In "Magical talisman," Roberto Bolano explores the themes of literature, obsession, and isolation. The story follows a young writer named Graciela Montes who becomes infatuated with the work of another writer, Juan Stein. She becomes so absorbed in his writing that she begins to believe in the power of magical talismans that can transport her to another world. As Graciela delves deeper into Stein's work, she becomes increasingly fixated on one particular talisman—a ring. She believes that this ring holds the key to unlocking a hidden world within Stein's stories. This obsession leads her to search for the ring in antique shops and flea markets, becoming more and more isolated from the real world.
Bolano's final posthumous novel,A Little Lumpen Novelita, was translated into English and published in September of last year to very little fanfare. After so many game-changing books, it may have been expected that his finale would have been a literary event. Instead, it silently slipped into an English translation and was hardly reviewed. Those that did review it, treated it like a small—though stellar—aside to his more sprawling epics.
Always with ailing health, liver failure placed him on a race against time to produce some of the greatest novels of the late 20th century, before his death in 2003. Much that Bolaño expands upon in The Savage Detectives and 2666 is already present here, but in more manageable form Amulet is a more controlled work, the excesses largely kept in check; as such it also a better introduction to his writing than the later masterpieces.
This obsession leads her to search for the ring in antique shops and flea markets, becoming more and more isolated from the real world. Throughout the story, Bolano explores the idea of literature as a refuge from reality. Graciela sees Stein's stories as a means of escape, a way to transcend the mundane and enter a world of magic and wonder.
The Last Gift Roberto Bolaño Gave His Readers
More than one person has told me that they've become physically affected while reading a Roberto Bolano novel. The symptoms are always the same: agitation, irritability, a sense of dread or impending doom, and, finally, exhilaration. His prose has a haunting magic—even in the mundane—leaving the reader unmoored and set adrift.
Roberto Bolano was a literary genius. His true calling was poetry, and for much of the Chilean's life, he was content working various odd jobs in Latin America and Europe, while publishing his poems in obscure journals. Following the birth of his first child in 1990, he realized that he wanted to secure a financial future for his family. He began to write fiction. Always with ailing health, liver failure placed him on a race against time to produce some of the greatest novels of the late 20th century, before his death in 2003. Over those 13 years he produced ten novels and three volumes of short stories, including Last Evening On Earth, The Savage Detectives, and 2666. A number of his works were translated and hit the American markets after his death. Bolano's posthumous career is prolific—he was awarded the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction in 2008—and his legend has only grown bigger since his passing.
Did I say that Roberto Bolano was a genius? I meant to say magician. Bolano is a literary magician; a satirical and mesmerizing novelist with a poet's soul. There is an undeniable sleight-of-hand at play in his work, and one gets an unsettling sense that he is, somehow, using misdirection to not so much hide as obscure his intent. Bolano called this his "secret story."
Bolano's final posthumous novel,A Little Lumpen Novelita, was translated into English and published in September of last year to very little fanfare. After so many game-changing books, it may have been expected that his finale would have been a literary event. Instead, it silently slipped into an English translation and was hardly reviewed. Those that did review it, treated it like a small—though stellar—aside to his more sprawling epics.
A Little Lumpen Novelita
Scholars of Latin American literature have consistently made the apt comparison of Bolano to Jorge Luis Borges, who also embraced the "unreality of literature." Maybe due to its size (109 pages, soaking wet), many critics read A Little Lumpen Novelita as a straight-ahead story with a beginning, middle, and end, but like Borges, Bolano is never that simple.
The story is told by Bianca, who begins: "Now I'm a mother and a married woman, but not long ago I led a life of crime." She describes the death of her parents in a car accident, leaving her and her brother, two teenagers, alone in their Rome apartment. They both drop out of school and take low-level jobs. Since their parents' death, Bianca has been stricken blind by brightness. She can see in the dark.
While working at a gym, her brother brings home two men to live with them, a Bolognan and a Libyan, adults with no pasts and no roots who, after an unsuccessful caper in Milan, hatch a plan: Bianca will go to work for an aging, blind, and wealthy former movie star and bodybuilder named Maciste, apparently for sex. It's all a ploy for Bianca to search his mansion for a safe. She ultimately finds herself roped into it, and through both inward and outward searching, makes discoveries of her own. That's the story on the surface.
Bolano's "secret story" doesn't so easily reveal itself.
It's never a good idea to underestimate the Chilean writer. After all, he has mysterious and magical ways that can fuck with your head. Bolano's style is most akin to the classic detective novel; the punchy prose and the book's length make it an easy read. Almost too easy. Several times while reading it, I had to force myself to put the book down. "Chew your food," I told myself. I wanted to find the secret story. I've always wanted to know how Bolano casts his spells, to peek behind some screen and learn the magic of his craftsmanship.
But to find the answer I would have to go back to the beginning. The book opens with a quote from Antonin Artaud.
All writing is garbage.
People who come out of nowhere to try and put into
Words any part of what goes on in their minds are pigs.
All writers are pigs. Especially writers today.
At first glance, it's placement is confounding. There are no writers in the book. No books in the book, for that matter. So, is the quote there to piss off writers like me? Or to put writers on notice? Knowing Bolano, I suspected a little of both, and began my own detective adventure. What is this, a dying genius' final work, really trying to tell us? I read, and I waited.
Bianca understood both the readers' urgency and frustration, "because waiting is terrible, they were waiting for something that wasn't coming, but was about to come, or at least that was what they were betting on," and further, "I was waiting for something. A catastrophe. A visit from the police or the social worker. The approach of a meteorite, darkening the sky."
I clued in on Bolano's elusive use of foreshadowing, that sinister specter that permeates all of his other works in imperceptible ways was writ larger than I'd seen before. And the "deep downs," that lull the reader into a hypnotic trance as morality gives way to consequence:
"Deep down," says Bianca, "I think I was afraid something bad would happen. I think I sensed that it was coming soon and I worried about my brother, whose fate was so bound up with his friends' fates."
"Deep down I've always been an innocent. I'm an innocent now, and back then, when the nights were as bright as day, I was too."
"Deep down, I knew it made sense to be a prostitute."
At some point a master magician, who has jealously guarded his secrets, must pass them on. In this, my nth re-reading of the book, I believe that Bolano's secret story is one about his craft to contemporary and future writers. That the book should be read as a Strunk & White of sorts. And that Bolano, notorious for injecting himself into his fiction, is the blind bodybuilder Maciste.
"These days," says Maciste, "bodybuilding is considered a sport but when I practiced it, it was an art…Like magic…There was a time when it was an art and magicians were artists…Now it's just part of the show."
He wasn't talking about bodybuilding.
A Little Lumpen Novelita may be Bolano's best trick, and greatest gift, ever.
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HOW did Bolano remain such a secret in the Anglo north even while becoming a cult hero across Latin America?
However, as her obsession grows, it becomes clear that this escape is not necessarily a healthy one. Graciela becomes disconnected from the people around her, losing touch with reality and becoming consumed by her search for the ring. "Magical talisman" also touches on the theme of the power of art. Graciela is so taken with Stein's writing that she believes the talisman holds real magic. She sees it as a way to access a deeper truth or hidden meaning within the stories. This speaks to the transformative power of art and literature, the way it can transport us to other worlds and reveal truths about ourselves and the world around us. In conclusion, "Magical talisman" by Roberto Bolano is a story that explores the themes of literature, obsession, and isolation. Through the character of Graciela, Bolano illustrates the power of art to inspire and captivate, but also the dangers of becoming too ensnared in its enchantment..
Reviews for "The Impact of Magical Talismans on Bolano's Characters and Narrative"
- Tom - 2 stars - I found "Magical Talisman" by Roberto Bolano to be quite disappointing. The plot was confusing and hard to follow, with random and disconnected events happening throughout the story. The characters were underdeveloped and lacked depth, making it difficult to feel any connection or empathy towards them. Additionally, the writing style was overly descriptive and verbose, resulting in a slow and tedious reading experience. Overall, I was left feeling confused and unsatisfied with this book.
- Sarah - 1 star - I really struggled to get through "Magical Talisman" by Roberto Bolano. The story lacked direction and coherence, jumping from one random event to another without any clear purpose. The characters were flat and uninteresting, making it hard to care about their fates. Moreover, the writing style was convoluted and pretentious, with long-winded sentences that seemed to serve no purpose other than to showcase the author's supposed intellect. I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for an engaging and well-crafted story.
- Alex - 2 stars - "Magical Talisman" by Roberto Bolano was a disappointing read for me. The narrative felt disjointed and fragmented, with no clear central thread to tie the story together. The characters lacked depth and development, making it hard to form any emotional connection with them. Additionally, the excessive use of obscure references and literary allusions made the book feel inaccessible and pretentious. While some may appreciate the author's experimental style, I personally found it to be alienating and unengaging.