THE SPIRIT OF SCIENCE FICTION
by Roberto Bolaño | Translator: Natasha WimmerPenguin Press | February 5, 2019
Genre: Fiction | Rating: ★★★
"An initiation, of sorts, for the Bolaño novices."
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Two young poets, Jan and Remo, find themselves adrift in Mexico City. Obsessed with poetry, and, above all, with science fiction, they are eager to forge a life in the literary world--or sacrifice themselves to it. Roberto Bolaño's The Spirit of Science Fiction is a story of youth hungry for revolution, notoriety, and sexual adventure, as they work to construct a reality out of the fragments of their dreams.
But as close as these friends are, the city tugs them in opposite directions. Jan withdraws from the world, shutting himself in their shared rooftop apartment where he feverishly composes fan letters to the stars of science fiction and dreams of cosmonauts and Nazis. Meanwhile, Remo runs headfirst into the future, spending his days and nights with a circle of wild young writers, seeking pleasure in the city's labyrinthine streets, rundown cafés, and murky bathhouses.
But as close as these friends are, the city tugs them in opposite directions. Jan withdraws from the world, shutting himself in their shared rooftop apartment where he feverishly composes fan letters to the stars of science fiction and dreams of cosmonauts and Nazis. Meanwhile, Remo runs headfirst into the future, spending his days and nights with a circle of wild young writers, seeking pleasure in the city's labyrinthine streets, rundown cafés, and murky bathhouses.
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THE SPIRIT OF SCIENCE FICTION was first published in 2016, recently translated from Spanish by Natasha Wimmer for its February 2019 release. The story follows two young men in their aspirations to be writers. Jan, the reclusive one, is more content in translating poems and penning fan letters to published sci-fi writers. Remo, on the other hand, explores poetry workshops, craves for relationships, and vents on investigating the sudden burst of literary magazines around Mexico City.
On whether the two men achieved their aspirations, it was not clear. There is no straight narrative. The book is a bricolage of interviews, letters, dreams, and fragmented sci-fi plots. An initiation, of sorts, for the Bolaño novices. One thing is clear, though, Roberto Bolaño is one broad writer and I hope to read at least one of his more notable works soon.
On whether the two men achieved their aspirations, it was not clear. There is no straight narrative. The book is a bricolage of interviews, letters, dreams, and fragmented sci-fi plots. An initiation, of sorts, for the Bolaño novices. One thing is clear, though, Roberto Bolaño is one broad writer and I hope to read at least one of his more notable works soon.
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About the Author:
Roberto Bolaño (1953–2003) was born in Santiago, Chile, and later lived in Mexico and Spain. A poet and novelist, he has been acclaimed as “by far the most exciting writer to come from south of the Rio Grande in a long time” (The Los Angeles Times), and as “the real thing and the rarest” (Susan Sontag). Among his many prizes are the Premio Rómulo Gallegos, the Premio Herralde de Novela and the National Book Critics Circle Award. He is widely considered to be the greatest Latin American writer of his generation. His books include The Savage Detectives, 2666, The Spirit of Science Fiction, By Night in Chile, Distant Star, Last Evenings on Earth, and The Romantic Dogs.
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