陌nanc谋n谋 yitirmenin okudu臒um en iyi anlat谋mlar谋ndan biri. Benze艧mezlikler 枚yk眉s眉nden...
Alice Munro es una de mis escritoras favoritas y quiz谩s tambi茅n es la culpable de que me lea tantos relatos, cuentos, que no son m谩s que otra forma de descubrir tambi茅n autores nuevos, porque 驴qu茅 mayor talento puede tener un escritor que comprimir toda una vida, toda una historia en unas pocas p谩ginas?? Alice Munro es una maestra en este aspecto y la culpable, como he dicho antes, de que a trav茅s de ella, llegara a otros magnificos cuentistas. En mi caso concreto, primero fue Alice Munro y luego vino Chejov, Si, es un sacrilegio pero ya digo, gracias a ella llegu茅 a los dem谩s.
"Tienen una historia de pasi贸n, del mismo modo que tienen una historia las familias, o las personas que han ido juntas a la escuela. No tienen mucho m谩s. Nunca han comido juntos, ni han ido a ver una pel铆cula".
La maravilla de sus historias radica quiz谩s en su forma el铆ptica de narrar, sus saltos en el tiempo: no te lo te cuenta todo o si te lo cuenta, lo hace de una forma soterrada. Uno de sus cuentos puede ser tambi茅n varios cuentos a a vez, lo que me parece un prodigio total, la capacidad de la autora de saltar de una historia a otra dentro de un mismo relato mientras que cuenta como ni帽as crecen y se convierten en mujeres, otras se arriesgan en infidelidades y que tambi茅n las hace crecer como mujeres, y otras envejecen recordando su juventud. En mi caso cuando empiezo uno de sus libros de relatos es como abrir una caja de tesoros. Es complicada a veces en el sentido de que parece que te escondiera algo durante la lectura, pero cuando llegas al final de sus relatos, te sientes en la necesidad de reelerlo para descubrir m谩s capas escondidas, quiz谩 por una pista o por un peque帽o detalle que te deja entrever entre lineas hacia el final.
"Los problemas empezaron, quiz谩, en cu谩nto se dijeron que se amaban 驴Por qu茅 hicieron aquello: definir, exagerar, confundir lo que fuera que sintieran?" Parec铆a algo obligado eso era todo...."
En "Amistad de Juventud" no hay historias malas, solo hay una con la que no conect茅 pero eso no significa necesariamente que sea una mala historia. Todas tienen el nexo com煤n de la amistad, de amigas que se reencuentran, otras, amigas que se traicionan, y en la mayor铆a de los casos, esto solo demuestra que en la vida no hay blancos ni negros, sino una infinidad de gama de grises. A continuaci贸n, peque帽as reflexiones en torno a los nueve cuentos de esta antologia:
1.Amistad de juventud: lo que no se dice o no se cuenta pero que Alice Munro consigue colar entre lineas, es siempre lo m谩s fascinante de sus cuentos. Aqu铆 la narradora empieza habl谩ndonos de su madre pero termina hablando de Flora, una amiga de juventud, uno de esos personajes femeninos munronianos el铆pticos y llenos de aristas. Ambiente rural y mujeres nada idealizadas, todo lo contrario. Me flipa esta escritora.
2. Five Points: Dos historias entrelazadas: por un lado la de Brenda, envuelta en una relaci贸n extramarital con Neil y por otro la historia de Maria, que surge del recuerdo que Neil tiene de ella. Dos historias que tienen en com煤n el sexo, usado como un poderoso lazo de manipulaci贸n, de control... Una historia lleva a la otra, como una de esas cajas chinas que se multiplican.No hay nada que dure eternamente.
3. Meneteseung: La narradora (la misma Alice Munro, imagino) reconstruye la vida de Almeda Roth, una poetisa que vivi贸 entre 1840 a 1903, y lo hace a trav茅s de un pr贸logo de uno de sus libros y del peri贸dico local, pero lo bueno es como la narradora va creando su propio personaje: la crea o la imagina, no como la ven otros, o como lo que le llega de ella. Un cuento magistral.
4.Ag谩rrame Fuerte, No Me Sueltes: Una viuda viaja al pueblo donde su marido pas贸 parte de su estancia durante la guerra. Su marido se pas贸 d茅cadas hablando de las an茅cdotas y del amor de juventud de aquellos a帽os. Pero cuando la viuda llega, nadie se acuerda ya de Jack...la memoria y los recuerdos son tan selectivos y subjetivos. 驴Quiz谩s los recuerdos de Jack tampoco eran objetivos y se los medi贸 invent贸?
5. Naranjas Y Manzanas: Este es uno de sus cuentos m谩s elipticos, quiz谩s haya uno o dos cuentos m谩s que se podr铆an sacar de aqu铆, leyendo entre lineas. Murray nos habla de como conoce a su mujer y de como se casa con ella, y de como un d铆a cuando llega a casa, su vida cambia por completo. Es una maravilla de cuento porque una vez terminado, te das cuenta que si lo relees quiz谩s podr铆as verlo desde otra perspectiva.
6. Fotograf铆as de Hielo: Austin tiene 70 a帽os, reci茅n viudo y est谩 a punto de rehacer su vida. En apenas unas pinceladas, la Munro te hace un retrato de un hombre con una vida que hab铆a sido plena, y que ahora, se siente in煤til, aunque durante todo el cuento no es eso lo que parece. Y las primeras frases del cuento son toda una declaraci贸n de intenciones. Deja un sabor agridulce este cuento pero es la vida misma.
"Los padres y los hijos, Karin -dice suspirando, suspirando jocosamente-. Oh, que red tan enmara帽ada tejemos cuando tenemos hijos. Luego ellos siempre quieren que seamos los mismos, quieren que seamos padres... Les trastorna terriblemente que hagamos algo que ellos no cre铆an que fu茅semos a hacer. Terriblemente."
7.Oh, De Qu茅 Sirve: Es de las historias que menos me han gustado de Alice Munro, encima est谩 dividida en tres partes y se hace eterna. No me voy a extender porque no disfrut茅 con ella.
8. De Otro Modo: Otro de esos cuentos donde Alice Munro explora sobre la complejidad de las relaciones 驴amorosas? o la infidelidad. En esta antolog铆a hay otro cuento parecido que habla sobre infidelidades, pero realmente de lo que te est谩 aqu铆 hablando es de Georgia y de su relaci贸n de amistad con Maya. Por lo que s茅 de la vida de Alice Munro, podr铆a ser algo autobiogr谩fico porque Georgia tambi茅n trabaj贸 en una libreria oyendo las historias de los clientes que entraban, pero no es tan importante este detalle.
9. El D铆a de la Peluca: Otra nueva historia de amigas que se reencuentran, y ese reencuentro lleva a Anita a recordar su adolescencia con Margot, ambas hijas de granjeros, unidas en sus bromas y en la tonteria de la edad. Pero algo ocurre que las distancia, un hombre... y cuando ya adultas se vuelven a reencontrar y a recordar..., quiz谩s el prisma y la perspectiva ya no sea igual, la vida misma. Un cuento maestro.
"Ella se siente inquieta, pero feliz. Su felicidad es herm茅tica y privada, no de la clase que sale de uno y lo empa帽a todo y te hace desconsiderado con lo que dices. Muy al contrario. Se siente ligera, hiriente e inconexa."
Reading this was a long time in coming. The story "Meneseteung" that I read five years ago in the Best American Stories of the 20th Century was actually the first Alice Munro that I had come across and then over the years countless people--mainly writers--have mentioned her as a favorite. This stands to reason: Munro is a writer's writer. She spins tales; she writes real stories. Yet they have a modernism and sophistication that transcends time, place, trends, gender... everything. Her style reminds me Ann Beattie, Raymond Carver and (good) Margaret Atwood, and maybe the reason for this is that her stories are as real as the stuffy subway platform on a rainy Thursday afternoon.
What's interesting about some of her stories in this collection, like "Oranges and Apples" and "Wigtime" is the way they unwind and meander, and as you read you think the story ends there but it ramps up again, like a tunnel narrowing and then opening into another large room. It's amazing what she can pack into a story, and granted these are all New Yorker-length manuscripts but, a story like "Differently" spans the entire life of Georgia, the main character, in doing so, gliding through marriage, divorce, and the death of her parents. Many of Munro's women are products of the '70s boom in divorce. They grew up in the late '50s, became disillusioned in the '60s and then freed themselves via the change in the cultural barometer during the '70s, so many of her characters are private case studies of the turbulence of those years. Yet despite this very narrow type of experience, the stories definitely transcend.
Alice Munro -- master of the short story, winner of the Nobel -- why did these stories leave me stone cold? Could it be that I'm not much into the politics of sex and how they play out between lovers, husbands and wives, and best friends? No. That's a theme with universal appeal. And the writing is seamless -- I have no issue there. The problem is, once you peel off the paper and ribbon, there's no soul underneath. These stories are written with a dispassionate eye that mostly skims the surface. They're too gossipy for me. Too petty. They don't have any heart.
Kinda boring. Well-written, but each tale of domesticity and humdrum-ity fell flat for me after the first two stories. Just too much husbands and wives and domestic ho-hum. I understand there's plenty under the surface there, but I GOT BORED, YO. I actually stopped reading with 100 pages left. Onward!
3 t盲hte盲 ei suinkaan ole keskinkertainen vaan parempi kuin hyv盲. T盲m盲n kirjan kohdalla kiinnostava. Ne nuoruudenyst盲v盲t - niist盲h盲n meill盲 kaikilla riitt盲盲 tarinoita!
Lis盲ksi novellien rakenne. Nyt oli erityisen hyv盲. Hienot siirtym盲t nyt-hetkest盲 nuoruuteen. Ja takaisin.
Nuoruudenyst盲v盲t olivat tosi hyv盲盲 kirjaseuraa. Ei mit盲盲n el盲m盲盲 suurempaa, mutta jos lis盲盲 l枚ytyisi lukisin.
A good collection of ten engaging short stories about ordinary people. I liked all the stories. The characters are concisely described. The events in each story are simple and interesting. For example, a widow visits where her husband stayed in Scotland during the war and catches up with the characters he associated with. A woman escapes from a difficult marriage only to find herself in an equally difficult affair. A number of the stories are about characters reflecting on their teenage years and how friendships can grow over time or simply fade away.
Alice Munro fans should find this book a satisfying reading experience.
Although academics have made a career from the oeuvre of Alice Munro - AM: Paradox and Parallel; AM: Art and Gender; AM: writing her lives; AM: Mothers and Other Clowns; etc etc etc.... - she does not need to be laboured over. In the case of this book, take short story writer Alan Beard's five line review. A line for each star. I agree. It's an especially good collection.
Rather than elaborate unnecessarily on that, I am merely going to note that I more or less found myself on the page in the story 'Oranges and Apples'. Amongst other things, it's a story about how a person reads and relates to the rest of the world. I will write it down some time.
Promedio, 4 Alice Munro, de un tiempo para ac谩, se ha convertido en mi escritora favorita de Relato, no hay nadie que sepa narrar, con tal maestr铆a, lo cotidiano; esas elecciones incomprensibles en la vida de hombres y mujeres que las han moldeado hasta convertirlas en lo que son. Este libro re煤ne 10 relatos, donde circulan en sus p谩ginas, m煤ltiples vidas de hombres y mujeres que rememoran los deseos y los sue帽os que enterraron hace quiz谩 demasiado tiempo. No hay nada m谩s trascendental que la vida misma.
This lady stuns me in so many ways. She offers lessons in subtlety. Yes, brilliance can be quiet. Munro takes the past and modernizes it, rereads it with a more savvy and uncertain lens, with paradox. Themes of female sexuality, of desire, of deception (self and other), of (dis)connection, of still-present pasts, permeate this collection. No one escapes his/her history or historical contexts; individuals鈥� lives do not play out in a vacuum; generations are different, but it鈥檚 still complicated and takes conjecture to pinpoint how and why (the title story is an excellent primer on these issues, but they relate to every story). And, her endings!, they seem to snap right off, break their branch in interesting ways: often with an honest getting so far.