Lost In Translation

Jerusalem

Jerusalem: Chronicles From The Holy City (2012) is the latest graphic novel from Guy Delisle, a graphic novelist I have come to greatly appreciate. Delisle is partners with a doctor who participates in Doctors Without Borders, which has led him to live in places like Jerusalem and Rangoon, which he recounts in his graphic novels. Earlier his job as an animator led to stints living in Pyongyang, North Korea and Shenzhen, China which both also got graphic novel treatment. I find Delisle very engaging in his observations of the culture, the day to day life in foreign locals, as well as his interpretations of life there. Jerusalem cannot help but give an analysis of the Jewish settlements and the slow systematic eradication of the Palestine state within Israel where walls, checkpoints, and settlements have disrupted the lives of thousands of Palestinians. Interestingly enough, this has been covered in graphic novel form before by the impressive Joe Sacco. This book is Delisle's longest, most comprehensive graphic novel. Check this link from Slate for a sample of his work.

The Heart That Bleeds

I was introduced to Alma Guillemoprieto‘s fascinating book The Heart That Bleeds (1995) by Daniel Alarcon from his list “Ten Powerful Books from the Latin American Canon” in the P.S. section of his novel Lost City Radio. It is a series of dispatches that Guillemoprieto wrote for the New Yorker in the late 80s and early 90s on different situations in several Latin American countries. It is dated in that all of the dispatches are from 1989 to 1993, but she is a compelling storyteller and resourceful reporter that weaves history, and culture into her dispatches that remain worthwhile accounts of Latin America.

Since I am planning to visit Peru this summer I wanted to read up on Peru’s recent history, so I started with the dispatches from Lima in 1990 and 1993 first instead of reading the book in strict chronological order. The dispatch from Lima in 1990 is a fascinating analysis of Mario Vargas Llosa’s loss to upstart second generation Japanese Peruvian Akinori Fujimori in the presidential election. Of course, the men’s fate has changed significantly since then where Llosa won the Nobel Prize for literature and Fujimori is serving a prison sentence. The dispatch from 1993 chronicles Fujimori’s brutal response to the escalating violence by the Shining Path terrorist group and their defeat by capturing their leader Guzman. Later in 1996 MRTA seized the ambassador to Japan’s residence and held the occupants captive for 126 days before Fujimori sent in armed forces on a raid in which the hostages were freed and no MRTA members survived. Then in 2000 Fujimori fled to Japan during a corruption scandal. At the time I wondered why Japan allowed him sanctuary and it seems his handling of the hostage crisis was enough for the Japanese government to offer him sanctuary. In 2005 he was arrested in Chile and extradited to Peru and in 2007 he was convicted of ordering illegal search and seizure and sentenced for 6 years in prison. In 2009 he was convicted of human rights violations and sentenced for 25 years and also for embezzlement and given a 7 1/2 year sentence. 

I chose to read the Panama dispatch from 1992 next since it is the only Latin American country I have visited so far. This dispatch from Panama City was about Bush’s first visit since the US invasion and arrest of Manuel Noriega in 1989 and the instability of the country at that time. It discussed the history of 21 years between Omar Torrijo’s rise and Noriega’s fall. Torrijos did much to further the standard if living in panama by rewriting banking laws so that it resembled Switzerland. He solved the Panama Canal Treaty and reduced unemployment, illiteracy, and child mortality rates. However, he played arbitrarily with press freedoms and citizen’s rights and was indirectly or directly responsible for 90 political deaths. As of 2010, Panama has recovered to become the second most competitive economy in Latin America and has plans to expand the Panama Canal assuring prosperity for years to come.

I was interested to see what Guillemoprieto had to say about Nicaragua as well since I recently read Salman Rushdie’s book about the country, The Jaguar’s Smile. Thus, I read the dispatch from Managua in 1990. This recounts when Daniel Ortega lost the election for the Sandinistas to figurehead Violeta Chamorro (widow of murdered newspaper editor Pedro Joaquin Chamorro). However, Ortega would return to power in 2006 and was recently reelected in 2011 as well. Today Nicaragua still relies heavily on remittances form Nicaraguans living abroad, but has emerged as a location for the emigration of retirees from North America and Europe.

Mexico is on my short list of countries to visit and is the birthplace of the author, so the next sections I read were the two dispatched from Mexico City. The first dispatch from 1990 is a moving chronicle of the connection between garbage pickers and the Mexico’s political machine. The second article from 1992 discusses the importance of Mariachi bands and music to the society and culture of Mexico. There was an economic collapse in 1994 and then 2000 the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) lost its first election in 71 years to Vincente Fox from PAN (National Action Party) and Mexico is widely considered a upper-middle income country today.

Colombia had its share of troubles in the 80s and 90s and therefore gets three dispatches: 1989, 1991, and 1993. The first from Bogotá in 1989 analyzes the rising conflict between drug cartels and the government that supports extradition to the US and resulted in an escalation of bombs murders, and chaos. The next dispatch from Medellin in 1991 discussed the rising violence of drug cartels, young punks fulfilling murder contracts, and neighborhood death squads getting rid of the punks for peace and safety. The last dispatch was from Bogotá in 1993 and analyzed how the end of the “Drug War” approach by the Clinton administration affected Columbia. The infamous Pablo Escobar surrenders and then escapes, and later is killed in a raid. There is a national scandal as one of the country’s most popular soccer players Hiurga is jailed for his part in a kidnapping. Between 2002 and 2006 homicides were halved and kidnappings decreased. It seems that since 2010 the violence in Columbia has decreased significantly increasing tourism to Columbia.

Argentina is one of the Latin countries that I know something about since I read Thomas Martinez’s excellent novel, Peron, in college. This dispatch is from 1991 in Buenos Aires and focuses on the transitional Peronist president, Carlos Menem, who allows a freer press than previous known. And Guillemoprieto fleshes out how this affects the society and culture of contemporary Argentina. She touches on the drug trafficking and corruption that surrounds Menem’s administration and discusses the legacy of the Dirty War, in which 9,000 died or were disappeared-a common fate in Latin America of the 80s and 90s. Menem would serve until 1997 and Argentina has survived a massive economic collapse in the mid 90s, and ahs a female President in Christina Fernanadez Kircher who was recently reelected to second term in 2011.

After this I read the two dispatched from Rio that discuss the culture and politics of Brazil in 1991 and 1993. These are two of her more interesting dispatches since they both give illuminating reflections of the culture and society of Brazil as well as the politics of that time. The first dispatch investigates the Umbanda Afro religion in Rio and mediates on the recent election of Fernando Collor as President. It is impossible to talk about Brazil without mentioning the poverty, drugs, and violence, but also the beauty and passion of the people. The second dispatch is also reveals a lot about Brazilians by examining the massive popularity of telenovelas and the disconnect between life and fantasy that was exposed in the murder of a TV starlet that stole the headlines from the impeachment of the corrupt Fernando Collor. Today Brazil is one of the fastest growing economies in the world after Lula De Silva was ushered in and provided political stability to the country.

The final dispatch that I read was from La Paz, Bolivia in 1992. It has been politically and economically unstable for some time and has been targeted in the past as having produced as much as 1/3 of the coca fro all the cocaine produced in the 90s. Guillemoprieto focuses on the connections between industries like mining and cocoa farming in relation to politics and Bolivia’s future. 

All in all, a fascinating look back at a region struggling with history and the future.

 

Lost City Radio

I first encountered the writing of Daniel Alarcon in the Dave Eggers edited The Best American Nonrequired Reading series. The stories “City of Clowns” in the 2004 edition and “Second Lives” in the 2011 edition are the writings I read and enjoyed. He was also named one of the top 20 writers under 40 by The New Yorker in 2010. This year I am planning to travel to Peru and when I found out he was Peruvian American, I thought his novel Lost Radio City (2007) might give some insight into the culture. And I suppose it does. But, in an abstract manner since the novel is a dystopian story taking place in an unnamed Latin America country. There are obvious parallels to Peru and its struggles with the rebel Shining Path group and the brutal repressive regime of Fujimori. But there are aspects that are true of any number of Latin America countries where there are conflicts between totalitarian government and radical oppositional groups. The unnamed country resembles Peru in that the large capital city near the ocean and the jungle and mountain communities of the poor and disenfranchised. There’s something in the novel called tadek, which is described as a primitive form of justice carried out in jungle villages after, say, a theft. This is where the village elders choose a young boy, stupefy him with an intoxicating tea, and let him wander the village until he picks out a culprit, then the ‘culprit’ has his or her hands cut off. It turns out, according to Alarcon this practice actually comes from an Anna Kapuscinski book on Ethiopia (The Emperor). Norma is a popular radio host who has a show that tries to track down missing people and reunite them with families and friends. It also turns out that her husband, Rey, is a suspected member of the opposition group IL and missing as well. It was an interesting story told with intermittent flashbacks and a certain amount of grace. But, to be honest I didn’t find the novel as compelling as his short fiction and look forward to reading his collection of short stories, War By Candlelight. I am a big fan of the Harper Perennial P.S. additions to books. This one includes an interview with Alarcon, an article about the book “The Undead” in which Alarcon reveals that he has an uncle who “disappeared” in Peru, and a great list: “Ten Powerful Books from the Latin American Canon.”

Their Heads Are Green And Their Hands Are Blue

Their Heads Are Green And Their Hands Are Blue (1963) is a collection of essays about travel by Paul Bowles. Bowles has a gift for telling observations about travel in places that weren't really meant for tourists, as well as exposing interesting aspects of the people who live in the obscure places he traveled. "Fish Traps and Private Business" is about his travels in Sri Lanka (Ceylon)--a place that he once had a residence. He does an overview of the culture and religion of North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria). Travel in India is covered in "Notes Mailed at Nagercoil."  One of the more interesting pieces was his portrait of the average Moslem, who Bowles suggests is about to disappear in the near future, in "Mustapha and His Friends." There is another interesting portrait of a Moroccan character who Bowles brings to Turkey to help him navigate the country in "A Man Must Not Be Very Moslem." Bowles was also a composer and while living in Morocco, Bowles tried to record and preserve the folk music of the region. In "The Rif, to Music" he recounts his time traveling around the region trying to capture music. Bowles celebrates the solitude of the desert in the "baptism Of Solitude." "All Parrots Speak" reveals Bowles appreciation of parrots as pets. The final essay, "The Route to Tassemsit," is another record of his attempts to preserve the local folk music. All in all, it is a very enlightening and entertaining collection of essays about places I would like to travel to, but not in the rustic manner Bowles did.

Pick Up

Pick Up (1955) by Charles Wileford is another intriguing noir-ish thriller about people living on the edge. Harry Jordan is barely getting by as a fry cook with a taste for booze when he meets Helen a fellow boozer. It calls to mind the film Barfly as they spell trouble for each other in the way that they enable each other in their downward spiral. In a sense the story is a mediation on art and success and the will to live. Helen and Harry are depressive and seem to egg each other on when they are feeling low. Helen never got a chance to live thanks to a suffocating mother and Harry feels like a failure in art (he is a failed painter) and life in general. However, they feel a deep connection between each other and this drives them to desperate choices and the novel ends with a twist, but also on a low note.

33 1/3: Some Girls

Some Girls by Cyrus R. K. Patell is another welcome edition to the excellent Continuum 33 1/3 series about one of the Rolling Stones latest great albums. I think one interesting aspect of this book is that Patell discusses the album in terms of it being a New York album and a reflection of the cultural historical markers of the day. Thus the decline of the city along with the violence, energy, and decadence that was seen in the crime, the disco scene as represented by Studio 54 and the emerging punk scene at CBGB. But I also like how Patell starts and ends the book with his own personal connection, emotions, and history with the album. The discussion of the sessions and the personal history of the what the band members were going through gives insight into the album as well, Jagger was on his way to leaving Bianca for Jerry Hall, while Kieth Richards faced drug charges in Toronto that had very potential serious repercussions. Patell's song by song analyses are informative and fairly comprehensive. It is another great addition to a great series.

Black Mischief

Black Mischief (1932) is another classic Evelyn Waugh satire of colonialism of the British Empire in a fictional Eastern African country. It is my understanding that the novel was out of print for some time due to racist language and stereotypes. The story mostly concerns Seth, an oxford-educated emperor of the fictional Azania, and his adventure seeking fellow classmate Basil Seal. It seems the Europeans get most of the brunt of Waugh's satire, but he doesn't leave anyone untouched. As usual there are some great comic sequences and bon mots throughout the novel.

Raylan: A Novel

Raylan: A Novel (2012) is another installment of Kentuckian Marshall Raylan Givens (see Leonard books-Fire In The Hole, Pronto, and Riding The Rap) by Elmore Leonard. It has been said he was asked to create more story lines of the character for the TV series, Justified, inspired by Leonard's stories. Season three has just finished so I could see where they got some of the story ideas, some were also used in season two. I think watching the TV series enhances the reading, but it is not necessary to enjoy Leonard's style, which is heavy on witty dialogue. Essentially there are three story lines, the first about an organ thief was used in season three, the second concerns an energy company buying out a mountain to strip mine for coal that was the basis of the season two's season long major plot. The third story involves strippers that rob banks and a college poker champion from Butler, the stripper sub plot found its way into season three. I am wondering if any of this material will find its way into the next season. Overall, it was an entertaining read.

The Savage Detectives

The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano came out in English to much fanfare in 2007 (NY Times, LA Times, Washington Post, New York Magazine Top 10, etc.), and it piqued my interest. But first I read and enjoyed, By Night In Chile, because I was daunted by the length of this novel, weighing in at 648 pages. It is an epic, sprawling novel with a cast of hundreds-dozens of testimonials from characters recalling the founders of the "visceral realists" movement, dozens of dozens of Latin writers name checked, allusions to history, language, as well as taking place in dozens of locations throughout the world. That being said, it is primarily about Mexico, as the inscription from a favorite under appreciated novel suggests:

    "Do you want Mexico to be saved? Do you want Christ to be our king?"

    "No."  Malcolm Lowry

This aspect of the novel gave me an appreciation for Mexico City as a cosmopolitan place full of culture (it is on my short list of places to visit).

But I found the prologue, "Mexicans Lost In Mexico 1975," a challenge to get through. This section was told through the perspective of a newly initiated true-believer of the "visceral realists", Juan Garcia Madero. I found the beginnings of the movement and the petty politics and militant proclamations of the self-absorbed young poets somewhat tedious and a bit of a slog. However, I think Bolano was able to sneak in moments of clarity regarding the human condition throughout the novel, even in the more tedious sections. But it wasn't really until I was a good 350 pages into the novel, (and well into the second section "The Savage Detectives 1976-1996") that it really began to pick up for me and ended up on a upbeat note even though the final section, "Sonora 1976," even though it was a return to the story told from the young Juan Garcia Madero's point of view. That being said, my lack of knowledge about the history, literature, and Spanish language might have something to do with my fits of disinterest. No doubt a fascinating course on Latin American history, literature, and language could be mined from this book alone. But I have to be honest, at the beginning it felt like eating broccoli.

Contemporary Writers: J.G. Farrell

I stumbled across Contemporary Writers: J.G. Farrell (1986) by Ronald Binns at a convenience store in Bangkok of all places. I had just finished Farrell's impressive tour de force, The Singapore Grip and was interested to learn more. Farrell's influences were wide ranging and among some of my favorite writers and books: Malcom Lowry's Under The Volcano, Tolstoy's War And Peace, Conrad, Nabokov, and Stendhal among others. It seems much of Farrell's fiction sprang from his family history as an Irishman whose father served in India. Of course his political leanings and literary inspirations provided much inspiration as well. I think Binns did a great job in analyzing and putting Farrell's work into context. I was especially interested in his discussion of the previous two installments of his empire series, The Troubles and The Siege Of Krishnapur. These are two books that I plan to read in the near future.