Vila-Matas in Paris

I believe that fiction is the only thing that brings me closer to the truth that reality obscures. There remains to be written a great book, a book that would be the missing chapter in the development of the epic. This chapter would include all of those—from Cervantes through Kafka and Musil—who struggle with a colossal strength against all forms of fakery and pretense. Their struggle has always had an obvious touch of paradox, since those who so struggled were writers that were up to their ears in fiction. They searched for truth through fiction. And out of this stylistic tension have emerged marvelous semblances of the truth, as well as the best pages of modern literature.

– Enrique Vila-Matas, interviewed by Scott Esposito about his third translated book Never Any End to Paris, for The Paris Review Daily

http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2011/06/06/enrique-vila-matas-on-never-any-end-to-paris/

What Ishiguro read in 2009

My reading this year was dominated by Roberto Bolaño's two massive novels, The Savage Detectives and 2666 (both Picador). The first is the superior, but 2666, for all its occasional longueurs, is still quite magnificent. Bolaño links seamlessly South American, US and European traditions; modernism with gritty realism and the crime thriller. These are both important works and the advent of Bolaño is a significant moment in the history of modern fiction.

– Kazuo Ishiguro, Books of the year 2009, The Observer

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/nov/22/books-of-the-year-2009

The Anything Ubu Readalong Opportunity ...

... is presented by bibliographing and Wuthering Expectations.

Disembraining begins the last week of June.

http://wutheringexpectations.blogspot.com/2011/05/anything-ubu-readalong-opportunity.html

The Third Reich cover

While I'm still giddy at the sight of this parenthetical beauty, I already want to turn on the reading light for this:

(Amazon page)

A reader's guide to 2666

I've finished my reread of 2666. I picked it up along with the Salonistas in LibraryThing. The discussion thread (here, with spoilers) contains background information on Bolaño and the book.

Perhaps the first online group read of the novel was the "National Reading '2666' Month", a month-long reading by The New Yorker (The Book Bench) in January 2009. Started in the same month, but running until May, was a reading by bolano-l Google group. The reading was organized by Matt Bucher. After that, there were several more online group discussions, mostly from blogs and reading sites.

Other reading includes the one I posted earlier (over at Leeswamme's Blog).

Below are sets of blog links to two sites whose commentaries I've found useful in understanding the five-part novel. They provide a close reading of the text and appreciation of the nuances of the book's style.

Update: New readalong at The Weblog.

from Caravana de recuerdos (in Spanish and English)

Richard's blogging was part of a group reading back in May 2009.

1. The Part About the Critics

2. The Part About Amalfitano

3. The Part About Fate

4.1 The Part About the Crimes
4.2 The Part About the Crimes
4.3 The Part About the Crimes
4.4 The Part About the Crimes
4.5 The Part About the Crimes

5. The Part About Archimboldi

from Las obras de Roberto Bolaño

Last year Matt Bucher, Maria Bustillos, and others read the 5 parts over a 15-week period, roughly 50-70 pages a week. There were several posts per week, broken into several themes (such as dreams, characters, vocabulary, deaths, and locations).

The Part About the Critics

Week 1: pages 1-51 [post 1, post 2, post 3, characters, dreams, timeline, locations, vocabulary]

Week 2: pages 51-102 [post 1, post 2, post 3, post 4, post 5, dreams, characters, locations, vocabulary]

Week 3: pages 102-159 [post 1, post 2, post 3, post 4, dreams, deaths, locations, characters, vocabulary]

The Part About Amalfitano

Week 4: pages 163-228 [post 1, post 2, post 3, post 4, dreams, locations, vocabulary, characters]

The Part About Fate

Week 5: pages 231-290 [post 1, post 2, post 3, post 4, dreams, locations, deaths, characters, vocabulary]

Week 6: pages 291-349 [post 1, post 2, post 3, post 4, dreams, deaths, locations, vocabulary, characters]

The Part About the Crimes

Week 7: pages 353-404 [post 1, post 2, post 3, deaths, dreams, locations, vocabulary]

Week 8: pages 404-465 [post 1, post 2, post 3, deaths, dreams, locations]

Week 9: pages 466-513 [post 1, deaths, dreams, links, deaths, locations]

Week 10: pages 513-564 [post 1, post 2, locations, dreams, vocabulary]

Week 11: pages 565-633 [post 1, post 2, deaths, dreams]

The Part About Archimboldi

Week 12: pages 637-701 [post 1, post 2, deaths, dreams]

Week 13: pages 702-765 [post 1, post 2, dreams, deaths]

Week 14: pages 766-830 [deaths, dreams]

Week 15: pages 831-893 [post 1, post 2, deaths, dreams]