Group read: Grande Sertão: Veredas

Coming in May is a group reading of a Latin American masterpiece from Brazil: Grande Sertao: Veredas by João Guimarães Rosa (translated into English as The Devil to Pay in the Backlands). We invite readers to join us in reading this novel, in any language, and posting on and discussing it on the last week of May.

The event is hosted by Richard of Caravana de recuerdos, Scott of seraillon, Miguel of St. Orberose, and me. Miguel will read the original Portuguese, Richard the Spanish translation, Scott the French translation, and I the English translation.

Grande Sertao: Veredas (1956) is a notoriously difficult novel, employing puns, word inventions and archaic words from the Portuguese. The writer João Guimarães Rosa (1908-1967) was a diplomat, fluent in many languages, and had a wide experience as a doctor in the countryside of Brazil. The novel is about bandit wars in Brazil, about making a pact with the devil, about leadership politics, about the celebration of the flora and fauna of the land, about things not seeming what they are.

The Devil to Pay in the Backlands (1963), as translated by James L. Taylor and Harriet de Onís, is generally regarded as a flawed translation. However, this translation is important for giving us the scope of the writer's importance. Unfortunately, this translation is long out of print. A used copy in the Amazon (the bookseller jungle) costs 300 bucks. Only libraries may be the reliable source of a copy.

Here's a rare interview with the Brazilian writer from the Guimarães Rosa specialist blog A Missing Book (On the Devil to Pay in the Backlands).

Reino de Redonda reading list (2014)

REDONDA COAT OF ARMS

Less than eleven months from now, the Redonda group read, hosted by Richard of Shea's Zibaldone, is in full swing. Redonda is of course the island kingdom of Rey Xavier I.

The reading (and watch) list is pretty solid. It includes book and film masterpieces from the Duke of Deshonra, the late Duke of Vértigo, Duke of Miraflores, Duke of Colores, Duke of Megalópolis, etc., and from the king himself.

Plenty of time to decide which royalty to read.

November is José Saramago Month

SMALL MEMORIES ... RAISED FROM THE GROUND

At St. Orberose, Miguel opens the José Saramago Month with an introduction to the works of the Portuguese novelist.

Saramago is one of the writers that have a great personal impact to me. He is a writer to accompany one's life.

2666 summer readalong

The Weblog is hosting a reading of 2666 by Roberto Bolaño this month and the next. It will be led by Spanish professor Patrick O'Connors.

The tentative discussion schedule is as follows:

7/12 – Part One
7/19 – Parts Two and Three
7/26 – Part Four - 1
8/2 – Part Four - 2
8/9 – Part Five - 1
8/16 – Part Five - 2

A wild poet chase: The Savage Detectives Group Read

Last week participants began posting reviews for The Savage Detectives group read hosted by Richard and me. It's been a great week of reading the variety of ideas and thoughts on a text rich with ideas and references. Though not everyone finished the novel, the posts offered different ways of looking at a pillow book. Here then are the links to reviews.

Richard / Caravana de recuerdos 1 , 2, 3

Caroline / Beauty is a Sleeping Cat

Bellezza / Dolce Bellezza

Sarah / what we have here is a failure to communicate

Bettina / Liburuak

nicole / bibliographing 1 , 2 , 3 , 4

Séamus / Vapour Trails 1 , 2

Amateur Reader (Tom) / Wuthering Expectations 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5

Gavin / Page247

Selena / luxe hours

Sarah / A Rat in the Book Pile

Scott / seraillon

amanda / Simpler Pastimes

Rise / in lieu of a field guide

Jeremy read the book in advance and shared his thoughts and linked with us at READIN.

Image by Jenny Volvovski.

The Savage Detectives Group Read

Every book in the world is out there waiting to be read by me, says one Juan García Madero. A book is the best pillow there is, says Roberto Bolaño.

Richard of Caravana de recuerdos and I think one of these notable pillow books could be Bolaño's cult object Los detectives salvajes (The Savage Detectives, translated by Natasha Wimmer). We are hosting a group read of this novel in January 2012.

All are cordially invited – rebels, poets, bloggers, slackers. It's not poetry reading but it could have the same effect.

Savagery or previous experience as detective isn't required to participate. Nor is one expected to be a member of an avant-garde group like the visceral realists.

All one needs to do is sleep on the book and maybe join in on the discussion. Readers become "salvajes" in their own right.

Bloggers may post reviews and impressions anytime in January but "official" discussion starts on the last weekend of the month (Jan. 27-29). We'll link to your reviews.

About the book. At around 600 pages, it's a hefty pillow. We can't promise a wild poet chase, but wildness and unwieldiness shouldn't be in short supply. (Here's an excerpt.)

This early announcement should give readers plenty of headway. It's probably best to start early with the detective work. Or you can wait till All Souls Day, when our narrator began to write his adventures. Or the new year. It may turn out to be a firecracking yearstarter.

You can read this as part of the Bolaño Reading Challenge. It's supposed to end this year, but we'll count this toward your future Godzilla status.

"Detectives-Readers"

Richard, Caravana de recuerdos

mel u, The Reading Life

Amateur Reader (Tom), Wuthering Expectations

Emily, Evening All Afternoon

Scott, seraillon

Frances, Nonsuch Book

Stu, Winstonsdad's Blog

Anthony, Time's Flow Stemmed

Bettina, Liburuak
Gavin, Page247
Sarah, A Rat in the Book Pile 
Caroline, Beauty is a Sleeping Cat
Jeremy, READIN
Becky, Page Turners
Séamus, Vapour Trails
Amy, The House of the Seven Tails
nicole, bibliographing
Bellezza, Dolce Bellezza
Sarah, what we have here is a failure to communicate
Col, Col Reads
Selena, luxe hours
Claire, kiss a cloud

The red image is from a design by Jenny Volvovski (From Cover to Cover). It is used with permission. You may copy and insert this badge in your blog.

 
(cross-posted)