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螠蟺慰谓蟽维喂
螝伪蟿伪未喂魏伪蟽渭苇谓慰蟼 蟽蟿畏 蟽慰尾伪蟻蠈蟿畏蟿伪 魏伪喂 蟽蟿畏谓 蠀蟺慰魏蟻喂蟽委伪, 慰 围慰蠉位喂慰, 慰 蟽喂蠅蟺畏位蠈蟼 萎蟻蠅伪蟼 伪蠀蟿慰蠉 蟿慰蠀 尾喂尾位委慰蠀, 蟺蔚委胃蔚蟿伪喂 蟿蔚位喂魏维 蟺蠅蟼 蟿慰 魏伪位蠉蟿蔚蟻慰 蟺慰蠀 苇蠂蔚喂 谓伪 魏维谓蔚喂 蔚委谓伪喂 谓伪 魏位蔚喂蟽蟿蔚委 蟽蟿慰 未蠅渭维蟿喂蠈 蟿慰蠀 魏伪喂 谓伪 蟺伪蟻伪蟿畏蟻蔚委 蟿慰 渭蔚纬维位蠅渭伪 蔚谓蠈蟼 渭蟺慰谓蟽维喂 蟺伪蟻维 谓伪 蟺蔚蟻喂蟺位伪谓喂苇蟿伪喂 蟽蟿慰蠀蟼 未蠉蟽魏慰位慰蠀蟼 未蟻蠈渭慰蠀蟼 蟿畏蟼 位慰纬慰蟿蔚蠂谓委伪蟼.
韦慰 "螠蟺慰谓蟽维喂", 蠈蟺蠅蟼 位苇蔚喂 慰 蟽蠀纬纬蟻伪蠁苇伪蟼, 蔚委谓伪喂 渭喂伪 "喂蟽蟿慰蟻委伪 伪谓维位伪蠁蟻畏 蟺慰蠀 纬委谓蔚蟿伪喂 尾伪蟻喂维", 渭喂伪 蔚位位蔚喂蟺蟿喂魏萎 魏伪喂 喂位喂纬纬喂蠋未畏蟼 伪蠁萎纬畏蟽畏 蟺慰蠀 蟽畏渭伪未蔚蠉蔚蟿伪喂 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏谓 伪谓畏蟽蠀蠂畏蟿喂魏萎 蔚尉伪蠁维谓喂蟽畏 渭喂伪蟼 纬蠀谓伪委魏伪蟼.
螣 围蠈蟻蠂蔚 螞慰蠀委蟼 螠蟺蠈蟻蠂蔚蟼 苇位蔚纬蔚 蟺蠅蟼 蟺蟻苇蟺蔚喂 谓伪 纬蟻维蠁慰蠀渭蔚 蟽伪谓 谓伪 蟽蠀谓蟿维蟽蟽慰蠀渭蔚 蟿畏谓 蟺蔚蟻委位畏蠄畏 蔚谓蠈蟼 萎未畏 纬蟻伪渭渭苇谓慰蠀 尾喂尾位委慰蠀. 螝喂 伪蠀蟿蠈 伪魏蟻喂尾蠋蟼 魏维谓蔚喂 慰 螒位蔚蠂维谓蟿蟻慰 危维渭蟺蟻伪 蟽' 伪蠀蟿蠈 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰, 蟺慰蠀 -渭蔚 蟿慰谓 委未喂慰 蟿蟻蠈蟺慰 蟺慰蠀 苇谓伪 渭蟺慰谓蟽维喂 未蔚谓 蔚委谓伪喂 苇谓伪 未苇谓蟿蟻慰- 未蔚谓 蔚委谓伪喂 蟿蠈蟽慰 苇谓伪 蟽蠉谓蟿慰渭慰 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿蠈蟻畏渭伪 萎 苇谓伪 渭蔚纬维位慰 伪蠁萎纬畏渭伪, 伪位位维 苇谓伪 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿蠈蟻畏渭伪-蟺蔚蟻委位畏蠄畏, 萎 蟿蔚位喂魏维 伪蠀蟿蠈 伪魏蟻喂尾蠋蟼 蟺慰蠀 未畏位蠋谓蔚喂 慰 蟿委蟿位慰蟼 蟿慰蠀, 苇谓伪 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿蠈蟻畏渭伪-渭蟺慰谓蟽维喂.
韦慰 "螠蟺慰谓蟽维喂", 蠈蟺蠅蟼 位苇蔚喂 慰 蟽蠀纬纬蟻伪蠁苇伪蟼, 蔚委谓伪喂 渭喂伪 "喂蟽蟿慰蟻委伪 伪谓维位伪蠁蟻畏 蟺慰蠀 纬委谓蔚蟿伪喂 尾伪蟻喂维", 渭喂伪 蔚位位蔚喂蟺蟿喂魏萎 魏伪喂 喂位喂纬纬喂蠋未畏蟼 伪蠁萎纬畏蟽畏 蟺慰蠀 蟽畏渭伪未蔚蠉蔚蟿伪喂 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏谓 伪谓畏蟽蠀蠂畏蟿喂魏萎 蔚尉伪蠁维谓喂蟽畏 渭喂伪蟼 纬蠀谓伪委魏伪蟼.
螣 围蠈蟻蠂蔚 螞慰蠀委蟼 螠蟺蠈蟻蠂蔚蟼 苇位蔚纬蔚 蟺蠅蟼 蟺蟻苇蟺蔚喂 谓伪 纬蟻维蠁慰蠀渭蔚 蟽伪谓 谓伪 蟽蠀谓蟿维蟽蟽慰蠀渭蔚 蟿畏谓 蟺蔚蟻委位畏蠄畏 蔚谓蠈蟼 萎未畏 纬蟻伪渭渭苇谓慰蠀 尾喂尾位委慰蠀. 螝喂 伪蠀蟿蠈 伪魏蟻喂尾蠋蟼 魏维谓蔚喂 慰 螒位蔚蠂维谓蟿蟻慰 危维渭蟺蟻伪 蟽' 伪蠀蟿蠈 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰, 蟺慰蠀 -渭蔚 蟿慰谓 委未喂慰 蟿蟻蠈蟺慰 蟺慰蠀 苇谓伪 渭蟺慰谓蟽维喂 未蔚谓 蔚委谓伪喂 苇谓伪 未苇谓蟿蟻慰- 未蔚谓 蔚委谓伪喂 蟿蠈蟽慰 苇谓伪 蟽蠉谓蟿慰渭慰 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿蠈蟻畏渭伪 萎 苇谓伪 渭蔚纬维位慰 伪蠁萎纬畏渭伪, 伪位位维 苇谓伪 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿蠈蟻畏渭伪-蟺蔚蟻委位畏蠄畏, 萎 蟿蔚位喂魏维 伪蠀蟿蠈 伪魏蟻喂尾蠋蟼 蟺慰蠀 未畏位蠋谓蔚喂 慰 蟿委蟿位慰蟼 蟿慰蠀, 苇谓伪 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿蠈蟻畏渭伪-渭蟺慰谓蟽维喂.
102 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2006
176 people are currently reading
14129 people want to read
About the author
Alejandro Zambra
54听books3,706听followersAlejandro Zambra is a Chilean writer. He is the author of Bonsai, The Private Lives of Trees, Ways of Going Home, My Documents, Multiple Choice, Not to Read, Chilean Poet and Childish Literature. His stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Granta, Harper's, Zoetrope, and McSweeney鈥檚, among other places.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,134 reviews
July 28, 2024
鈥�What's the purpose of being with someone if they don't change your life?鈥�
There are some books that can be consumed in a singular hour, yet remain within you to be digested by the intellect for days or weeks. Alejandro Zambra鈥檚 Bonsai is such a book. The precise simplicity of the novel makes it a difficult book to talk as the novella feels as fragile as an intricately colored moth鈥檚 wing鈥攁dmire its beauty but don鈥檛 touch it lest it turn to dust. There is a feeling of weightlessness to the prose and story that still manages to weigh heavy in the heart and soul upon completion. It is the story of two young lovers, lovers of one another and literature, and what happens to them once they part. It is as simple as that, yet complex in its mechanics and implications. Like the bonsai grown by Julio, the story exists and flourishes within the confines of its literary container, with Zambra鈥檚 pristine prose trimming the limbs of love to enshrine it as a miniature work of art and beauty.
There is a sweet simplicity and breathless fluidity to this tiny novel. Characters silently sweep on and off the stage, love is found and lost within the length of a paragraph, revelations are made and people are lost forever, all without rising from a soft idyllic tone that Zambra executes with the care of one polishing expensive glassware. Broken into five short segments, each comes like a delicate waves on the ocean, each separate with their own emotional peak to crash onto our heart鈥檚 shores yet all one body of literature moving together. There is also a wry humor integrated in the otherwise somber plot that gives it wings and keeps it from plummeting into melodrama. What is most impactful is the way that Zambra circles around the story yet never jabs his pen into it鈥檚 heart, keeping everything in the hazy peripherals of a story that need not be addressed head on as the reader already understands it鈥檚 shape.
鈥�In the end Emilia dies and Julio does not die. The rest is literature.鈥�
This is a novel of love, but most importantly a novel about literature. Zambra shows his hand, plot-wise, from the very first sentence, entrusting the reader to understand that this is an exercise of literature and that the 鈥榝rom A to B鈥� plot is secondary, a mere current of events to power the lightbulb of ideas. There is a gorgeous character study at play: Julio and Emilia, two college students become lovers 鈥�doomed to seriousness.鈥� These two could be anyone, symbols really for any two people connected by 鈥�the emotional affinities that any couple is capable of discovering with only a little effort.鈥� Much of the simplicity, and the way Zambra refers to Julio and Emilia 鈥�who are not exactly characters, though maybe it鈥檚 convenient to think of them as characters,鈥� helps build a universal microcosm of relationships. Anyone that has loved or loved and lost can find charm in the hazy tale Zambra has created. Julio and Emilia lie to one another on their first sexual encounter, both claiming to have read , and embellish the lies with partly-true details to bring their falsehoods to life. In a way, they are creating literature and as their relationship continues, full of lies and truths and half-truths like any young couple, they further their depth as characters both literally and metaphysically. Any lover of literature is sure to be charmed by their sexual foreplay consisting of reading to one another, from role-playing (neither ever wanted to be Charles), and the way they 鈥榬e-read鈥� Proust together. It is their reading of the short story Tantalia鹿 by 鈥攁 story of a couple who fear the survival of their relationship is dependant on the life of a clover plant the unnamed woman gives the man as a symbol of love, that gives them pause and reveals the mortality of theirs and all relationships.
鈥�Once outside its flowerpot, the tree ceases to be a bonsai.鈥�
When Julio decides to grow a bonsai, he discovers a few key lines in a care manual:
Bonsai is a quiet little novel with quite the emotional punch. It displays a budding promise for it鈥檚 young author, who would later make good on those promises with The Private Lives of Trees, which I found to be even more emotionally impactful. What I love most is the way this novella makes literature seem like the most important aspect of life. The fragility of life and love is explored in beautiful and breathless prose that makes this elliptical little novel well worth the time.
4.5/5
鈥�I want to end Julio鈥� story, but Julio鈥檚 story doesn鈥檛 end, that鈥檚 the problem.鈥�
鹿 A big thank you to Mike and Matt for sending me Tantalia, a quite insightful story that is also key to unlocking the heart of Zambra鈥檚 own story.
There are some books that can be consumed in a singular hour, yet remain within you to be digested by the intellect for days or weeks. Alejandro Zambra鈥檚 Bonsai is such a book. The precise simplicity of the novel makes it a difficult book to talk as the novella feels as fragile as an intricately colored moth鈥檚 wing鈥攁dmire its beauty but don鈥檛 touch it lest it turn to dust. There is a feeling of weightlessness to the prose and story that still manages to weigh heavy in the heart and soul upon completion. It is the story of two young lovers, lovers of one another and literature, and what happens to them once they part. It is as simple as that, yet complex in its mechanics and implications. Like the bonsai grown by Julio, the story exists and flourishes within the confines of its literary container, with Zambra鈥檚 pristine prose trimming the limbs of love to enshrine it as a miniature work of art and beauty.
There is a sweet simplicity and breathless fluidity to this tiny novel. Characters silently sweep on and off the stage, love is found and lost within the length of a paragraph, revelations are made and people are lost forever, all without rising from a soft idyllic tone that Zambra executes with the care of one polishing expensive glassware. Broken into five short segments, each comes like a delicate waves on the ocean, each separate with their own emotional peak to crash onto our heart鈥檚 shores yet all one body of literature moving together. There is also a wry humor integrated in the otherwise somber plot that gives it wings and keeps it from plummeting into melodrama. What is most impactful is the way that Zambra circles around the story yet never jabs his pen into it鈥檚 heart, keeping everything in the hazy peripherals of a story that need not be addressed head on as the reader already understands it鈥檚 shape.
鈥�In the end Emilia dies and Julio does not die. The rest is literature.鈥�
This is a novel of love, but most importantly a novel about literature. Zambra shows his hand, plot-wise, from the very first sentence, entrusting the reader to understand that this is an exercise of literature and that the 鈥榝rom A to B鈥� plot is secondary, a mere current of events to power the lightbulb of ideas. There is a gorgeous character study at play: Julio and Emilia, two college students become lovers 鈥�doomed to seriousness.鈥� These two could be anyone, symbols really for any two people connected by 鈥�the emotional affinities that any couple is capable of discovering with only a little effort.鈥� Much of the simplicity, and the way Zambra refers to Julio and Emilia 鈥�who are not exactly characters, though maybe it鈥檚 convenient to think of them as characters,鈥� helps build a universal microcosm of relationships. Anyone that has loved or loved and lost can find charm in the hazy tale Zambra has created. Julio and Emilia lie to one another on their first sexual encounter, both claiming to have read , and embellish the lies with partly-true details to bring their falsehoods to life. In a way, they are creating literature and as their relationship continues, full of lies and truths and half-truths like any young couple, they further their depth as characters both literally and metaphysically. Any lover of literature is sure to be charmed by their sexual foreplay consisting of reading to one another, from role-playing (neither ever wanted to be Charles), and the way they 鈥榬e-read鈥� Proust together. It is their reading of the short story Tantalia鹿 by 鈥攁 story of a couple who fear the survival of their relationship is dependant on the life of a clover plant the unnamed woman gives the man as a symbol of love, that gives them pause and reveals the mortality of theirs and all relationships.
鈥�Once outside its flowerpot, the tree ceases to be a bonsai.鈥�
When Julio decides to grow a bonsai, he discovers a few key lines in a care manual:
A bonsai is an artistic replica of a tree, in miniature. It consists of two elements: the living tree and the container. The two elements must be in harmony and the selection of the appropriate pot for a tree is almost an art form in itself.The opening sentence, 鈥�in the end she dies and he remains alone,鈥� becomes the container from which the story鈥攖he 鈥�the rest is literature,鈥� grows and flourishes. The people that come and go from their lives are like the limbs of the bonsai tree which are carefully cut to grow in a desired shape. However, the story itself is a series of containers. Julio writes a novel about a man who learns of the death of a lost love (this being before Julio learns of Emilia鈥檚 death) and grows a bonsai as a love plant in her honour, the story of which, later, Julio will act out in his own life. The story of the bonsai is the literature that grows from the container of Fernandez鈥檚 story, Tantalia, and finds itself actually occurring on several levels of the narrative; there is a doubling, or tripling and so forth, of meaning that all functioning in relation to one another, a meta-narrative style that works nearly like two mirrors reflecting back at one another with a bonsai situated between them. The bonsai 鈥�an artistic replica...in miniature,鈥� is then Julio鈥檚 novel, but also the novel itself with so many self-referential aspects that it teases the reader into fantasizing an intentional fallacy and pondering if the Zambra wrote his novel in relation to Tantalia as did Julio, and if the love plot has any half-truths in Zambra鈥檚 own life. It is the intricate potting of a story within a story that really sticks with the reader, the half-truths of life that go on to become a work of art, the literature housed in the container of experience.
Bonsai is a quiet little novel with quite the emotional punch. It displays a budding promise for it鈥檚 young author, who would later make good on those promises with The Private Lives of Trees, which I found to be even more emotionally impactful. What I love most is the way this novella makes literature seem like the most important aspect of life. The fragility of life and love is explored in beautiful and breathless prose that makes this elliptical little novel well worth the time.
4.5/5
鈥�I want to end Julio鈥� story, but Julio鈥檚 story doesn鈥檛 end, that鈥檚 the problem.鈥�
鹿 A big thank you to Mike and Matt for sending me Tantalia, a quite insightful story that is also key to unlocking the heart of Zambra鈥檚 own story.
October 18, 2021
鈥渓a vida solo ten铆a sentido si encontrabas a alguien que te la cambiara, que destruyera tu vida.鈥�La contraportada del libro lo clava: 鈥渄el mismo modo que un bons谩i no es un 谩rbol, m谩s que una novela corta o un relato largo, [叠辞苍蝉谩颈] es una novela-resumen o, justamente, una novela bons谩i鈥�.
Tal cual.
Uno siente durante las no m谩s de dos horas que lleva leerla que todo es un pr贸logo, una introducci贸n, y que en cualquier momento empezar谩 la verdadera novela. Es como si alguien te viniera a contar la 煤ltima pel铆cula que ha ido a ver, aunque no alguien cualquiera, claro, pues no cualquiera es capaz de explicarte la pel铆cula como lo hace Zambra, y no cualquiera conseguir铆a, con una historia tan trivial -chico conoce chica y al final 鈥渢odo se va a la mierda鈥�- que te apeteciera tanto ver la pel铆cula (una pel铆cula que en verdad existe, que fue a Cannes y que yo no he visto).
鈥淔ue, en especial, un tiempo de mucho yogur, y esto, para Emilia, result贸 importante, porque ven铆a de un periodo de mucho pisco鈥�Por lo que 叠辞苍蝉谩颈 es m谩s 鈥渦na forma de contar鈥� que lo contado, y hasta lo contado tiene una relaci贸n 铆ntima con lo contado por otros a trav茅s de las muchas lecturas compartidas por los dos personajes, la mentira sobre una lectura que se hacen ambos, y, sobre todo, una lectura-met谩fora de la propia relaci贸n que viven ambos y que va a ser crucial en sus vidas: Tantalia, de Macedonio Fern谩ndez.
鈥淭antalia es la historia de una pareja que decide comprar una plantita como s铆mbolo del amor que los une. Tard铆amente se dan cuenta de que si la plantita se muere, con ella tambi茅n morir谩 el amor que los une. Y que como el amor que los une es inmenso y por ning煤n motivo est谩n dispuestos a sacrificarlo, deciden perder la plantita entre una multitud de plantitas id茅nticas. Luego viene el desconsuelo, la desgracia de saber que ya nunca podr谩n encontrarla.鈥�En el relato prima una sencillez casi infantil, donde es importante el juego realidad-ficci贸n que el narrador establece con el lector y que contrasta con la tristeza que emerge de lo contado y que en gran parte solo se intuye.
May 16, 2017
Bonsai is the first piece of literature that I read in Spanish. It was the right choice for me from the language point of view. The narrative was simple and the vocabulary did not raise many difficulties. I definitely recommend it if you are an intermediate Spanish learner and want to learn by reading.
However, this novella did not stir any feelings in me. It was like I was reading a textbook. I though it might be that I was reading in Spanish but I do not think so.
Alejandro Zambra is young Chilean Novelist and the receiver of the Chile鈥檚 Literary Critics鈥� Award for Best Novel for Bonsai. I am bit puzzled why this won the prize, maybe there weren't many books published that year, who knows. The author tried to do something interesting, modern and fresh using a conversational, detached tone. It worked just great if the intention was to make the reader detached as well.
The novella is basically the love story of Julio and Emilia and what happens to their life after they separate (spoilers: nothing nice). It seems a simple plot but the message wants to be deeper. The only problem is that I completely missed it. What I did not miss is how uninteresting the reading experience was and if there was a deeper meaning then I could not care less.
The Kindle edition that I own also contains The Secret Life of Trees which I am planning to read to improve my reading abilities. I really hope that one is going to be a better experience.
However, this novella did not stir any feelings in me. It was like I was reading a textbook. I though it might be that I was reading in Spanish but I do not think so.
Alejandro Zambra is young Chilean Novelist and the receiver of the Chile鈥檚 Literary Critics鈥� Award for Best Novel for Bonsai. I am bit puzzled why this won the prize, maybe there weren't many books published that year, who knows. The author tried to do something interesting, modern and fresh using a conversational, detached tone. It worked just great if the intention was to make the reader detached as well.
The novella is basically the love story of Julio and Emilia and what happens to their life after they separate (spoilers: nothing nice). It seems a simple plot but the message wants to be deeper. The only problem is that I completely missed it. What I did not miss is how uninteresting the reading experience was and if there was a deeper meaning then I could not care less.
The Kindle edition that I own also contains The Secret Life of Trees which I am planning to read to improve my reading abilities. I really hope that one is going to be a better experience.
August 9, 2020
2.5 "perplexed, indifferent, what-is-the-fuss-all-about ?!" stars !!
I am at a loss as how this book won Chile鈥檚 Literary Critics鈥� Award for Best Novel. Was it a very bad year? Were there no other novels published? Were the critics all first year double majors in post-modern literature and philosophy?
I don't get it!!
Don't get me wrong...this is not a poor book but I found nothing that interesting, or moving, or interesting, or profound, or interesting, or humorous, or interesting, or meaningful, or interesting or special, or interesting. I think you get my gist.
Lots of literary name dropping, random stories that interact in almost a predictable (and dull) fashion and two-dimensional characters living their lives rather emptily. I was bored, indifferent but very perplexed at the many accolades given to this novella.
Here is a little sample:
" She thought, or more accurately she felt, that she did not want to hear what Emilia was going to tell her, that she did not wish to know what she seemed in any case condemned to know. I don't want to know why there's so much shit in this neighborhood, why you came to live in this neighborhood full of caca, replete with cunning glances, with weird young people, with fat ladies dragging bags, and with fat ladies who aren't dragging bags but who walk very slowly. She examined, once again, carefully, Emilia's eyebrow. She decided it was better to stay quiet in regard to Emilia's eyebrows..." and on and on and on.
In the end I don't care. Read it and tell me what you think!!
I am at a loss as how this book won Chile鈥檚 Literary Critics鈥� Award for Best Novel. Was it a very bad year? Were there no other novels published? Were the critics all first year double majors in post-modern literature and philosophy?
I don't get it!!
Don't get me wrong...this is not a poor book but I found nothing that interesting, or moving, or interesting, or profound, or interesting, or humorous, or interesting, or meaningful, or interesting or special, or interesting. I think you get my gist.
Lots of literary name dropping, random stories that interact in almost a predictable (and dull) fashion and two-dimensional characters living their lives rather emptily. I was bored, indifferent but very perplexed at the many accolades given to this novella.
Here is a little sample:
" She thought, or more accurately she felt, that she did not want to hear what Emilia was going to tell her, that she did not wish to know what she seemed in any case condemned to know. I don't want to know why there's so much shit in this neighborhood, why you came to live in this neighborhood full of caca, replete with cunning glances, with weird young people, with fat ladies dragging bags, and with fat ladies who aren't dragging bags but who walk very slowly. She examined, once again, carefully, Emilia's eyebrow. She decided it was better to stay quiet in regard to Emilia's eyebrows..." and on and on and on.
In the end I don't care. Read it and tell me what you think!!
February 2, 2025
What's the purpose of being with someone if they don't change your life.
~~~
Alejandro Zambra鈥檚, Bonsai, is as delicate as the miniature tree it鈥檚 named after. It is a stunning accomplishment. Zambra accomplishes in 86 pages what other writers take hundreds of pages to accomplish. Just as the silence between notes in a musical composition can define a work, so too do the silences in Bonsai define this work.
Bonsai is the story of Julio and Emilia, a young Chilean couple who become lovers almost inadvertently. While the narrative starts with them getting together, it also shadows them for countless years, situations, and affairs that happen away from each other. As the lives of Julio and Emilia move ahead, they meet other people who play important roles in their personal story, but still the two ex-lovers remain present, like quiet ghosts that hang around in shadowy places. The pictures Zambra presents vary in length and significance, but they鈥檙e all equally brilliant.
In an oblique way, this is a book about literature. The two lovers take central stage, but their props are books and their dialogue centers around books for most of the first third of the narrative; this gives the story unexpected depth. As university students with a fondness for prose, Emilia and Julio share their love for the written word. Julio ends up writing a novel by hand when he decides to fake that he鈥檚 helping a famous author transcribe his latest book.
Bonsai is an amazing read that gives one a sense of having experienced something magical.
~~~
Alejandro Zambra鈥檚, Bonsai, is as delicate as the miniature tree it鈥檚 named after. It is a stunning accomplishment. Zambra accomplishes in 86 pages what other writers take hundreds of pages to accomplish. Just as the silence between notes in a musical composition can define a work, so too do the silences in Bonsai define this work.
Bonsai is the story of Julio and Emilia, a young Chilean couple who become lovers almost inadvertently. While the narrative starts with them getting together, it also shadows them for countless years, situations, and affairs that happen away from each other. As the lives of Julio and Emilia move ahead, they meet other people who play important roles in their personal story, but still the two ex-lovers remain present, like quiet ghosts that hang around in shadowy places. The pictures Zambra presents vary in length and significance, but they鈥檙e all equally brilliant.
In an oblique way, this is a book about literature. The two lovers take central stage, but their props are books and their dialogue centers around books for most of the first third of the narrative; this gives the story unexpected depth. As university students with a fondness for prose, Emilia and Julio share their love for the written word. Julio ends up writing a novel by hand when he decides to fake that he鈥檚 helping a famous author transcribe his latest book.
Bonsai is an amazing read that gives one a sense of having experienced something magical.
October 16, 2022
When I read Chilean Poet earlier this summer, I was at a loss as to why Zambra seems to have developed a cult following. After reading Bonsai, I see it now. His detached, smug narration of (cishet) relationships, saturated in contemporary Chilean mores, has a certain pull on the reader. In some ways he reminds me of Sally Rooney, both in terms of narrative style and subject matter. But even though Bonsai isn't as tedious as Chilean Poet (and it's mercifully much shorter), Zambra still doesn't do it for me. Perhaps I'm just at a point in my reading life where I don't need to read one more comedy of manners about a conventional relationship - even where one of the participants turns up dead. As an aside, I enjoyed McDowell's new translation of this. Even if it wasn't strictly necessary (the De Robertis is still in print and available), McDowell does a magnificent job conveying Zambra's narrative tone and handles certain difficult passages with aplomb.
August 22, 2019
Kitap hakk谋nda yazacaklar谋m谋 d眉艧眉n眉rken, kitab谋 sand谋臒谋mdan daha 莽ok be臒endi臒imi fark ettim. Zambra en sonda s枚ylemesi gerekti臒ini bazen ba艧ta, bazen ortalarda s枚yl眉yor. Sonra bir ileri bir geri sara sara ipleri 枚r眉yor kurguyu. Asl谋nda bu tam olarak kurgu mu bilmiyorum. Sanki onun bamba艧ka bir tekni臒i var. "An" gibi tam da. Bi sabah r眉yadan kalk谋p y眉z眉n眉 unuttu臒umuz birinin g枚r眉nt眉lerinin zihnimizde saliselik 艧im艧ekler halinde 莽akmas谋 gibi. Sonra bir duygu. Tam adland谋ramad谋臒谋m谋z ama anlamaya 莽al谋艧t谋臒谋m谋z. Zambra da 枚yle akl谋na geldi臒i gibi kopuk kopuk, s谋ras谋 olmadan anlat谋yor sanki. G枚rd眉臒眉 r眉yay谋 birle艧tirmeye 莽al谋艧谋yoruz biz de.
Julio ve Emilia ba艧 karakterlerimiz. 脺niversite y谋llar谋nda sevgili olmu艧 ve sevi艧me 枚ncesi birbirlerine kitap okuyan, uyumlu tatl谋 bir 莽ift. 脟ar艧aflar谋n aras谋nda uyumaya bir kala a莽谋k kalm谋艧 bir kitap, birbirine ait iki beden ve ruh. Ne kadar g眉zel de臒il mi? Sonra ayr谋l谋yorlar. Birlikte ba艧lan谋lan kitaplar yar谋m kal谋yor. Bu s眉re莽te Emilia鈥檔谋n 莽ocukluk ve ev arkada艧谋 Anita'y谋 da tan谋yoruz. O kadar g眉zel anlat谋lm谋艧 ki o b枚l眉mler, sevgilisi olduktan sonra de臒i艧en, d枚n眉艧en bir ki艧iyi eski arkada艧谋n alg谋lamaya 莽al谋艧mas谋 ve su莽lu olarak arkada艧谋n谋n sevgilisini g枚rmesi. Ve asl谋nda bedenen ve ruhen birle艧ti臒imiz birinde d枚n眉艧眉m眉n ka莽谋n谋lmaz olmas谋... T眉m bunlar usul usul i艧leniyor okuyucuya. Sonralar谋 Gazmuri giriyor kitaba. Bir yazar. Zambra'n谋n olmazsa olmaz谋 yani. Ve Bonzai'de tam burada devreye giriyor. 脰yle g枚rkemli bir giri艧 ki benceBonzai'nin giri艧i, resmen bir yerlerime darbe al谋yorum okurken. 陌rkiliyorum. Nas谋l da denk getirmi艧 diye s枚yleniyorum kendi kendime. T眉m bu karakterlerin kesi艧im k眉meleri ise Julio.
En ba艧ta dedi臒im gibi hikaye kronolojik gitmiyor. Hikayenin sonu ba艧tan belli oluyor. Buna ra臒men finali bilmek i艧in tad谋n谋 ka莽谋r谋yor mu? Asla! Ben yine en sonda Zambra'n谋n her kitab谋n谋n sonunda oldu臒u gibi i莽imde yine o dolmayan daha da a莽谋lan bo艧lukla ba艧 ba艧a kald谋m. Yine 艧unu hissettim: Asl谋nda hayat sahiden 枚yle kronolojik gidecek kadar da do臒rusal bir 艧ekilde ya艧anm谋yor i莽imizde. Bazen birilerine rastl谋yoruz, bir s眉re birlikte yol al谋yoruz, d枚n眉艧眉yoruz, ve hatta belki de bu ya艧ad谋臒谋m谋z en g眉zel en derin ba艧kala艧谋m oluyor ama o insan谋 bir yol kenar谋nda b谋rak谋yoruz, yola yaln谋z veya ileride ba艧kalar谋yla devam ediyoruz. Ama ba艧kala艧谋m ya艧and谋 bir kere. Yollar ayr谋lsa da, olaylar de臒i艧se de, i莽imizde bir yerlerde o yolcu hep gizli sakl谋 kal谋yor. 陌艧te o kronolojik gitmeyen d眉zen var ya, 15 y谋l 枚nce hissetmen gereken bo艧lu臒u sana 15 y谋l sonra bir ba艧ka an谋da, bir ba艧ka anda ya艧at谋yor. Bu kitap da en sonunda bana 莽ok eski zamanlardan bir hissi hat谋rlatt谋 yeniden. Zambra etkisi ve nahifli臒i diyorum ben buna!
Julio ve Emilia ba艧 karakterlerimiz. 脺niversite y谋llar谋nda sevgili olmu艧 ve sevi艧me 枚ncesi birbirlerine kitap okuyan, uyumlu tatl谋 bir 莽ift. 脟ar艧aflar谋n aras谋nda uyumaya bir kala a莽谋k kalm谋艧 bir kitap, birbirine ait iki beden ve ruh. Ne kadar g眉zel de臒il mi? Sonra ayr谋l谋yorlar. Birlikte ba艧lan谋lan kitaplar yar谋m kal谋yor. Bu s眉re莽te Emilia鈥檔谋n 莽ocukluk ve ev arkada艧谋 Anita'y谋 da tan谋yoruz. O kadar g眉zel anlat谋lm谋艧 ki o b枚l眉mler, sevgilisi olduktan sonra de臒i艧en, d枚n眉艧en bir ki艧iyi eski arkada艧谋n alg谋lamaya 莽al谋艧mas谋 ve su莽lu olarak arkada艧谋n谋n sevgilisini g枚rmesi. Ve asl谋nda bedenen ve ruhen birle艧ti臒imiz birinde d枚n眉艧眉m眉n ka莽谋n谋lmaz olmas谋... T眉m bunlar usul usul i艧leniyor okuyucuya. Sonralar谋 Gazmuri giriyor kitaba. Bir yazar. Zambra'n谋n olmazsa olmaz谋 yani. Ve Bonzai'de tam burada devreye giriyor. 脰yle g枚rkemli bir giri艧 ki benceBonzai'nin giri艧i, resmen bir yerlerime darbe al谋yorum okurken. 陌rkiliyorum. Nas谋l da denk getirmi艧 diye s枚yleniyorum kendi kendime. T眉m bu karakterlerin kesi艧im k眉meleri ise Julio.
En ba艧ta dedi臒im gibi hikaye kronolojik gitmiyor. Hikayenin sonu ba艧tan belli oluyor. Buna ra臒men finali bilmek i艧in tad谋n谋 ka莽谋r谋yor mu? Asla! Ben yine en sonda Zambra'n谋n her kitab谋n谋n sonunda oldu臒u gibi i莽imde yine o dolmayan daha da a莽谋lan bo艧lukla ba艧 ba艧a kald谋m. Yine 艧unu hissettim: Asl谋nda hayat sahiden 枚yle kronolojik gidecek kadar da do臒rusal bir 艧ekilde ya艧anm谋yor i莽imizde. Bazen birilerine rastl谋yoruz, bir s眉re birlikte yol al谋yoruz, d枚n眉艧眉yoruz, ve hatta belki de bu ya艧ad谋臒谋m谋z en g眉zel en derin ba艧kala艧谋m oluyor ama o insan谋 bir yol kenar谋nda b谋rak谋yoruz, yola yaln谋z veya ileride ba艧kalar谋yla devam ediyoruz. Ama ba艧kala艧谋m ya艧and谋 bir kere. Yollar ayr谋lsa da, olaylar de臒i艧se de, i莽imizde bir yerlerde o yolcu hep gizli sakl谋 kal谋yor. 陌艧te o kronolojik gitmeyen d眉zen var ya, 15 y谋l 枚nce hissetmen gereken bo艧lu臒u sana 15 y谋l sonra bir ba艧ka an谋da, bir ba艧ka anda ya艧at谋yor. Bu kitap da en sonunda bana 莽ok eski zamanlardan bir hissi hat谋rlatt谋 yeniden. Zambra etkisi ve nahifli臒i diyorum ben buna!
October 21, 2015
What does a resonating journal do? Arrest us in the powerful aura of words? Dispatch us to the comforting cocoon of our memories? Render a blanket of dignity to our failures? Exhort our fledgling dreams to a palpable fruition? Cast a succor net on our isolated struggles? Attest our timidity as a prelude to stronger days?
For me, it's essentially about reading about a distant 'me', the identity of this 'me' to be an inhabitant of past corridors or a tenant of future roads being inconsequential. As long as I detect a shade of me in the journal's evocation, I am obsessed to read till the last drop of ink has faded. And Zambra doesn't do anything much, besides telling me a story about Julio, who could well be sitting across me in this cafe and reciting the content, verbatim.
A failed love story: Check.
Days without purpose: Check.
Happening life, feigned: Check.
Gaining foothold, tediously: Check.
Random loss of heart, again: Check.
Breaking of heart, again: Check.
More days without purpose: Check.
Unexpected ray of light: Check.
Ray of light, extinguished: Check.
Isolation, volunteered: Check.
Finding purpose, fortuitously: Check.
Uncommon, unconventional purpose: Check.
Purpose, uniting all other purposes: Check.
It is wonderful when a long, dark night is followed by the resuscitating ray of the morning sun. In its blinding fold, the venomous dew of defeats evaporate leaving behind the nurturing air for the bonsai of new hopes which sitting on the window sill, eyes the world coyly, with its delicate twigs of past learnings and present resolves fluttering to amalgamate in honor of its sturdy future.
When Zambra tells me that Julio found purpose in a bonsai after surviving inundating personal and professional hurricanes of losses and cessations, I nod my head in concurrence, for I know that the bonsai is , after all, a cojugal twin of heart: miniature, artistic, has two components (the living tree, akin to blood and the container, akin to the blood vessels) and needs no external flanks to be alive. As he says:
For me, it's essentially about reading about a distant 'me', the identity of this 'me' to be an inhabitant of past corridors or a tenant of future roads being inconsequential. As long as I detect a shade of me in the journal's evocation, I am obsessed to read till the last drop of ink has faded. And Zambra doesn't do anything much, besides telling me a story about Julio, who could well be sitting across me in this cafe and reciting the content, verbatim.
A failed love story: Check.
Days without purpose: Check.
Happening life, feigned: Check.
Gaining foothold, tediously: Check.
Random loss of heart, again: Check.
Breaking of heart, again: Check.
More days without purpose: Check.
Unexpected ray of light: Check.
Ray of light, extinguished: Check.
Isolation, volunteered: Check.
Finding purpose, fortuitously: Check.
Uncommon, unconventional purpose: Check.
Purpose, uniting all other purposes: Check.
It is wonderful when a long, dark night is followed by the resuscitating ray of the morning sun. In its blinding fold, the venomous dew of defeats evaporate leaving behind the nurturing air for the bonsai of new hopes which sitting on the window sill, eyes the world coyly, with its delicate twigs of past learnings and present resolves fluttering to amalgamate in honor of its sturdy future.
When Zambra tells me that Julio found purpose in a bonsai after surviving inundating personal and professional hurricanes of losses and cessations, I nod my head in concurrence, for I know that the bonsai is , after all, a cojugal twin of heart: miniature, artistic, has two components (the living tree, akin to blood and the container, akin to the blood vessels) and needs no external flanks to be alive. As he says:
A bonsai is never called a bonsai tree. The word already includes the living element. Once outside its flowerpot, the tree ceases to be a bonsai.Is it an irony that when I begun writing this review, the cafe was playing and now, I am hearing ? Not really. There is a smiling bonsai somewhere tucked in the corner here, perhaps.
January 13, 2023
A metafictional short novella on relationships and loss, that lacked impact for me
is about Julio and Emilia, students, who meet each other and in five short chapters and go through all the stages of a relationship. Literature plays an important role in their relationship, with the lovers reading stories to each other before copulation. The five chapters are loosely observant of their development, with lightly sketched characters appearing and disappearing rapidly.
I didn鈥檛 get a good feel of even the main characters and what drives them, let alone all the ancillary characters. The language of the book uses is precise, but any tension is very early on diffused, leaving me with an unsatisfied feeling after finishing.
is about Julio and Emilia, students, who meet each other and in five short chapters and go through all the stages of a relationship. Literature plays an important role in their relationship, with the lovers reading stories to each other before copulation. The five chapters are loosely observant of their development, with lightly sketched characters appearing and disappearing rapidly.
I didn鈥檛 get a good feel of even the main characters and what drives them, let alone all the ancillary characters. The language of the book uses is precise, but any tension is very early on diffused, leaving me with an unsatisfied feeling after finishing.
April 3, 2023
Bonsai is just so incredibly fun. Not my first Zambra, but maybe it鈥檚 a good thing that I got Multiple Choice out of the way a couple of years ago, which allowed me to go into this without any bias.
It鈥檚 a short read - just under an hour. The reviewers quoted on the inside cover of my edition (for this new translation) have picked up on what I felt as I read the book: this story claws at 5 or 6 deeper stories within all of us, but doesn鈥檛 do it completely enough or frequently enough to be considered a 5-star hit. Rather, it does just enough to leave you with a vague sense of melancholic nostalgia and a yearning for more prose by Zambra.
I鈥檒l quote a couple of sections from the book, in case you want to avert your eyes:
鈥淭he first lie Julio told Emilia was that he had read Marcel Proust. He didn鈥檛 usually lie about his reading, but that second night, when they both knew they were starting something, and that however long it lasted, this something was going to be important 鈥� that night, Julio deepened his voice, feigning intimacy, and said that, yes, he had read Proust when he was seventeen, during a summer in Quintero. By that time no one in his family summered in Quintero 鈥� not even Julio鈥檚 parents, who had met at El Durazno Beach, ever went to Quintero, a lovely beach town that according to them just wasn鈥檛 what it used to be, now that it had been overrun by the masses. Anyway, Julio said, at seventeen he had commandeered his grandparents鈥� summerhouse so he could shut himself in and read In Search of Lost Time. It was a lie, of course: he had gone to Quintero that summer, and he had read a lot, but he鈥檇 read Jack Kerouac, Heinrich B枚ll, Vladimir Nabokov, Truman Capote, and Enrique Lihn, not Marcel Proust.
That same night, Emilia lied to Julio for the first time, and the lie was, also, that she鈥檇 read Marcel Proust. At first she merely agreed: I read Proust too. But then there was a long, pregnant pause, which wasn鈥檛 an uncomfortable silence but rather an expectant one, so Emilia had to complete the story: I read it recently, just last year, it took me like five months, I was really busy, as you know, with classes. But I decided to read all seven volumes and those were truly the most important months of my life as a reader.鈥�
鈥淛ulio doesn鈥檛 dare name the woman he has drawn. He calls her She. His very own She, of course. And he invents a story for her, a story that he doesn鈥檛 write, that he doesn鈥檛 bother to write.鈥�
It鈥檚 a short read - just under an hour. The reviewers quoted on the inside cover of my edition (for this new translation) have picked up on what I felt as I read the book: this story claws at 5 or 6 deeper stories within all of us, but doesn鈥檛 do it completely enough or frequently enough to be considered a 5-star hit. Rather, it does just enough to leave you with a vague sense of melancholic nostalgia and a yearning for more prose by Zambra.
I鈥檒l quote a couple of sections from the book, in case you want to avert your eyes:
鈥淭he first lie Julio told Emilia was that he had read Marcel Proust. He didn鈥檛 usually lie about his reading, but that second night, when they both knew they were starting something, and that however long it lasted, this something was going to be important 鈥� that night, Julio deepened his voice, feigning intimacy, and said that, yes, he had read Proust when he was seventeen, during a summer in Quintero. By that time no one in his family summered in Quintero 鈥� not even Julio鈥檚 parents, who had met at El Durazno Beach, ever went to Quintero, a lovely beach town that according to them just wasn鈥檛 what it used to be, now that it had been overrun by the masses. Anyway, Julio said, at seventeen he had commandeered his grandparents鈥� summerhouse so he could shut himself in and read In Search of Lost Time. It was a lie, of course: he had gone to Quintero that summer, and he had read a lot, but he鈥檇 read Jack Kerouac, Heinrich B枚ll, Vladimir Nabokov, Truman Capote, and Enrique Lihn, not Marcel Proust.
That same night, Emilia lied to Julio for the first time, and the lie was, also, that she鈥檇 read Marcel Proust. At first she merely agreed: I read Proust too. But then there was a long, pregnant pause, which wasn鈥檛 an uncomfortable silence but rather an expectant one, so Emilia had to complete the story: I read it recently, just last year, it took me like five months, I was really busy, as you know, with classes. But I decided to read all seven volumes and those were truly the most important months of my life as a reader.鈥�
鈥淛ulio doesn鈥檛 dare name the woman he has drawn. He calls her She. His very own She, of course. And he invents a story for her, a story that he doesn鈥檛 write, that he doesn鈥檛 bother to write.鈥�
July 23, 2020
滨惭础骋滨狈贰鈥�
Imagine a book whose first sentence is a huge spoiler: it summarizes the plot and tells you what will happen at the end.
Imagine a book which is a moving homage to literature and its ironic mockery at the same time.
Imagine a book in which its author invites you to participate in an intellectual game and winks at you in conspiracy from time to time.
Imagine a book filled to the brim with literary allusions.
Eyvind Earle, Bonsai, 1987.
Imagine a book which will enrich your To Be Read list.
Imagine a book which will make you ponder what some passages of classics would sound read aloud in an erotic voice.
Imagine a book which will make you understand 鈥� in case you are still not convinced 鈥� that literature not only provokes philosophical questions but also gives sheer joy.
Imagine a book by an author whose prose is 'as compact as a grain of gunpowder, but its allusions and ramifications branch out and illuminate even the most remote corners of our minds', according to Valeria Luiselli. She adds that it feels like 'someone鈥檚 shooting fireworks inside my head'.
Alfio Giuffrida, BONSAI Exp5, 2017.
Imagine a book which will make you wonder what a bonsai symbolizes from the author鈥檚 point of view. Literature? 'Caring for a bonsai is like writing, thinks Julio. Writing is like caring for a bonsai, thinks Julio.' Or maybe art in general? How about love? 'They decided to buy a bonsai to symbolize the immense love that united them.' Life? Illusory hopes? Needless to say, all the answers might be correct.
Imagine a book in which the plot, based on a love story, serves only as a catapult for reflection on writing and reading.
Imagine a book which will leave you hungry for more.
Imagine鈥� Actually, you don鈥檛 have to imagine anything. Just read Bonsai (2008) by Alejandro Zambra.
Ee Suchin.
Imagine a book whose first sentence is a huge spoiler: it summarizes the plot and tells you what will happen at the end.
Imagine a book which is a moving homage to literature and its ironic mockery at the same time.
Imagine a book in which its author invites you to participate in an intellectual game and winks at you in conspiracy from time to time.
Imagine a book filled to the brim with literary allusions.
Eyvind Earle, Bonsai, 1987.
Imagine a book which will enrich your To Be Read list.
Imagine a book which will make you ponder what some passages of classics would sound read aloud in an erotic voice.
Imagine a book which will make you understand 鈥� in case you are still not convinced 鈥� that literature not only provokes philosophical questions but also gives sheer joy.
Imagine a book by an author whose prose is 'as compact as a grain of gunpowder, but its allusions and ramifications branch out and illuminate even the most remote corners of our minds', according to Valeria Luiselli. She adds that it feels like 'someone鈥檚 shooting fireworks inside my head'.
Alfio Giuffrida, BONSAI Exp5, 2017.
Imagine a book which will make you wonder what a bonsai symbolizes from the author鈥檚 point of view. Literature? 'Caring for a bonsai is like writing, thinks Julio. Writing is like caring for a bonsai, thinks Julio.' Or maybe art in general? How about love? 'They decided to buy a bonsai to symbolize the immense love that united them.' Life? Illusory hopes? Needless to say, all the answers might be correct.
Imagine a book in which the plot, based on a love story, serves only as a catapult for reflection on writing and reading.
Imagine a book which will leave you hungry for more.
Imagine鈥� Actually, you don鈥檛 have to imagine anything. Just read Bonsai (2008) by Alejandro Zambra.
Ee Suchin.
April 25, 2024
Life is a process of creation. You can't understand its meaning until you lose the narrative? This book is filled with ideas for readers and writers. It's full of literary references, yet I didn't find it pretentious in any way. It effortlessly captures how we read to discover and invent ourselves, and how living is essential to writing a meaningful book. It's my favorite read of the year so far.
October 16, 2024
#Year of Zambra #1
Ainda n茫o tinha terminado 鈥淔acs铆mil-M煤ltipla Escolha鈥�, o meu primeiro contacto com Alejandro Zambra, quando me senti impelida a ver como seria uma obra mais linear deste chileno. Parece que linearidade n茫o 茅 com ele, pois 茅 esta a frase de abertura de 鈥淏onsai鈥�:
No final ela morre e ele fica sozinho, embora na realidade tivesse ficado sozinho v谩rios anos antes da morte dela, de Em铆lia. Digamos que ela chama-se [sic] ou chamava-se Em铆lia e que ele chama-se [sic], chamava-se e continua a chamar-se J煤lio. J煤lio e Emilia. No final Emilia morre e J煤lio n茫o morre. O resto 茅 literatura.
N茫o 茅 s贸 na forma que Zambra 茅 subversivo, come莽ando aqui pelo final, 茅 tamb茅m na pr贸pria abordagem da literatura, encarando-a n茫o da habitual forma intelectual e espiritual mas conferindo-lhe carnalidade.
A partir de ent茫o isto de ler em voz alta 鈥� em voz baixa 鈥� tornou-se um h谩bito todas as noites, antes de foder. Leram 鈥淓l Libro de Monelle鈥�, de Marcel Schwob, e 鈥淥 Templo Dourado鈥�, de Yukio Mishima, que lhes foram razo谩veis fontes de inspira莽茫o er贸tica. (...) At茅 fragmentos de Nietzsche e de 脡mile Cioran leram.
A esta pose de enfant terrible que muito aprecio, junta-se o tom assertivo que 茅 ainda mais do meu gosto:
Em铆lia disse-o primeiro do que o pensou: est谩s na mesma. Est谩s na mesma, continuas a ser assim, assim como 茅s. E eu continuo assado, sempre fui assado, e agora talvez te conte que em Madrid consegui ser ainda mais assado, completamente assado.
脡 uma novela melanc贸lica sobre as dores do crescimento, mas n茫o est谩 privada de humor:
Todos os homens da fam铆lia tinham passado por Isidora, uma mulher ainda jovem, com umas ancas milagrosas e uma certa propens茫o para o romantismo, que acedia atend锚-los, embora j谩 n茫o fosse o que se chama uma puta, uma puta mesmo puta: agora, e procurava deix谩-lo bem claro, trabalhava como secret谩ria de um advogado.
鈥淏onsai鈥� 茅 um livro em miniatura, bem moldado e aparado, sobre o qual n茫o devo adiantar mais, que aborda o primeiro amor, a solid茫o, as op莽玫es de vida e a inevitabilidade do fim.
Ambos sabiam que, como se diz, o final j谩 estava escrito, o final deles, dos jovens tristes que l锚em romances juntos, que despertam com livros perdidos entre as mantas, que fumam muita marijuana e escutam can莽玫es que n茫o s茫o as mesmas quando est茫o separados. (...) A fantasia de ambos era, pelo menos, terminar Proust, esticar a corda durante mais sete volumes e a que a 煤ltima palavra (a palavra Tempo) fosse tamb茅m a 煤ltima palavra prevista entre eles.
Ainda n茫o tinha terminado 鈥淔acs铆mil-M煤ltipla Escolha鈥�, o meu primeiro contacto com Alejandro Zambra, quando me senti impelida a ver como seria uma obra mais linear deste chileno. Parece que linearidade n茫o 茅 com ele, pois 茅 esta a frase de abertura de 鈥淏onsai鈥�:
No final ela morre e ele fica sozinho, embora na realidade tivesse ficado sozinho v谩rios anos antes da morte dela, de Em铆lia. Digamos que ela chama-se [sic] ou chamava-se Em铆lia e que ele chama-se [sic], chamava-se e continua a chamar-se J煤lio. J煤lio e Emilia. No final Emilia morre e J煤lio n茫o morre. O resto 茅 literatura.
N茫o 茅 s贸 na forma que Zambra 茅 subversivo, come莽ando aqui pelo final, 茅 tamb茅m na pr贸pria abordagem da literatura, encarando-a n茫o da habitual forma intelectual e espiritual mas conferindo-lhe carnalidade.
A partir de ent茫o isto de ler em voz alta 鈥� em voz baixa 鈥� tornou-se um h谩bito todas as noites, antes de foder. Leram 鈥淓l Libro de Monelle鈥�, de Marcel Schwob, e 鈥淥 Templo Dourado鈥�, de Yukio Mishima, que lhes foram razo谩veis fontes de inspira莽茫o er贸tica. (...) At茅 fragmentos de Nietzsche e de 脡mile Cioran leram.
A esta pose de enfant terrible que muito aprecio, junta-se o tom assertivo que 茅 ainda mais do meu gosto:
Em铆lia disse-o primeiro do que o pensou: est谩s na mesma. Est谩s na mesma, continuas a ser assim, assim como 茅s. E eu continuo assado, sempre fui assado, e agora talvez te conte que em Madrid consegui ser ainda mais assado, completamente assado.
脡 uma novela melanc贸lica sobre as dores do crescimento, mas n茫o est谩 privada de humor:
Todos os homens da fam铆lia tinham passado por Isidora, uma mulher ainda jovem, com umas ancas milagrosas e uma certa propens茫o para o romantismo, que acedia atend锚-los, embora j谩 n茫o fosse o que se chama uma puta, uma puta mesmo puta: agora, e procurava deix谩-lo bem claro, trabalhava como secret谩ria de um advogado.
鈥淏onsai鈥� 茅 um livro em miniatura, bem moldado e aparado, sobre o qual n茫o devo adiantar mais, que aborda o primeiro amor, a solid茫o, as op莽玫es de vida e a inevitabilidade do fim.
Ambos sabiam que, como se diz, o final j谩 estava escrito, o final deles, dos jovens tristes que l锚em romances juntos, que despertam com livros perdidos entre as mantas, que fumam muita marijuana e escutam can莽玫es que n茫o s茫o as mesmas quando est茫o separados. (...) A fantasia de ambos era, pelo menos, terminar Proust, esticar a corda durante mais sete volumes e a que a 煤ltima palavra (a palavra Tempo) fosse tamb茅m a 煤ltima palavra prevista entre eles.
May 3, 2018
In the end she dies and he remains alone, although in truth he was alone some years before her death, Emilia's death. Let's say that she is called or was called Emilia and that he is called, was called, and continues to be called Julio. Julio and Emilia. In the end Emilia dies and Julio does not die. The rest is literature:
I only wanted a local short novel to read between transfers on my recent trip to Chile, and I ended up with this precious gem of a poem in prose, heavy with the memories of my own lost youth among books and movies and lost loves that I know nothing about today. A poem dedicated to being young and careless and wasteful of the most precious moments of your life, if you only had the wisdom to know it at the time. A story about how literature intersects with life, about how books brought them together and about how books where insufficient to save them from drifting apart. An ode to the girl who lost her way and died much too young and to the boy who decides to grow up a tree in her memory.
When Julio fell in love with Emilia all the pleasure and suffering previous to the pleasure and suffering that Emilia brought him turned into simple imitations of true pleasure and suffering.
To analyze, to deconstruct this novel seems like sacrilege to me. It is intimate and painful and beautiful beyond the words that comprise it. Beyond making a note to read one of the key short stories that define the relationship between Julio and Emilia and the reason Julio chooses to commemorate their love with a bonsai. It is called "Tantalia" 鈥� by Macedonio Fernandez and, as I understand from the references, it is about a couple that decides to use a house plant as a symbol for their love.
鈥斅烩赌斅烩赌斅烩赌�
As I prepared to write some thoughts about my first Zambra experience, I found myself checking old notebooks from my student days for fragments of poetry that I underlined in the aftermath of broken relationships. I'll just leave them here, as more 'feuilles mortes' from my own bonsai.
On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star, like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are, how fragile we are
Ne-om aminti c芒ndva t芒rziu
de-aceasta 卯nt芒mplare simpla,
de-aceasta banca unde stam
t芒mpla fierbinte l芒nga t芒mpla.
De pe stamine de alun,
din plopii albi, se cerne jarul.
Orice-nceput se vrea fecund,
risipei se deda Florarul.
APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Les sanglots longs
Des violons
De l'automne
Blessent mon c艙ur
D'une langueur
Monotone.
Tout suffocant
Et bl锚me, quand
Sonne l'heure,
Je me souviens
Des jours anciens
Et je pleure;
Et je m'en vais
Au vent mauvais
Qui m'emporte
De莽脿, del脿,
Pareil 脿 la
Feuille morte.
February 9, 2018
Pfff. A menudo se habla sobre que la simplicidad es amiga del arte. Sin embargo, me he encontrado con muchos autores que utilizan la simpleza como recurso expl铆cito a fin de ocultar no tener nada (importante) que decir. 叠辞苍蝉谩颈, en mi opini贸n, es uno de esos libros que palidecen ante su falta de sustancia. No me animo a decir que 叠辞苍蝉谩颈 sea una p茅sima obra, pero no logr贸 en ning煤n momento provocar algo bueno en m铆 como lector. Not茅 un intento de tapar dicha falta de sustancia con ardides groseros, como el constante name-dropping o una prosa metaficcional que deja mucho que desear. Lo volver茅 a intentar con Zambra, pero no ser谩 una prioridad.
September 15, 2013
A bonsai has to be nurtured and truly loved or else it will die; likewise, unless one does the same thing with human love, that will also die.
This is a philosophical, thought provoking novella (so I have a tautology here but I like it even though it鈥檚 extraneous as it adds necessary substance to the wording) and I was charmed and delighted by it all.
This is not really a novella but a short story and it can be read in little more than an hour. Nevertheless, in spite of its brevity, it runs the gamut of your average novel of say 250,000 words in its intensity, soul and concentrated structure. This is a remarkable feat for an author to achieve, especially with the hidden layers being gradually revealed within the fabric of this remarkable book. I鈥檓 not at all surprised that it was so acclaimed in Chile, especially being a debut novel.
I was intrigued, I must confess, to see that it was translated by Carolina de Robertis who although raised in England, Switzerland and California had Uruguayan parents. Surely it would have been better with a Chilean translator who would know all the literary nuances relating to the language of that country?
Alejandro Zambra has excelled as a master of literary contradictions. The story is spell-binding. He has achieved this by a literary style that appears simple but brings to life the 鈥渁verage鈥� story of two students, Julio and Emilia, who become lovers. On the surface this is a couple who like each other and appreciate their sexual romps. But there鈥檚 something extra in the mix that is also rather different about them 鈥� they are both very literary in the way in which they love and devour their books and they have an unusual symbiotic relationship. That on the surface is a good thing but when they begin reading aloud their various works to each other, an imperceptible change is noticed and the cracks begin to appear in their love for one another. They read fragments of Nietzche and Emile Cioran, Borges, Bioy CXasares and Silvina Ocampo and then they arrive 鈥渁t 鈥淭antalia鈥� a short story by Macedonioi Fernandez that affected them profoundly:
鈥淭antalia鈥� is the story of a couple that decides to buy a small plant (the implication here is that this is the bonsai mentioned here) and keep it as a symbol of the love that unites them. They realize too late that if the plant dies, the love that unites them will die with it. And as the love that unites them is immense and they are not willing to sacrifice it for any reason, they decide to lose the little plant in a multitude of identical little plants. Later comes the despair, then misfortune of knowing they will never be able to find it.鈥�
Then we go into the role play of Emma in Madame Bovary. Both refused to play Charles but their good sex life continues. There is this wonderful Spanish verb used, follar, and I wonder if the translator has indeed translated it correctly. I don鈥檛 like the English term used (beginning with s鈥�), but perhaps that was the only choice? Our exuberant couple then cruised through Chekhov, Kafka but at this stage the damage had already been created within the labyrinth of their perfect love.
I think that their relationship should have stopped here whilst it was still on a high here but then Proust raises his ugly head and then deception enters with a vengeance. Both had lied by saying that they had read Proust, i.e. 鈥溍€ la recherche du temps perdu鈥� 鈥� or Remembrance of Things Past 鈥� a novel in seven volumes. You see they hadn鈥檛 read Proust before because they had a big secret in that they had never read any of his novels and both insisted that this was a reread.鈥� That鈥檚 a trifle complicated surely?
鈥淭hey stopped on 鈥減age 372 of Swann鈥檚 Way鈥�. It was the following sentence that was the reason:
鈥淜nowledge of a thing cannot impede it; but at least we have the things we discover, if not in our hands, at least in thought, and there they are at our disposal, which inspires us to the illusory hope of enjoying a kind of dominion over them.鈥�
What is so delightful about this book are the continuous contradictions and then you begin to wonder about the ending. It isn鈥檛 until Mari谩 enters the equation that you can even remotely guess the outcome. To see the comparisons between Madrid, Spain and Chile also adds an extra dimension to this story.
The ending was perfect for me. There couldn鈥檛 have been any other and it was glorious in its mystery.
I read this short story after a very annoying day proofreading a translation by a very bad translator. I had been offered the translation but it would have taken forever and so I opted for the proofreading and when I found I had had to more or less to re-translate it, I was livid. Because of this, I was not in the right frame of mind and also troubled with my own interpretation of the book. So I had to re-set the scene and reread the book. Now how would I play that? Would enlightenment occur? I hoped so. I was prepared to abandon it I must confess. There are so many other delicious books around to read.
I went to bed and woke up at 4 am. It was a clear sky and the stars were twinkling away as is their want. I returned to my warm, comforting bed and woke up again at 7 am. The normal dawn chorus had been replaced bya cacophony of jays and crows. Where was my beautiful and normal dawn chorus? The darkness was beginning to disappear and so I sat on the terrace with a black coffee and a tablespoon of honey, I watched the dazzling sun come up and I was soon on my reread. Chlo茅 was out sniffing in the garden and then she disappeared down the hill after some mysterious creature. I looked again at this short story and the scales fell from my eyes and I could finally understand this sparkling diamond of a book.
It is nevertheless difficult to review this book. I found it enthralling but it has such a depth to it that it is difficult to state exactly what I feel. Nevertheless, how Alejandro Zambra managed to write such an amazing book for a debut novel amazes me. Bravo, that鈥檚 all I can possibly say.
So as a result I'm looking for another "fix" by this wonderful author and I already have my eyes set on his most recent book!
This is a philosophical, thought provoking novella (so I have a tautology here but I like it even though it鈥檚 extraneous as it adds necessary substance to the wording) and I was charmed and delighted by it all.
This is not really a novella but a short story and it can be read in little more than an hour. Nevertheless, in spite of its brevity, it runs the gamut of your average novel of say 250,000 words in its intensity, soul and concentrated structure. This is a remarkable feat for an author to achieve, especially with the hidden layers being gradually revealed within the fabric of this remarkable book. I鈥檓 not at all surprised that it was so acclaimed in Chile, especially being a debut novel.
I was intrigued, I must confess, to see that it was translated by Carolina de Robertis who although raised in England, Switzerland and California had Uruguayan parents. Surely it would have been better with a Chilean translator who would know all the literary nuances relating to the language of that country?
Alejandro Zambra has excelled as a master of literary contradictions. The story is spell-binding. He has achieved this by a literary style that appears simple but brings to life the 鈥渁verage鈥� story of two students, Julio and Emilia, who become lovers. On the surface this is a couple who like each other and appreciate their sexual romps. But there鈥檚 something extra in the mix that is also rather different about them 鈥� they are both very literary in the way in which they love and devour their books and they have an unusual symbiotic relationship. That on the surface is a good thing but when they begin reading aloud their various works to each other, an imperceptible change is noticed and the cracks begin to appear in their love for one another. They read fragments of Nietzche and Emile Cioran, Borges, Bioy CXasares and Silvina Ocampo and then they arrive 鈥渁t 鈥淭antalia鈥� a short story by Macedonioi Fernandez that affected them profoundly:
鈥淭antalia鈥� is the story of a couple that decides to buy a small plant (the implication here is that this is the bonsai mentioned here) and keep it as a symbol of the love that unites them. They realize too late that if the plant dies, the love that unites them will die with it. And as the love that unites them is immense and they are not willing to sacrifice it for any reason, they decide to lose the little plant in a multitude of identical little plants. Later comes the despair, then misfortune of knowing they will never be able to find it.鈥�
Then we go into the role play of Emma in Madame Bovary. Both refused to play Charles but their good sex life continues. There is this wonderful Spanish verb used, follar, and I wonder if the translator has indeed translated it correctly. I don鈥檛 like the English term used (beginning with s鈥�), but perhaps that was the only choice? Our exuberant couple then cruised through Chekhov, Kafka but at this stage the damage had already been created within the labyrinth of their perfect love.
I think that their relationship should have stopped here whilst it was still on a high here but then Proust raises his ugly head and then deception enters with a vengeance. Both had lied by saying that they had read Proust, i.e. 鈥溍€ la recherche du temps perdu鈥� 鈥� or Remembrance of Things Past 鈥� a novel in seven volumes. You see they hadn鈥檛 read Proust before because they had a big secret in that they had never read any of his novels and both insisted that this was a reread.鈥� That鈥檚 a trifle complicated surely?
鈥淭hey stopped on 鈥減age 372 of Swann鈥檚 Way鈥�. It was the following sentence that was the reason:
鈥淜nowledge of a thing cannot impede it; but at least we have the things we discover, if not in our hands, at least in thought, and there they are at our disposal, which inspires us to the illusory hope of enjoying a kind of dominion over them.鈥�
What is so delightful about this book are the continuous contradictions and then you begin to wonder about the ending. It isn鈥檛 until Mari谩 enters the equation that you can even remotely guess the outcome. To see the comparisons between Madrid, Spain and Chile also adds an extra dimension to this story.
The ending was perfect for me. There couldn鈥檛 have been any other and it was glorious in its mystery.
I read this short story after a very annoying day proofreading a translation by a very bad translator. I had been offered the translation but it would have taken forever and so I opted for the proofreading and when I found I had had to more or less to re-translate it, I was livid. Because of this, I was not in the right frame of mind and also troubled with my own interpretation of the book. So I had to re-set the scene and reread the book. Now how would I play that? Would enlightenment occur? I hoped so. I was prepared to abandon it I must confess. There are so many other delicious books around to read.
I went to bed and woke up at 4 am. It was a clear sky and the stars were twinkling away as is their want. I returned to my warm, comforting bed and woke up again at 7 am. The normal dawn chorus had been replaced bya cacophony of jays and crows. Where was my beautiful and normal dawn chorus? The darkness was beginning to disappear and so I sat on the terrace with a black coffee and a tablespoon of honey, I watched the dazzling sun come up and I was soon on my reread. Chlo茅 was out sniffing in the garden and then she disappeared down the hill after some mysterious creature. I looked again at this short story and the scales fell from my eyes and I could finally understand this sparkling diamond of a book.
It is nevertheless difficult to review this book. I found it enthralling but it has such a depth to it that it is difficult to state exactly what I feel. Nevertheless, how Alejandro Zambra managed to write such an amazing book for a debut novel amazes me. Bravo, that鈥檚 all I can possibly say.
So as a result I'm looking for another "fix" by this wonderful author and I already have my eyes set on his most recent book!
January 19, 2023
This is a brief novella, well, more a short story dressed up as a novella. It is a romance, but it is also quite clever:
鈥淭ending a bonsai is like writing, thinks Julio. Writing is like tending a bonsai, Julio thinks.鈥�
There鈥檚 plenty more like that.
It is the story of a romance between Julio and Emilia, initially two college students. They read classics together, turning the reading into a game and looking for what might be vaguely sexual or a double entendre before they can have sex!
It鈥檚 a bit flimsy and I found it irritating and pretentious, but it is loved by some.
鈥淚n the end she dies and he remains alone, although in truth he was alone some years before her death, Emilia鈥檚 death. Let鈥檚 say that she is called or was called Emilia and that he is called, was called, and continues to be called Julio. Julio and Emilia. In the end Emilia dies and Julio does not die. The rest is literature.鈥�
The rest is boring.
鈥淭ending a bonsai is like writing, thinks Julio. Writing is like tending a bonsai, Julio thinks.鈥�
There鈥檚 plenty more like that.
It is the story of a romance between Julio and Emilia, initially two college students. They read classics together, turning the reading into a game and looking for what might be vaguely sexual or a double entendre before they can have sex!
It鈥檚 a bit flimsy and I found it irritating and pretentious, but it is loved by some.
鈥淚n the end she dies and he remains alone, although in truth he was alone some years before her death, Emilia鈥檚 death. Let鈥檚 say that she is called or was called Emilia and that he is called, was called, and continues to be called Julio. Julio and Emilia. In the end Emilia dies and Julio does not die. The rest is literature.鈥�
The rest is boring.
May 2, 2009
this is mighty short but very nice. there are some really prettily-written moments within. not life-changing, but a good half hour read.
July 17, 2021
Epitafijos:
Years passed, and the only
person who didn鈥檛 change was
the young woman in the book.听 鈥揧asunari Kawabata
Pain is measured and detailed.听 鈥揋onzalo Millan
艩is trumpas, vos 80-ties puslapi懦, 膷il臈s ra拧ytojo Alejandro Zambra debiutinis romanas - apie tragi拧k膮, nei拧sipild啪iusi膮 meil臋. Ir 膷ia visai ne spoileris, nes pasakojimas prasideda 拧tai taip:
鈥淚n the end she dies and he remains alone, although in truth he was alone some years before her death, Emilia鈥檚 death. Let鈥檚 say that she is called or was called Emilia and that he is called, was called, and continues to be called Julio, Julio and Emilia. In the end Emilia dies and Julio does not die. The rest is literature:鈥�
Lie膷iamos 膷ia ir k奴rybos, literat奴ros skaitymo ir ra拧ymo temos. Mane labiausiai 啪av臈jo stilius, sakini懦 strukt奴ra, tas autoriaus sugeb臈jimas per minimal懦 siu啪et膮 papasakoti istorij膮 ir galiausiai tai, kaip Zambra 啪aid啪ia su pa膷iu pasakojimu, jo forma. Totaliai mano knyga.
鈥淵es, the thing is that Gazmuri writes very well. The way I鈥檓 telling it, it seems like a strange story, even melodramatic. But I鈥檓 sure Gazmuri knew how to give it form.鈥�
艩iaip jau, siu啪eto 拧iame trumpame romane nedaug, tad听buvau nustebinta, kuomet u啪tikau ir film膮 sukurt膮 pagal 拧i膮 knyg膮. "Bonsai" (2011). Jo nema膷iau, ta膷iau, 寞tariu, kad tai du skirtingi k奴riniai.
Leidykla RARA i拧leis kartu su kitu Alejandro Zambra k奴riniu "Privatus med啪i懦 gyvenimas".
Beje, savo jaunuoli懦 nesusikalbejimo tema man ji truput寞 听primin臈 Rooney 鈥淣ormal奴s 啪mon臈s鈥�. Tik "Bonsai" - visi拧kai kitas lygmuo. 听
Years passed, and the only
person who didn鈥檛 change was
the young woman in the book.听 鈥揧asunari Kawabata
Pain is measured and detailed.听 鈥揋onzalo Millan
艩is trumpas, vos 80-ties puslapi懦, 膷il臈s ra拧ytojo Alejandro Zambra debiutinis romanas - apie tragi拧k膮, nei拧sipild啪iusi膮 meil臋. Ir 膷ia visai ne spoileris, nes pasakojimas prasideda 拧tai taip:
鈥淚n the end she dies and he remains alone, although in truth he was alone some years before her death, Emilia鈥檚 death. Let鈥檚 say that she is called or was called Emilia and that he is called, was called, and continues to be called Julio, Julio and Emilia. In the end Emilia dies and Julio does not die. The rest is literature:鈥�
Lie膷iamos 膷ia ir k奴rybos, literat奴ros skaitymo ir ra拧ymo temos. Mane labiausiai 啪av臈jo stilius, sakini懦 strukt奴ra, tas autoriaus sugeb臈jimas per minimal懦 siu啪et膮 papasakoti istorij膮 ir galiausiai tai, kaip Zambra 啪aid啪ia su pa膷iu pasakojimu, jo forma. Totaliai mano knyga.
鈥淵es, the thing is that Gazmuri writes very well. The way I鈥檓 telling it, it seems like a strange story, even melodramatic. But I鈥檓 sure Gazmuri knew how to give it form.鈥�
艩iaip jau, siu啪eto 拧iame trumpame romane nedaug, tad听buvau nustebinta, kuomet u啪tikau ir film膮 sukurt膮 pagal 拧i膮 knyg膮. "Bonsai" (2011). Jo nema膷iau, ta膷iau, 寞tariu, kad tai du skirtingi k奴riniai.
Leidykla RARA i拧leis kartu su kitu Alejandro Zambra k奴riniu "Privatus med啪i懦 gyvenimas".
Beje, savo jaunuoli懦 nesusikalbejimo tema man ji truput寞 听primin臈 Rooney 鈥淣ormal奴s 啪mon臈s鈥�. Tik "Bonsai" - visi拧kai kitas lygmuo. 听
May 11, 2019
"螆谓伪 渭蟺慰谓蟽伪喂 蔚委谓伪喂 苇谓伪 魏伪位位喂蟿蔚蠂谓喂魏蠈 伪谓蟿委纬蟻伪蠁慰 蔚谓蠈蟼 未苇谓蟿蟻慰蠀 蟽蔚 渭喂魏蟻慰纬蟻伪蠁委伪."
螆谓伪 蟺蔚蟿蠀蠂畏渭苇谓慰 未喂畏纬畏渭伪 蔚委谓伪喂 苇谓伪 伪谓蟿委纬蟻伪蠁慰 蔚谓蠈蟼 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿慰蟻萎渭伪蟿慰蟼 蟽蔚 渭喂魏蟻慰纬蟻伪蠁委伪, 胃伪 蟺蟻慰蟽胃苇蟽蠅 蔚纬蠋. 螤蟻伪纬渭伪蟿喂魏维 蠈渭慰蟻蠁慰
螆谓伪 蟺蔚蟿蠀蠂畏渭苇谓慰 未喂畏纬畏渭伪 蔚委谓伪喂 苇谓伪 伪谓蟿委纬蟻伪蠁慰 蔚谓蠈蟼 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿慰蟻萎渭伪蟿慰蟼 蟽蔚 渭喂魏蟻慰纬蟻伪蠁委伪, 胃伪 蟺蟻慰蟽胃苇蟽蠅 蔚纬蠋. 螤蟻伪纬渭伪蟿喂魏维 蠈渭慰蟻蠁慰
March 20, 2018
"She and he, Macedonio鈥檚 characters, had and lost a little plant of love. Emilia and Julio鈥攚ho are not exactly characters, though maybe it鈥檚 convenient to think of them as characters鈥攈ave been reading before shagging for months, it is very pleasant, they think, and sometimes they think it at the same time: it is very pleasant, it is beautiful to read and talk about the reading just before tangling legs. It鈥檚 like doing exercise.
It isn鈥檛 always easy to find, in the texts, some impetus, however small, to shag, but in the end they manage to locate a paragraph or verse that, when whimsically stretched or perverted, works for them, gets them hot. (They liked that expression, to get hot, that鈥檚 why I use it. They liked it almost enough to get hot from it.)"
Such erotic foreplay.
I have been staring at the screen for the last one hour and the only thing I can think of is how incredibly aroused I am. As it turns out, my brain loses its thinking capacity when I am turned on. And turned on I am.
If you asked me, I couldn't tell you what the novella was about. Not exactly. It was about love found and love lost. It was about human intimacy. About loneliness. About madness. About words and what they do to people.
"In the end she dies and he remains alone, although in truth he was alone some years before her death, Emilia's death. Let's say that she is called or was called Emilia and that he is called, was called, and continues to be called Julio. Julio and Emilia. In the end Emilia dies and Julio does not die.The rest is literature."
My version of the book was only 96 pages long and it took me a little less than half an hour to finish it. But I am certain that this book would be on my mind for a long, long time.
"A bonsai is an artistic replica of a tree, in miniature. It consists of two elements: the living tree and the container. The two elements must be in harmony and the selection of the appropriate pot for a tree is almost an art form in itself. The tree can be a vine, a shrub, or a tree, but it is normally referred to as a tree. The container is normally a flowerpot or an interesting chunk of rock. A bonsai is never called a bonsai tree. The word already includes the living element. Once outside its flowerpot, the tree ceases to be a bonsai...
Caring for a bonsai is like writing, thinks Julio. Writing is like caring for a bonsai, thinks Julio."
It isn鈥檛 always easy to find, in the texts, some impetus, however small, to shag, but in the end they manage to locate a paragraph or verse that, when whimsically stretched or perverted, works for them, gets them hot. (They liked that expression, to get hot, that鈥檚 why I use it. They liked it almost enough to get hot from it.)"
Such erotic foreplay.
I have been staring at the screen for the last one hour and the only thing I can think of is how incredibly aroused I am. As it turns out, my brain loses its thinking capacity when I am turned on. And turned on I am.
If you asked me, I couldn't tell you what the novella was about. Not exactly. It was about love found and love lost. It was about human intimacy. About loneliness. About madness. About words and what they do to people.
"In the end she dies and he remains alone, although in truth he was alone some years before her death, Emilia's death. Let's say that she is called or was called Emilia and that he is called, was called, and continues to be called Julio. Julio and Emilia. In the end Emilia dies and Julio does not die.The rest is literature."
My version of the book was only 96 pages long and it took me a little less than half an hour to finish it. But I am certain that this book would be on my mind for a long, long time.
"A bonsai is an artistic replica of a tree, in miniature. It consists of two elements: the living tree and the container. The two elements must be in harmony and the selection of the appropriate pot for a tree is almost an art form in itself. The tree can be a vine, a shrub, or a tree, but it is normally referred to as a tree. The container is normally a flowerpot or an interesting chunk of rock. A bonsai is never called a bonsai tree. The word already includes the living element. Once outside its flowerpot, the tree ceases to be a bonsai...
Caring for a bonsai is like writing, thinks Julio. Writing is like caring for a bonsai, thinks Julio."
March 28, 2023
Este libro es un artefacto de alta precisi贸n. Es metaliterario pero va m谩s all谩 de ello. Es un libro sobre un libro, y se transforma en ese libro. Zambra es un escritor grande, no hay duda. Esta no es una novela sino el resumen de una novela, y el narrador no es solo omnisciente, est谩 fuera del libro, porque est谩 observando la historia que sucede dentro de aquel y la est谩 transcribiendo. Hay un tono un poco cortazariano en la narraci贸n y una concepci贸n borgeana de la estructura novelesca. Realmente el juego literario que propone Zambra es innovador o, cuando menos, destellante. Corto, simple y preciso (aunque me falle un poco el final), tiene notas brillantes. Una pluma 谩gil e ingeniosa la de Zambra en esta su primera novela (que no es novela) y hace maravillas con esos personajes tan t铆picos suyos, que parecen sosos pero sus vidas dan giros no tan sosos y que regresan a la soser铆a despu茅s de transitar los espacios m谩gicos de la ficci贸n. En este caso, Julio y Emilia, un romance para follar y leer libros, un libro sobre unos amantes y una planta que es el augurio del fin de su relaci贸n, que terminar谩 en la p谩gina 375 de Por el camino de Swann de Proust. Esto solo es el principio. Despu茅s vendr谩 Julio como el escribidor del escritor que casi nadie ha le铆do, la novela trunca, la novela Bonsai y el Bonsai, y la muerte en las v铆as del tren. No dir茅 m谩s para no arruinar la experiencia lectora. Recomendad铆simo. Voy a tener que dosificar a Zambra para que no se me acabe.
August 23, 2019
"Ancak hayat谋n谋 de臒i艧tirecek ve mahvedecek birine rastlad谋臒谋nda hayat谋n bir anlam谋 olur."
馃挌
Yine baya be臒endim.
Bir gecede Zambra'n谋n t眉m kitaplar谋n谋 bitirmemek i莽in zor tutuyorum kendimi. Mevsim yeterince g眉zel bir yorum girmi艧 zaten fazla s枚ze gerek yok.
Ama Kay谋p Zaman谋n 陌zinde'ye ba艧lamak farz oldu art谋k. Zambra'y谋 k谋ramam :)
陌yi okumalar 馃尭
馃挌
Yine baya be臒endim.
Bir gecede Zambra'n谋n t眉m kitaplar谋n谋 bitirmemek i莽in zor tutuyorum kendimi. Mevsim yeterince g眉zel bir yorum girmi艧 zaten fazla s枚ze gerek yok.
Ama Kay谋p Zaman谋n 陌zinde'ye ba艧lamak farz oldu art谋k. Zambra'y谋 k谋ramam :)
陌yi okumalar 馃尭
May 17, 2024
La primera frase de la novela nos anuncia el resultado. El resto es bucear en el pasado para saber que pas贸. 叠辞苍蝉谩颈 es una hermosa historia de amor.
Escribir para Zambra es como podar un ramaje para hacer visible algo que ya estaba ah铆, que se vislumbraba, igual a la actividad de los escultores. El tempo es muy importante ya que el pasado es nost谩lgico, el presente es apremiante y el futuro es inevitable. Los p谩rrafos son secos, m铆nimos, nos dan s贸lo lo necesario para entender el puzzle.
Hay un trabajo del lenguaje que nos deja triste, nos abruma, nos hace sufrir con la historia de Emilia y Julio. El lector termina angustiado, pero contento por leer algo tan bello.
Los protagonistas buscan su lugar en este mundo complejo y compran una historia con la metaliteratura como gu铆a, con c铆rculos conc茅ntricos que se tocan.
叠辞苍蝉谩颈 tiene muchos puentes con Poeta chileno. Est谩n ah铆. El resto es literatura.
Escribir para Zambra es como podar un ramaje para hacer visible algo que ya estaba ah铆, que se vislumbraba, igual a la actividad de los escultores. El tempo es muy importante ya que el pasado es nost谩lgico, el presente es apremiante y el futuro es inevitable. Los p谩rrafos son secos, m铆nimos, nos dan s贸lo lo necesario para entender el puzzle.
Hay un trabajo del lenguaje que nos deja triste, nos abruma, nos hace sufrir con la historia de Emilia y Julio. El lector termina angustiado, pero contento por leer algo tan bello.
Los protagonistas buscan su lugar en este mundo complejo y compran una historia con la metaliteratura como gu铆a, con c铆rculos conc茅ntricos que se tocan.
叠辞苍蝉谩颈 tiene muchos puentes con Poeta chileno. Est谩n ah铆. El resto es literatura.
August 16, 2022
They both knew, as the saying goes, the ending was already written - their ending, that of the sad young people who read novels together, who wake up with books tangled in the blankets, who smoke a lot of weed and listen to song that aren't the same ones they like best when they're alone.
Bonsai is Megan McDowell's translation of Alejandro Zambra's novella 叠辞苍蝉谩颈. Or rather re-translation since the book had already been translated into English 14 years previously by Carolina De Robertis. See below for my thoughts on that aspect.
Bonsai is a knowingly meta-fictional novella based on a relationship between two young Chilean students, Julio and Emilia, and its aftermath. The book starts by telling us how the story ends - with the death of Emilia.
Their relationship is built in a shared love of books - they even use literature as an erotic stimulus - but also on a lie, and the beginning of the end of their relationship comes when they read the story Tantalia by Macedonio Fern谩ndez:
The first lie Julio told Emilia was that he had read Marcel Proust. He didn鈥檛 usually lie about his reading, but that second night, when they both knew they were starting something, and that however long it lasted, this something was going to be important 鈥� that night, Julio deepened his voice, feigning intimacy, and said that, yes, he had read Proust when he was seventeen, during a summer in Quintero. By that time no one in his family summered in Quintero鈥攏ot even Julio鈥檚 parents, who had met at El Durazno beach, ever went to Quintero, a lovely beach town that according to them just wasn鈥檛 what it used to be, now that it had been overrun by the masses. Anyway, Julio said, at seventeen he had commandeered his grandparents鈥� summerhouse so he could shut himself in and read In Search of Lost Time. It was a lie, of course: he had gone to Quintero that summer, and he had read a lot, but he鈥檇 read Jack Kerouac, Heinrich B枚ll, Vladimir Nabokov, Truman Capote, and Enrique Lihn, not Marcel Proust.
That same night, Emilia lied to Julio for the first time, and the lie was, also, that she鈥檇 read Marcel Proust. At first she merely agreed: I read Proust too. But then there was a long, pregnant pause, which wasn鈥檛 an uncomfortable silence but rather an expectant one, so Emilia had to complete the story: I read it recently, just last year, it took me like five months, I was really busy, as you know, with classes. But I decided to read all seven volumes and those were truly the most important months of my life as a reader.
She used that expression: my life as a reader 鈥� she said that those had been, without a doubt, the most important months of her life as a reader.
One of my 欧宝娱乐 friends, David (/user/show/1...), commented that this gave him Sally Rooney vibes, and I can certainly see where he is coming from.
Overall I found this a very slight work - one that seemed to have a lot of buzz around it from when it was first published and translated, but I am unclear why. And I am unconvinced the re-translation really adds anything.
2.5 stars rounded to 2
----
(Re-)Translation notes
叠辞苍蝉谩颈 in Spanish was Zambra's debut novel in 2006 was translated into English in 2008 by Carolina De Robertis and published in the US, but not the UK.
From 2010 on McDowell translated the author's other works - The Private Lives of Trees, Ways of Going Home, My Documents, Multiple Choice, Not to Read and Chilean Poet - and agreed to retranslate this book for it's UK publication as "I do have an urge towards completism, and now I can say I have translated all of Alejandro鈥檚 books", rather than having any issues with the previous version. She's also said she didn't consult the previous version until the very end of her process, just to check how De Robertis had dealt with some issues. "This is the first retranslation I have done, and I鈥檓 not really sure how much it will be compared to the original, or if anyone will really care or notice."
Well if one retranslates a book, then this reader at least is tempted to compare. I'm not a massive fan of re-translations (unless the original had major problems, which isn't the case here) given the dearth of untranslated books to tackle, but can just about see the logic here in terms of completism, although it doesn't feel to have meaningfully changed the book.
De Robertis, at the time, commented that much of the translation was very smooth due to Zambra's 'limpid, lean and deceptively simple' prose. And this is reflected in the translations - having compared various passages - being largely very similar.
De Robertis did highlight two issues, one a passage contrasting different Chilean and Spanish dialect slang for sex, with the challenge of how to render that in English:
The passage:
Poco antes de enredarse con Julio, Emilia hab铆a decidido que en adelante follar铆a, como los espa帽oles, ya no har铆a el amor con nadie, ya no tirar铆a o se meter铆a con alguien, ni mucho menos culear铆a o culiar铆a. Este es un problema chileno, dijo Emilia, entonces, a Julio, con una soltura que solo le nada en la oscuridad, y en voz muy baja, desde luego: Este es un problema de los chilenos j贸venes, somos demasiado j贸venes para hacer el amor, y en Chile si no haces el amor solo puedes culear o culiar, pero a m铆 no me gustar铆a culiar o culear contigo, preferir铆a que foll谩ramos, como en Espa帽a.
De Robertis:
Shortly before getting involved with Julio, Emilia had decided that from now on she would follar, as the Spanish do, she would no longer make love with anyone, she would not screw or bone anybody, and much less would she fuck. This is a Chilean problem, Emilia said, then, to Julio, with an ease that only came to her in the darkness, and in a very low voice, of course: This is a problem for Chilean youth, we're too young to make love, and in Chile if you don't make love you can only fuck, but it would be disagreeable to fuck you, I'd prefer it if we shagged, si follaramos, as they do in Spain.
McDowell, who uses a similar technique, but uses two not one untranslated Spanish words, and (not surprisingly given the lack of direct equivalents) uses different, indeed opposite, English slang:
Not long before she got mixed up with Julio, Emilia had decided that from then on she was going to fuck -what the Spanish call 'foliar' 鈥� and she would no longer make love with anyone or hook up with anyone, much less would she screw, or 'culiar', as a Chilean would say. This is a Chilean problem, Emilia said to Julio, with a boldness she only displayed in the dark 鈥� though in a very low voice, of course: This is the problem with young Chileans. We're too young to make love, and in Chile, if you don't make love you can only culiar, but I don't want to screw you, I'd rather follar, I'd rather fuck you like they do in Spain.
The second is where the narrator describes their tale as a 'historia de ilusiones', which De Robertis comments is a classic translation condundrum
McDowell just goes for the simpler 'story of illusions'.
Comments by the translators:
McDowell:
De Robertis:
Bonsai is Megan McDowell's translation of Alejandro Zambra's novella 叠辞苍蝉谩颈. Or rather re-translation since the book had already been translated into English 14 years previously by Carolina De Robertis. See below for my thoughts on that aspect.
Bonsai is a knowingly meta-fictional novella based on a relationship between two young Chilean students, Julio and Emilia, and its aftermath. The book starts by telling us how the story ends - with the death of Emilia.
Their relationship is built in a shared love of books - they even use literature as an erotic stimulus - but also on a lie, and the beginning of the end of their relationship comes when they read the story Tantalia by Macedonio Fern谩ndez:
The first lie Julio told Emilia was that he had read Marcel Proust. He didn鈥檛 usually lie about his reading, but that second night, when they both knew they were starting something, and that however long it lasted, this something was going to be important 鈥� that night, Julio deepened his voice, feigning intimacy, and said that, yes, he had read Proust when he was seventeen, during a summer in Quintero. By that time no one in his family summered in Quintero鈥攏ot even Julio鈥檚 parents, who had met at El Durazno beach, ever went to Quintero, a lovely beach town that according to them just wasn鈥檛 what it used to be, now that it had been overrun by the masses. Anyway, Julio said, at seventeen he had commandeered his grandparents鈥� summerhouse so he could shut himself in and read In Search of Lost Time. It was a lie, of course: he had gone to Quintero that summer, and he had read a lot, but he鈥檇 read Jack Kerouac, Heinrich B枚ll, Vladimir Nabokov, Truman Capote, and Enrique Lihn, not Marcel Proust.
That same night, Emilia lied to Julio for the first time, and the lie was, also, that she鈥檇 read Marcel Proust. At first she merely agreed: I read Proust too. But then there was a long, pregnant pause, which wasn鈥檛 an uncomfortable silence but rather an expectant one, so Emilia had to complete the story: I read it recently, just last year, it took me like five months, I was really busy, as you know, with classes. But I decided to read all seven volumes and those were truly the most important months of my life as a reader.
She used that expression: my life as a reader 鈥� she said that those had been, without a doubt, the most important months of her life as a reader.
One of my 欧宝娱乐 friends, David (/user/show/1...), commented that this gave him Sally Rooney vibes, and I can certainly see where he is coming from.
Overall I found this a very slight work - one that seemed to have a lot of buzz around it from when it was first published and translated, but I am unclear why. And I am unconvinced the re-translation really adds anything.
2.5 stars rounded to 2
----
(Re-)Translation notes
叠辞苍蝉谩颈 in Spanish was Zambra's debut novel in 2006 was translated into English in 2008 by Carolina De Robertis and published in the US, but not the UK.
From 2010 on McDowell translated the author's other works - The Private Lives of Trees, Ways of Going Home, My Documents, Multiple Choice, Not to Read and Chilean Poet - and agreed to retranslate this book for it's UK publication as "I do have an urge towards completism, and now I can say I have translated all of Alejandro鈥檚 books", rather than having any issues with the previous version. She's also said she didn't consult the previous version until the very end of her process, just to check how De Robertis had dealt with some issues. "This is the first retranslation I have done, and I鈥檓 not really sure how much it will be compared to the original, or if anyone will really care or notice."
Well if one retranslates a book, then this reader at least is tempted to compare. I'm not a massive fan of re-translations (unless the original had major problems, which isn't the case here) given the dearth of untranslated books to tackle, but can just about see the logic here in terms of completism, although it doesn't feel to have meaningfully changed the book.
De Robertis, at the time, commented that much of the translation was very smooth due to Zambra's 'limpid, lean and deceptively simple' prose. And this is reflected in the translations - having compared various passages - being largely very similar.
De Robertis did highlight two issues, one a passage contrasting different Chilean and Spanish dialect slang for sex, with the challenge of how to render that in English:
The passage:
Poco antes de enredarse con Julio, Emilia hab铆a decidido que en adelante follar铆a, como los espa帽oles, ya no har铆a el amor con nadie, ya no tirar铆a o se meter铆a con alguien, ni mucho menos culear铆a o culiar铆a. Este es un problema chileno, dijo Emilia, entonces, a Julio, con una soltura que solo le nada en la oscuridad, y en voz muy baja, desde luego: Este es un problema de los chilenos j贸venes, somos demasiado j贸venes para hacer el amor, y en Chile si no haces el amor solo puedes culear o culiar, pero a m铆 no me gustar铆a culiar o culear contigo, preferir铆a que foll谩ramos, como en Espa帽a.
De Robertis:
Shortly before getting involved with Julio, Emilia had decided that from now on she would follar, as the Spanish do, she would no longer make love with anyone, she would not screw or bone anybody, and much less would she fuck. This is a Chilean problem, Emilia said, then, to Julio, with an ease that only came to her in the darkness, and in a very low voice, of course: This is a problem for Chilean youth, we're too young to make love, and in Chile if you don't make love you can only fuck, but it would be disagreeable to fuck you, I'd prefer it if we shagged, si follaramos, as they do in Spain.
McDowell, who uses a similar technique, but uses two not one untranslated Spanish words, and (not surprisingly given the lack of direct equivalents) uses different, indeed opposite, English slang:
Not long before she got mixed up with Julio, Emilia had decided that from then on she was going to fuck -what the Spanish call 'foliar' 鈥� and she would no longer make love with anyone or hook up with anyone, much less would she screw, or 'culiar', as a Chilean would say. This is a Chilean problem, Emilia said to Julio, with a boldness she only displayed in the dark 鈥� though in a very low voice, of course: This is the problem with young Chileans. We're too young to make love, and in Chile, if you don't make love you can only culiar, but I don't want to screw you, I'd rather follar, I'd rather fuck you like they do in Spain.
The second is where the narrator describes their tale as a 'historia de ilusiones', which De Robertis comments is a classic translation condundrum
In Spanish, that word means both 鈥渋llusions鈥� and 鈥渉opes.鈥� Which one does he mean here? He leaves this for readers to interpret 鈥� a beautiful ambiguity that鈥檚 impossible to replicate in English, where we have no single word to hold both meanings. I couldn鈥檛 bear to render the word as only 鈥渋llusions鈥� or only 鈥渉opes,鈥� as it felt that half the book鈥檚 secret themes would be left behind. My imperfect compromise was to reach for both meanings, even if it meant using more words: 鈥淭his is a book of illusory hopes.鈥�
McDowell just goes for the simpler 'story of illusions'.
Comments by the translators:
McDowell:
De Robertis:
March 30, 2024
I am in a lot of emotional pain right now
December 20, 2022
4,5猸愶笍
鈥楤onsai鈥� fue la primera novela Alejandro Zambra, quien ha estado este a帽o en boca de todos por su 鈥楶oeta chileno鈥� (que no tardar茅 en leer). Esta cort铆sima obra de apenas 80 p谩ginas ha sido para m铆 como un soplo de viento fresco, como encontrar nuevo plato favorito o las mariposas en el est贸mago ante un nuevo amor. Porque s铆, lo presiento, Zambra llega a mi vida reservarse una balda propia en mi estanter铆a. Quiero leer, subrayar, sentir y releer todo lo que ha salido y salga de su mano.
听
鈥楤onsai鈥� nos acerca al encuentro entre dos j贸venes, Emilia y Julio, y el tiempo que pasan juntos. Tambi茅n lo que pasa despu茅s, y algo de lo que pasa antes. Y no mucho m谩s. Pero ay, c贸mo lo cuenta. Imposible quedar indiferente ante esta narrativa cuidad铆sima, que juega, que canta en tus o铆dos, que viene y que va. Que se repite y que avanza sin parar. Qu茅 maravilla es encontrarse ante alguien que escribe lo que siempre has querido leer y no lo sab铆as.
听
Honestamente, la trama en otras manos, no valdr铆a para nada o bien daba para 600 p谩ginas. Lo notas r谩pido cuando te sumerges en ella y por eso, para mi ha tenido tanto valor lo que Zambra hace 鈥榗on tan poco鈥�. De verdad, me ha resultado un maestro creando personajes. Sin que los conozcas m谩s all谩 de su presente, podr铆as hablar de ellos horas. (Plus: los protagonistas son lectores y eso siempre gusta). Con un narrador omnisciente pero olvidadizo que toda a todo de vida, de carisma y de verdad.
听
Una historia innegablemente aut茅ntica, triste, melanc贸lica, que te deja con la mirada perdida hacia una ventana mientras fuera llueve (o con ese estado de 谩nimo al menos). Un runr煤n en la cabeza, una piedrecita en el est贸mago y la sensaci贸n de seguridad absoluta de querer volver a leerla pronto, as铆 me quedo tras 鈥楤onsai鈥�.
听
Tiene uno de esos comienzos donde se nos cuenta el final, porque da igual. Lo que vale es el camino. Ese viaje que te transforma, donde pasas de la total indiferencia al mayor de los sentimientos ante el mismo suceso (que conoc铆as todo el rato). A prop贸sito de las primeras l铆neas, de los mejores inicios de novela que recuerdo, imposible no querer seguir leyendo (desliza la imagen para verlo).
听
Si ten茅is oportunidad, os recomendar铆a buscar una edici贸n que venga con el ep铆logo de Leia Guerriero, 隆aporta mucho!
听
Un libro absolutamente inolvidable sobre la vida y la muerta. Sobre las personas. Sobre la literatura.
鈥楤onsai鈥� fue la primera novela Alejandro Zambra, quien ha estado este a帽o en boca de todos por su 鈥楶oeta chileno鈥� (que no tardar茅 en leer). Esta cort铆sima obra de apenas 80 p谩ginas ha sido para m铆 como un soplo de viento fresco, como encontrar nuevo plato favorito o las mariposas en el est贸mago ante un nuevo amor. Porque s铆, lo presiento, Zambra llega a mi vida reservarse una balda propia en mi estanter铆a. Quiero leer, subrayar, sentir y releer todo lo que ha salido y salga de su mano.
听
鈥楤onsai鈥� nos acerca al encuentro entre dos j贸venes, Emilia y Julio, y el tiempo que pasan juntos. Tambi茅n lo que pasa despu茅s, y algo de lo que pasa antes. Y no mucho m谩s. Pero ay, c贸mo lo cuenta. Imposible quedar indiferente ante esta narrativa cuidad铆sima, que juega, que canta en tus o铆dos, que viene y que va. Que se repite y que avanza sin parar. Qu茅 maravilla es encontrarse ante alguien que escribe lo que siempre has querido leer y no lo sab铆as.
听
Honestamente, la trama en otras manos, no valdr铆a para nada o bien daba para 600 p谩ginas. Lo notas r谩pido cuando te sumerges en ella y por eso, para mi ha tenido tanto valor lo que Zambra hace 鈥榗on tan poco鈥�. De verdad, me ha resultado un maestro creando personajes. Sin que los conozcas m谩s all谩 de su presente, podr铆as hablar de ellos horas. (Plus: los protagonistas son lectores y eso siempre gusta). Con un narrador omnisciente pero olvidadizo que toda a todo de vida, de carisma y de verdad.
听
Una historia innegablemente aut茅ntica, triste, melanc贸lica, que te deja con la mirada perdida hacia una ventana mientras fuera llueve (o con ese estado de 谩nimo al menos). Un runr煤n en la cabeza, una piedrecita en el est贸mago y la sensaci贸n de seguridad absoluta de querer volver a leerla pronto, as铆 me quedo tras 鈥楤onsai鈥�.
听
Tiene uno de esos comienzos donde se nos cuenta el final, porque da igual. Lo que vale es el camino. Ese viaje que te transforma, donde pasas de la total indiferencia al mayor de los sentimientos ante el mismo suceso (que conoc铆as todo el rato). A prop贸sito de las primeras l铆neas, de los mejores inicios de novela que recuerdo, imposible no querer seguir leyendo (desliza la imagen para verlo).
听
Si ten茅is oportunidad, os recomendar铆a buscar una edici贸n que venga con el ep铆logo de Leia Guerriero, 隆aporta mucho!
听
Un libro absolutamente inolvidable sobre la vida y la muerta. Sobre las personas. Sobre la literatura.
April 2, 2017
隆Genio! Absolutely brilliant.
This short novela (94 pages) is such a treat to read. The word play, the literary connections, and the "lightness of being" aspect brings out a sad tale of two lovers. Their failed but steamy relationship and the tragic connections with life and their friends makes this book easy and yet disturbing read.
The symbolism to the bonsai is a wonderful reflection of the lovers. "It has two elements: the living tree and the recipient. The two elements have to be in harmony and the selection of the pot appropriate for the tree is almost a form of art". This book is the art form to tell the story. "The rest is literature."
This short novela (94 pages) is such a treat to read. The word play, the literary connections, and the "lightness of being" aspect brings out a sad tale of two lovers. Their failed but steamy relationship and the tragic connections with life and their friends makes this book easy and yet disturbing read.
The symbolism to the bonsai is a wonderful reflection of the lovers. "It has two elements: the living tree and the recipient. The two elements have to be in harmony and the selection of the pot appropriate for the tree is almost a form of art". This book is the art form to tell the story. "The rest is literature."
April 21, 2017
鈥渗辞苍蝉补颈鈥� (2006) 茅 o primeiro romance do poeta e escritor chileno Alejandro Zambra (n. 1975).
Efectivamente o romance ou a novela de Alejandro Zambra tem muitas semelhan莽as com um bonsai - uma arte ancestral japonesa que atrav茅s de uma primorosa t茅cnica florestal cria uma 鈥溍vore鈥� em miniatura, como uma r茅plica, semelhante a uma 谩rvore que se desenvolve na natureza -, porque s茫o ambos incontestavelmente pequenos; o romance ou a novela tem apenas 79 p谩ginas; percebendo-se a designa莽茫o de romance-bonsai.
A hist贸ria de Em铆lia e J煤lio, dois jovens, estudantes universit谩rios, apaixonados, pela literatura e pelo sexo, 茅 muito simples e b谩sica, e pode-se resumir 鈥� atrav茅s das primeiras linhas: 鈥漀o final ela morre e ele fica sozinho, embora na realidade tivesse ficado sozinho v谩rios anos antes da morte dela, de Em铆lia. Digamos que ela chama-se ou chamava-se Em铆lia e que ele chama-se, chamava-se e continua a chamar-se J煤lio. J煤lio e Em铆lia. No final Em铆lia morre. O resto 茅 literatura:鈥�
鈥漀a hist贸ria de Em铆lia e J煤lio, (鈥�), h谩 mais omiss玫es que mentiras, e menos omiss玫es que verdades, dessas verdades que se chamam absolutas e que costumam ser inc贸modas. (P谩g. 20); e 茅 justamente com a mentira de terem lido ou n茫o 鈥滶m Busca do Tempo Perdido鈥� do Marcel Proust - ambos mentem 鈥� que avan莽a uma rela莽茫o pejada de verdades e de revela莽玫es 铆ntimas; em que 鈥滱s esquisitices de J煤lio e Em铆lia n茫o eram s贸 sexuais (que as havia), nem emocionais (que abundavam), mas tamb茅m, digamos liter谩rias.鈥� (P谩g. 27)
Alejandro Zambra, atrav茅s do narrador, vai relatando fragmentos de v谩rios epis贸dios de Em铆lia e J煤lio durante v谩rios anos, numa estrutura narrativa em que o sexo e as cita莽玫es liter谩rias 鈥� de in煤meros escritores como: Marcel Proust, Vladimir Nabakov, Truman Capote, Heinrich Boll, Jack Kerouac, Raymond Carver, e muitos, muitos mais; e numerosas obras liter谩rias 鈥� dominam, e arrastam o leitor para a obsess茫o liter谩ria e para a atmosfera opressiva em que se desenvolve a narrativa.
O que 茅 mais relevante em 鈥渗辞苍蝉补颈鈥� 茅 que Alejandro Zambra domina a escrita com um estilo em que nada 茅 acess贸rio, num romance 鈥� curto 鈥� que pode ter v谩rios n铆veis de leitura sobre o amor, as rela莽玫es amorosas e a literatura.
June 30, 2024
Ovo nije roman, ve膰 sinopsis romana koji se ostvaruje uprkos sebi. Ipak, iako "pravi" roman ostaje nenapisan, imamo vi拧e nego dovoljno informacija da napravimo sopstveni sklop. Sambra je vra拧ki talentovan pisac, koji preuzima rizik, ali tako da ne 啪rtvuje komunikativnost. Ima ovde i iznena膽enja i humora i poigravanja sa 膷itaocem, ali i narativnih 膰orsokaka, koji 膷eznu da budu dopri膷ani. Dobro pode拧ene zamagljenosti inspirativnije su od potrebe da se sve objasni. To je, uostalom, potcenjivanje 膷italaca.
U pogovoru, ina膷e, saznajemo da je od ove knjige zaista i nastao roman (bonsai je, dakle, porastao!), 2020. godine i da se zove "膶ileanski pesnik". Enrike Lin ima veze s tim. Bilo bi zanimljivo uporediti ova dva dela. Kao 拧to bi bilo zanimljivo napraviti pore膽enje sa "Prirodnim romanom" Georgija Gospodinova.
Iako je ovo bio dobar susret, ko je zainteresovan za Sambrino pisanje neka krene od romana "Faksimil", dela koje je pisano u formi upitnika. Mislim da je tu jo拧 ubedljiviji.
U pogovoru, ina膷e, saznajemo da je od ove knjige zaista i nastao roman (bonsai je, dakle, porastao!), 2020. godine i da se zove "膶ileanski pesnik". Enrike Lin ima veze s tim. Bilo bi zanimljivo uporediti ova dva dela. Kao 拧to bi bilo zanimljivo napraviti pore膽enje sa "Prirodnim romanom" Georgija Gospodinova.
Iako je ovo bio dobar susret, ko je zainteresovan za Sambrino pisanje neka krene od romana "Faksimil", dela koje je pisano u formi upitnika. Mislim da je tu jo拧 ubedljiviji.
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