Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses: Book Review

All the Pretty Horses: Book Review

By Armando Ortiz

I’ve watched many “Western” or “Cowboy” films that I forget that at some point, that way of life was quickly ushered out of existence about a century ago. The novel All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy takes place in the mid-20th century, where cars are beginning to replace the old and traditional way of transportation- walking or riding horses. This essay will discuss the impact of technological change on traditional ways of life and explore the consequences of holding onto familiarity. McCarthy’s novel exemplifies this theme of adapting to change and clinging to the familiar.

Seeing that being a cowboy in Texas and the rest of the American Southwest is nearing its end, John Grady, and his friend Lacey Rawlins decide to head south of the border and find work there as cowboys and horse trainers. On their way south into Mexico they find a wandering kid, Jimmy Blevins, who claims to be from Oklahoma. Rawlins doesn’t like him much and despite the fact that they leave him behind, Blevins attaches himself to them and soon becomes a temporary member of the group. Jimmy looks and acts suspicious and at some point during a storm loses his horse. He convinces them to help him find his horse and gun, and in the process, more trouble arises, causing Belvins to separate from them.

After crossing through Coahuila and seeing some amazing views of the Cuatro Cienegas Basin John and Lacey finally find employment at a ranch. They seem to thrive since they are skilled at their work and easily communicate with the locals. In Mexico, they both fit in well, because cattle ranching and horse training is still part of their economy. Although they speak Spanish, they remain outsiders who can’t be trusted. John ends up meeting a young woman at work who turns out to be the daughter of the ranch owner, leading to some friction and trouble.

To their dismay, Blevins reappears but meets an unfortunate demise. One gets the impression that his life was mostly trouble, and might have very well been what we call today a throw away kid. Like many songs of bandits and criminals escaping law enforcement, Blevins seems to have sought refuge in Mexico. Being a foreigner in Mexico he naturally attaches himself to the main characters who are also from the U.S. Because of their association with Blevins, and Grady’s relationship with the ranch owner’s daughter, Grady and Rawlins end up in jail where they fend for themselves and fight for survival. Along the way they make some friends there, but have to engage in more gladiator combat. The novel reaches its climax with a prison fight, offering an inside ring view of the brutal bloodsport that tests the character’s resilience and survival instincts.

The underlying driving force of the story is trying to find one's way in a changing world and using the skills at one’s disposal to make a living while doing something that one enjoys. Despite Grady being from the U.S. his status among the other ranch employees is not much different. He is just a poor and broken cowboy. To make matters worse, he’s crossed some social boundaries which come to alter his life trajectory, along with his former female friend. Eventually Grady and Rawlins make it back home, somewhat recovered from their injuries. 

Once back in Texas, Grady takes it upon himself to find Belvins’ parents. The novel leaves us reflecting on the choices we make and their consequences. Sometimes one’s life trajectory is hard to see and we either adapt to the new world or the new world forces a change on us. The only thing we can go by is doing what we do best- following our heart, but beware, because life is not a dream.

Parzival: The Red Knight

 

Parzival

By Armando Ortiz

Behold him

who's engaged the world and

with folly has become wise. 

Trying to follow 

the word faithfully and falling

came to understand.

Through error and stumble 

arising again experienced

with discerning eyes.

Behold Parzival, 

who won every fight,

the fool turned red knight.

Roberto Bolano's The Spirit of Science Fiction: Book Review

The Spirit of Science Fiction: Book Review

By Armando Ortiz

The novel The Spirit of Science Fiction by Roberto Bolano starts off with a dreamlike quality, drawing readers into a world where the characters and scenes feel remarkably real. At first glance, the characters appear as artistic and youthful individuals, much like the poets and artists today. However, as the story unfolds, the layers are peeled away, revealing deeper insights into their lives and circumstances. The setting in which most of these young writers reside is slowly unveiled, akin to the discovery of an ancient tomb, with its contents yet to be fully revealed.

Bolano portrays the artists as predominantly low-class individuals, living in poverty and existing on the margins of Mexico’s capital.While they enjoy the freedom to be who they are, this freedom comes with its own set of consequences. Art becomes an impulse that drives each of these young poets, and their poetic journey intertwines with their experience of poverty, creating a communal bond among them. Despite the squalid situations some of them endure, Bolano brings Mexico City to life through his unique descriptions. Whether riding a motorcycle through the streets or standing outside a mechanic’s shop, the imagery transports readers to the heart of the city. From cafes to public bathhouses, Bolano captures the city’s essence, highlighting the spartan lives of the artists in their rooftop homes, a striking contrast to the opulence found in the upper echelons of modern-day Los Angeles.

Water emerges as a recurring theme throughout the novel, weaving its way into the narrative. At times, a reader might begin to vacillate between Egyptian and Aztec mythology. Tlaloc, the god responsible for rain, seems to be there in essence, along with the reminder that the city was built on top of a lake. Rain in Mexico DF, communal latrines lacking water, and the elusive luxury of hot water all contribute to this thematic exploration. Bolano’s treatment of water, akin to Federico Lorca’s poems that delve into rivers and its creatures, adds depth to the novel. While Lorca’s lines pay homage to rivers and oceans, Bolano breathes life into Mexico City, with its people becoming akin to a school of fish swimming through its streets. 

At its core, The Spirit of Science Fiction narrates the story of poets and artists who, despite living among the masses of the city, find themselves in unique but mundane situation Their suffering, an emblematic trait of true artists, lacks the conventional glory that comes with publication and fame, but that isn’t their driving force. These are anti-poets, living a poet's life in a place that has seemingly forgotten them. Yet, they give the city its pulse and contribute to the diverse realities that poets worldwide bring to their homelands.

Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian: Book Review and Reflection

Blood Meridian: Book Review and Reflection on Today’s World

By Armando Ortiz

I began reading Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian back in the summer of 2019. At that time, a man went on a shooting rampage, killing his father, brother and a random bus rider. As I neared the end of the book, public shooting also took place in El Paso, Texas. There a man entered a Walmart in El Paso, and killed twenty three people. Having witnessed real-world acts of violence, the reflection on Blood Meridian’s themes became all the more necessary. The novel’s portrayal of violence presents an opportunity to explore the deeper roots of such brutality in human nature.

This essay will explore how violence plays out today in our society and is mirrored in McCarthy’s novel, exemplified by the brutal actions of the outlaw characters and senseless acts of violence. By drawing parallels between the novel’s world and real-life incidents like the shooting rampage we hear about so frequently, it explores how McCarthy’s narrative not only mirrors the violence prevalent in society but also raises questions about the lack of sacredness in human lives.Similarly, the novel’s world of outlaws relishing opportunities for brutality exhibits a similar lack of restrain and sacredness, mirroring the violence prevalent in today’s society.

During that time, I also found myself getting a haircut and shared with the barber what I was reading and its connection to the violence taking place. He instantly pointed out the Menendez brother and how they killed their parents to get their inheritance. Bringing that case to mind really meshed with McCarthy’s story of rubes, outlaws and desperados out and about making chaos in the American Southwest.

Again, I found myself with some teachers in a meeting with a local museum director. The art teacher spoke on how students needed opportunities with hands-on activities, to explore other alternatives besides reading, writing, and math. As she spoke to the group, the scene of The Kid repairing or making something with a piece of leather came to mind. I thought about how that character was able to make repairs to his personal items, and yet was just as violent as people can be today.

The novel Blood Meridian is best represented by a rattle snake swallowing its own tail- a symbol of eternal violence. The violence depicted in the book also occurs in modern society and has a global impact. The violence that seems random and uncalled for happening here in the U.S. isn’t unique; all over the world, there are examples of similar actions, and sometimes they remain unknown. McCarthy simply makes it evident that violence is a part of human nature and no one is immune to that part of human instinct.

Similarly, just as modern society grapples with the randomness and senselessness of violence, McCarthy’s novel unveils a world where outlaws relish opportunities for brutality, exhibiting a similar lack of restraint and sacredness. Today’s violence is no different than when the bandits break into an abandoned building and kill everyone inside or when a bear mauling takes place in the mountains. Violence could be avoided and controlled to some extent, but it seems that it is a part of human nature. The novel describes people being executed, or people surviving out in the elements in deformed fashion, adding to our understanding of the extent of violence that we are capable of engaging in.

Blood Meridian is a violent novel where there is no moral to be learned from the outlaw characters and is devoid of sacredness. They have some skills, and have socialized themselves among their peers. Those that make up the tribe are of various backgrounds and have taken The Kid under their wing. Yet they are as violent as the people making headlines today and the actions they take are no different. They are also no less violent than the people that came before them, because violence has played a role in every human society. 

In Cormac’s narrative, the Judge plays an ominous role and at times seems to represent the wise old devil with his vast knowledge. Although educated, the Judge too seems to relish the opportunity for violence. He knows how to make the necessary ingredients to perpetuate violence. He carries a notebook and destroys artifacts only after taking down some notes. In a way, taking notes as he sees fit. He seems to represent a figure that rewrites history through the violence that he perpetuates. In other words his lies become ‘the’ truth and his actions represent the darkest recesses of every reader’s instinct. In McCarthy’s narrative, the ominous figure of the Judge embodies a profound understanding of violence, utilizing it as a tool to rewrite history and perpetuate his version of the truth. This echoes throughout history, where civilizations and individuals have used violence to impose their beliefs and agendas. Today, the violence being played out in our society seems to be undirected and unfounded, much like the violence depicted in the novel. 

And yet, with or without being grounded in history, people still will be violent in taking part in violent behavior. McCarthy simply shines the light on behavior that we typically consider immoral and inhuman, but examples of this exist throughout history and found in all civilizations. Take for example the natives of Teotihuacan and how they buried babies at the base of temples thinking that the gods would accept such sacrifice. The practice of enslaving people has only recently been outlawed, and yet is still practiced in many parts of the world.

Today, the violence being played out in our society seems to be undirected and unfounded, much like the violence depicted in the novel. In McCarthy’s narrative, God is non-existent, and although religion is portrayed, it is not actively practiced. In the story there seems to be a lack of ritual, although the novel begins in the middle of a sermon, and later we see the kid carry a bible, there is no sense of there being a god in the book. All the characters exist in a dog eat dog world. The individuals engaged in the mass violence today seem to lack that ritual and sense of a higher being; they seem to just hate and exist in a world like that of the novel.

Nevertheless, children should be exposed to different activities. What they do with the knowledge that they acquire is up to them to figure out. They should have opportunities to make art with their hands, like sculpting and painting or learning outdoor survival skills that can bring positive outcomes. The hands-on skills that young people receive is limited, and this could be an avenue where they learn to cope with anger, frustrations, and develop resilience. Other alternatives to reach people that might otherwise decide to turn into one of McCarthy’s characters could help lessen the chances of violence. Again, by providing children with diverse opportunities and coping mechanisms, we can aim to lessen the chances of them turning into characters resembling those in McCarthy’s novel. 

Returning to the image of the snake swallowing itself, the chances of random violence happening again anywhere on this earth is pretty much guaranteed. There are far too many examples of our nature on this earth and McCarthy is a mirror that reflects who we are in the darkest corners of our civilizations, societies, tribes, and as individuals. Visiting a museum and seeing examples of human violence towards others supplements a book like Blood Meridian. The novel should be required reading for anyone exploring ways to mitigate violence in our societies and to understand human behavior. Again, the goal of the essay was to reflect on the violence that lives in McCarthy's novel and to emphasize how it is an example of how humans have been towards each other for millennia. In conclusion, the novel serves as a haunting reflection of the darkest aspects of humanity, shedding light on the timeless and universal nature of violence. As we confront the ever-present issue of violence in today’s world, McCarthy’s novel makes us contemplate the deeper reasons behind such brutality and to seek a deeper sense of sacredness in our lives. Doing this can lead to a more profound understanding of violence and a quest for a more compassionate and sacred society.

Roberto Bolano's Woes of a True Policeman: Book Review

Woes of a True Policeman: Book Review

By Armando Ortiz

In Woes of a True Policeman, Roberto Bolano seems to weave a narrative that appears to be developing ideas for his magnum opus 2666. Despite this connection, the novel stands independently, centering on new characters like- Padilla. As the lives of Professor Amalfitano, Rosa Amalfitano, Archimboldi, Pancho Monje and Padilla intersect, Bolano delves into the intricate complexities of human relationships, the quest for artistic and human fulfillment, and the enthralling mystery of self-discovery.

Professor Amalfitano’s journey epitomizes the challenges of grappling with identity and political turbulence. As a leftist intellectual, he traverses various Latin American universities, forced to make difficult compromises while embracing his daughter Rosa’s budding independence. Her discovery of his sexuality disrupts their lives, highlighting the contrast between societal expectations and the pursuit of personal truth.

Rosa’s evolution into adulthood echoes her father’s struggles, marked by her relationship with Jordi Carrera and her subsequent relocation to Santa Teresa. As Rosa navigates the streets, we witness her transformation, mirroring the essence of the city itself- constantly flowing, evolving and embracing new identities.

Intriguingly elusive, Archimboldi, the reclusive and revered writer, embodies the allure of literary artistry. Bolano paints a picture of his literary success, yet paradoxically keeps his personal life shrouded in mystery. Archimboldi’s life somehow mirrors the ethereal nature of creativity, where the artist’s true life and essence remains enigmatic, even amidst critical acclaim.

Pancho Monje’s resilience, borne out of adversity, presents a stark contrast to the enigmatic artists. Raised amidst strong women, Pancho’s path into the police force is one of determination and bravery. His infatuation with Rosa adds a foreboding touch to the complexities explored within the novel.

Central to the tale is the writer Padilla, whose presence exudes both the allure and mystery. Amalfitano’s encouragement of Padilla’s writing becomes a poetic dance of letters, underscoring the profound connection between mentor and artist. Padilla’s nocturnal wanderings and encounters with outcasts add layers of intrigue and a hint of darkness to the narrative.

As Bolano weaves the lives of these independent yet interdependent characters, Woes of a True Policeman emerges as a tapestry of self-discovery, intellectual pursuit, and the fragility of human desire. The novel seemingly stands as an extension of 2666, where characters intertwine in Bolano’s world, facing risks and discovering the heartbeats of the cities they call home.

Through the journey of these characters, Bolano explores the universal quest for understanding and rediscovery. Whether it is Professor Amalfitano embracing his true self, Rosa navigating her new world, or Padilla wandering the nocturnal streets, each character embarks on an emotional and social journey that becomes the essence of their existence.

In short, Woes of a True Policeman stands as an independent testament to Bolano’s storytelling mastery, enriched by its interconnectedness to 2666. Within its pages, we witness the human spirit traversing the labyrinth of emotions and societal expectations, captivating us with the rawness and vulnerability of self-discovery. As the characters confront their chimera, it is through their triumphs and tribulations that they transcend mere literary figures, resonating as poignant reflections of our own human complexities.

Raymond Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely: Book Review

Raymond Chandler’s Farewell, My Lovely: Review and Reflection

By Armando Ortiz

Raymond Chandler’s Farewell, My Lovely is a quick reading novel that takes place in the late-1930's, and begins along Central Avenue in Los Angeles. There the private detective Philip Marlowe finds himself in front Florian’s, a hotel that’s lost its glitter and now is mostly a seedy gambling den. For one reason or another, he is in search of a missing person when he is swept up by a chance encounter with a man who is also looking for someone. This part of Los Angeles is now considered the historical Jazz corridor of the city, which back in the day, between the 1930’s through the 1950’s, was a place where African Americans were allowed to own businesses. Marlowe becomes a quasi-accomplice to a murder that happens in the building. The crime is eventually solved though to get through to the end one goes through a roller coaster ride of intrigue, action, racism, mystery and emotions. Chandler manages to capture Marlowe’s ebb and flow as a heavy drinker, and also gives the reader a glimpse into a city that was less populated, where its streets and traffic were barely beginning to have congestion. More important to the landscape, Marlowe swims in the midnight waters of the deep underground where gigolos, con-artists, gamblers, gangsters, former convicts and corrupt officials mingle in hidden dens, within canyon mansions or boats that are anchored a few miles from the coast.

Marlowe’s office is located in Hollywood, but he is constantly zipping to the beach, police stations around downtown L.A., and driving up desolate canyons that today are riddled with multi-million dollar mansions.  He describes places, like Central Ave where the majority are Hispanic, but that back then was a place where African-Americans made up the majority, but this was mainly due to laws that segregated them to a specific area of this urban oasis. Through his literary lens, Chandler gives the reader a context to the different waves of residents that the city has encountered throughout the years since its establishment, while at the same time showing us a glimpse of how crime was treated back in those days. According to the novel, if a white man killed a black man it would only be considered a misdemeanor, which in a very interesting way sheds light into the manner the media sees crime in Los Angeles.

Some of his descriptions are flawless. The beach which is at the edge of Bay City (Santa Monica, CA) is described in a very beautiful manner, making it at once the delicate bracelet of a Hollywood starlet, as seen from a boat that floats in the ocean from a mile away, but also as a place where the smells of tar intertwine with the coastal breeze. He makes you stand at the top of a hill, maybe somewhere along a ridge in Temescal Canyon allowing you to see what he saw. The once desolate canyons are now secluded enclaves for the rich with foreign people that continue to serve the residents there and make the daily commute from the forgotten pockets of L.A. that never make the evening news. In recent times it has been in the canyons of Los Angeles where dismembered body parts have been found, most recently in 2012.

Central Ave today.

The apartment buildings and its front gardens are similar to the ones I saw while growing up in Los Angeles and continue to see in some of the older areas that have yet to be touched by the bulldozers or replaced by mega-luxury apartments that are completely enclosed and exclusive. Art-deco structures built with walls that could hide a bed with a slight lift from one end, and iceboxes that were built into the wall of a kitchen, though no longer functioning makes one wonder what could be found in the more modern structures of today. Places like Central Ave that were slowly going through a transformation is where you now find people that are mostly of Hispanic heritage, walking along its much more rundown side streets and who drive up and down the avenue that’s lined with small ranch markets, discount stores, church congregations, shamans, tattoo parlors, seedy beauty salons and mechanic shops. African Americans, now are an old remnant of the past, having spread out to different parts of the city, just like the white folk that peppered those areas when Chandler was alive.  

Santa Monica.

Sage is a natural feature that is prominent in the story as it engulfs Marlowe when he visits the surrounding hillsides of the city. You know you are entering or have arrived at a more solitary place because the artificial lights and neon signs disappear, the sky becomes particularly darker, and again, the smell of sage hovers and blankets the uninhabited areas of future suburbs. The sounds and smells of the ocean also become accentuated by the more desolate areas of Bay City, making the reader appreciate what once was but that which continues to endure though maybe now you have to drive a bit father to encounter what he saw, like the city’s long arid coastline, and canyons that in spring give birth to many types of wildflowers, though more sparsely now than before.

Chandler left behind a literary gem that future travelers, residents and readers of Los Angeles will one day find themselves experiencing as he too explored the city and retold those meanderings through Marlowe’s narration. Reading his novel is like reading a series of vignettes that keep getting your attention, hooking you with his entrancing character descriptions and unique blend of metaphors and word play. His paragraphs seem to be complete scenes that say everything that must be told, but leave enough to have you reading more.  It lets you uncover facets of LA that you might not have been aware of by peeling away at some of the things that sometimes we ignore, like the fine mud pellets that are created by late-summer morning drizzle or like the humming birds that feed off of ruby bottlebrushes. It’s a good read and well worth the time for anyone wanting to read some good literature, but also for anyone that wants to be transported back to a time when the city was just beginning to become a major urban center.

Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities: Book Review

Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities: Review

By Armando Ortiz

In Italo Calvino’s novel Invincible Cities we find Marco Polo sharing with Kublai Khan, former king of China and of the Mongols, his recollections of the cities he came across within the realms of the Khan’s kingdom and those on its margins. Marco engages the supreme leader of the steppe peoples in conversation over games of chess, while strolling through private gardens, and discusses ideas and theories over lavish dinners. In many ways Calvino takes us through cities that could not only exist in the realm of the material but also within the minds of our collective unconscious. The conversations are brief and what we are mostly treated to are descriptions of magical places that seem to just be suspended in a universe of imagination and possibilities. His cities have shadows, and those shadows also make a symphonic cacophony of life that exists there, be it a simple howling wind, the hustle and bustle of nameless bazaars, the smell of burning oil lamps, and the crashing of water onto the rocky coast of a city. Animate and inanimate mirages combine to become places where you find crystal palaces, cities that function as desert oasis to wanderers and travelers alike. The sewer systems of a city, its catacombs and chandeliers also become places where beings gather to create and imagine, and those people in many ways become reflections of other realities.

At one point Marco Polo reflects on the cities that he has encountered and comes to realize that quite possibly he’s been describing different facets of his own hometown, Venice. We might very well be from a place that we think we know well, but when we dissect its different realities we come to realize that maybe what we thought was our city is actually a collection of invisible experiences known to no one else but ourselves. Our backyard isn’t everyone’s block and neighborhood, but in fact just a spec of amazing orbits that make up a larger whole. At one point Polo describes a city that exists suspended in midair and in another recollection, the images that reflect off the water make up the independent realities that those reflections have independent of its originators. It is a world of unlimited possibilities, and through his novel we come to discover we might very well be living in an imaginary city ourselves.

The possibilities presented in Calvino’s book are the limits to our imagination and to our capabilities. Though we might be invisible to others, we still dream and if you imagine it may come to be, and if you desire to explore you might very well realize that this whole earth has been your realm of exploration, like an endless excursion of what has been and what is becoming. We not only are the traveler but also the lord of the things that transpire. Though not the Khan, Marco has managed to captivate the lord’s imagination whose only desire is to bring peace to its inhabitants and become familiar with his kingdom. All kinds of characters make their appearance in the novel and the mythical lives of spirits and gods are discussed, and yet at the end of the novel all we have are two characters one who recounts and tells of his travels, and the other who listens entranced by the tales entering and conquering his mind. Calvino takes us on a journey of dreams that become real and so to our dream can become invisible cities where anything is possible.

Roberto Bolano's Amulet: Book Review

Roberto Bolano’s Amulet: Book Review

By Armando Ortiz

Migration of birds come and go every season. In the summer months, they fly north to the plains and plateaus of North America. As winter approaches, they return south to the Caribbean and southern parts of Mexico. At one time these movements of birds might have created visuals in the sky of ever moving dancers, and clouds could have been metamorphosing into splatters. Imagine farmers and hunters, just four generations ago, shooting shotguns into the air. In one afternoon seeing hundreds of birds just fall to the ground. Mix with those years of polluting fumes and oil spills. Now, all we see are glimpses of things that were, the sounds that we hear are just an acoustic tune to the symphonic sounds that the wildlife of America once breathed. We wake up, and might not pay much care to the sounds that emanate from outside of the window. Its background noise that disturbs our waking life, like a squeaky wheel that demands attention, whether you like it or not, it’s there, like the small birds that make tiny dust bowls on the ground of local parks, that is what remains, a forgotten memory mixed with the present.

In Roberto Bolano’s Amulet he brings that experience into focus through Auxilio Lacouture, the main character and narrator of the novel, who also represents the past and present of the Americas. She is an imaginary figure that survives the military takeover of the Autonomous National University of Mexico (UNAM) in 1968. A few months before the Olympics were hosted in Mexico City there were major protests. Many of these movements were against the corruption that people saw within the government, and its suppression of organizations trying to improve social conditions for everyone in the country. She finds herself in the women’s bathroom, on the 4th floor of the philosophy building, and these she hides. She claims to be the mother of Mexican poetry, while others in the book contend that she is the mother of all American poetry. Hiding in the restroom for several days marks her and those memories become intertwined with her legendary status throughout the novel.

We can feel her breath, the passing of time, the withering of her body, but also the hopes that emanate from her spirit. We learn more about her by what she reads as a way for Bolano to introduce us to more authors, different artists and music that we might not be familiar with. Spanish poets that appear at the start of the story, have different political views, but similar talents. Artists like Remedios Varo, a surrealist painter, and music from Spain.

Auxilio lives a harsh life, spending time at bars and cafes with fellow writers and artists. She is a free spirit, born in Uruguay, living illegally in Mexico City and always doing odd jobs for professors and writers alike. Living a poet’s life, one that Roberto Bolano probably lived. In Mexico City Bolano spent time with artists and poets, and was a member of the poetic movement, Infrarealism. Though she has not had “success” she is a definite presence amongst the literary crowds of the city. It is through her encounters with other writers and artists that we also learn and gain insight into the richness of the Spanish language and its legacy in the Americas.

Spending most of the time roaming the streets with fellow artists she is known by the underground and is a close friend to recently returned Chilean poet Arturo Belano, the author’s alter ego. She finds affinity for the young writer because he too has experienced hardships. He has traveled and walked through the different valleys of Spanish speaking Americas and he too has aspirations. Bolano shows us how even without her papers being in order, Auxilio is able to navigate and intermingle with Mexico City’s creative currents that interact with the seedier sections of Mexican society. She sees the different facets of an artist’s life and the hacks that exist amongst the crowds; she lives a few months in a room and moves on. Her life is a continual ebb and flow of experiences, as if she is reflecting on all that she has experienced. Within that life you see that poetry and the culture give her sustenance. In many ways it is a metaphor to Bolano’s life as a writer and testament to his travels throughout the Spanish speaking world. As she reflects on her life experiences and the moments spent in the restroom of the 4th floor it all becomes clear that the only reason to live is to hope for another day. Another day of life is a day of ecstasy where she lives through the night again and welcomes the rising of the sun and sees the inhabitants of the city wake up to a hustle and bustle.

Towards the later part of the novel Auxilio has a vision or dream where she is walking a tall mountain and she sees a sea of humanity converging into one. Within that human caravan emerges a migrating sparrow and the elusive quetzal. One new this land, while the other indigenous to the Americas. There are defeats and victories, and within that a new hope, a new tomorrow, and a new rise. It represents the forging of a new culture and the dream of having the art of writing nurtured by those who roam the night and write down their thoughts. Auxilio has made Mexico her home, and although she is illegal, that is where she flourishes. In a similar vein, people from Latin America migrate to the US, and their presence enriches and alters its culture and language. Another way of looking at Roberto’s vision is by examining a map of the world and seeing that the Spanish language continues to exist and the influences that each valley, nation, and region have over other Spanish speaking communities is still significant, and relevant, which creates a literary culture that is varied, flourishing and vibrant.

Tao Lin's Taipei: Book Review

"Mandala 15" by Tao Lin

Tao Lin’s Taipei: Review

By Armando Ortiz

If novelists were to be rappers then the one writer that stands out above all rappers today is Tao Lin. There have been some people in the internet that have compared his current novel, Taipei to Drake’s Nothing Was Same, but I won’t be doing that here. Nope, Tao Lin is the equivalent to an underground rapper like Pimp C, Curren$y or Danny Brown. Lin is a great storyteller like many that tell their stories of drug infused orgies and adventures. In Taipei, the main character, Paul, is a young up and coming writer who embarks on various trips to promote his book, taking road trips to other nearby cities or traveling to visit family in other states and outside the country. Paul’s drugs of choice are pills of the prescription kind that are used today, but tend to be highly addictive. He takes excessive amounts of Adderall, Xanax or other anxiety and depression type prescription drugs. He also infuses these drug trips with mushrooms, LSD, and excessive marijuana smoking, activities which most rappers talk about these days.

Tao Lin

I had come across Tao Lin while reading an article in the Wall Street Journal a couple of years ago, it must have been the book review section of the newspaper. I was impressed by what I read, prompting me to look his name up using Wikipedia, discovering his blog, which I briefly read, and leading me to purchase a copy of Taipei. Paul is trying to make a name for himself and is enjoying relative fame amongst the literary and art crowd of New York. In addition to being a writer, Paul is going through a bad breakup that has kept him in the pits for the last few months. Despite that he goes to various gatherings that his friends organize where he mingles with other up and comers. Swimming through the house parties that he’s invited to, Paul ends up meeting a new chick at one of these events, and suddenly his wit and conversational prowess are revived. In many ways she becomes his new, yet elusive, muse. The tension that sprouts between this new and emerging relationship is what truly drives the story, since this new and relative unknown is what gives Lin’s novel another level of interest, engaging the reader not only through his creative and long descriptions of dinners and city life, but giving the reader a glimpse into the tensions in dating and relationships in our contemporary world.

Paul seems apprehensive about the relationship, displaying his fear that what is happening might turn into a disappointment and lead to a breakup. Nonetheless there is a glimmer of hope that emerges within the story and we see instances of general happiness, and satisfaction with his new partner. On the other hand, both characters like to engage in some heavy recreational drug use which results in hours of sleeping in his tiny room or simply spending hours together but on each other’s computers and communicating via text, email or instant messaging. Their excesses signals that their relationship might end up being toxic, but Paul and his girl still don’t know what will happen with them even after returning from a trip abroad.

Taipei by Tao Lin

In many ways Lin describes not only contemporary life in an American city, but also shows the realities that come with being connected to the internet, having portable electronic devices, which in many ways depersonalize people. On the other hand, Paul has a broad selection of drugs at his disposal- instantly. Some of these drugs, because they are prescription drugs, manage to leave the country with him becoming an intricate channel. At some point in the story Paul and his girlfriend spend a few days in Taipei, Taiwan wandering the malls and spending a memorable drug infused trip inside and outside a McDonald’s all of which is captured in their digital camera.

The reason why Lin could be considered an underground rapper is because throughout the story his character keeps true to himself, albeit a bit depressive and more than half of the time on some pill. Yet what he describes is no different than what rappers, like Danny Brown talk about in most of their songs. Brown, like Lin, tells stories about his life in Detroit and his surroundings in the many mixtapes, Detroit State of Mind 3, Detroit State of Mind 4,It’s A Art, Hot Soup and albums XXX, and Old that have been released via the internet. His body of work describes life in such detail that it's undeniable that he has lived those tales or else why would he be sharing them to the public. This same logic follows other better known rappers like A$AP Rocky who describe life in New York, though a slightly different version of it but with the same amount of drugs and though they might not frequent the bars and hangouts of highbrow writers their experiences are very similar.

Rapper Danny Brown

One immediately might wonder how it is that a person being a writer can in any way have similar experiences as rappers that claim to come from the hood. Well, aside from the idea that with a demand there is a supply or vice versa it creates a fringe where all worlds meet. Either way, both seem to make a dynamic that is both experienced by those walking in the realms of high or low culture. At the end of the day a lot of what Danny Brown talks about is very similar to what Tao Lin manages to paint in his novel. The individual living in the city surrounded by all kinds of different realities, and yet despite their drug infused bodies at times being numbed by the drugs, have a persistent desire to write and to publish, putting in the ground work required of any emerging writer or rapper.

The crowds that Lin brings, are the same size of many of the underground rappers, so why is it that these people, these writers manage to bring crowds that maybe in their everyday life pass each other as they walk down a sidewalk, each going their own way, maybe shopping at corner stores for snacks like Cheetos and sodas or patronizing places like Wholefoods or Lawsons. These underground artists like Danny Brown along with Tao Lin talk about things that affect everyone on a daily basis, from the teenager that attends secondary school to the published author walking his dog, they experience love and heartbreak which is intimately connected to an individual through aloneness and loneliness, and is either suppressed or intensified by heavy drug use.