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The novel 2666 spans several continents, though most of the story, or I should say stories, take place in Europe and Mexico. I don’t generally get too excited about North or South American writers because the culture is too familiar or mundane. For that reason Europe satisfies me more, at least from a literary perspective. In contrast to some Latin American authors I’ve read, Bolaño’s writing moves flawlessly through a variety of geographical and cultural backdrops, and he never falls into that “quaint little town” cliché.
2666 contains five “books” in total, all connected but each following a slightly different thread. The first book (The Part About the Critics) tells about a four European professors / critics / bibliophiles who are trying to track down the elusive German author, Benno von Archimboldi.Their search eventually leads them to city in northern Mexico where, in books three through four (The Part About Amalfitano, The Part About Fate, The Part About the Crimes) we learn about a series of violent murders that have been occurring in the area for several years. Finally, book five (The Part About Archimboldi) brings the novel to a conclusion with the story of the mysterious author himself.
This is one of the few books I’ve read recently that stands up to all the hype surrounding it. I thoroughly enjoyed 2666 and highly recommend it, especially to anyone who likes novels about European history, literature, or crime. My only caution is that it can get a little graphic in certain sections, notably “The Part About Crimes” which goes into detail about the murders (which incidentally are based on the very non-fictional femicides taking place for the past ten years in Ciudad Juárez).
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2666: A Novel by Roberto Bolano
lwsupremacy, July 1, 2009
The novel 2666 spans several continents, though most of the story, or I should say stories, take place in Europe and Mexico. I don’t generally get too excited about North or South American writers because the culture is too familiar or mundane. For that reason Europe satisfies me more, at least from a literary perspective. In contrast to some Latin American authors I’ve read, Bolaño’s writing moves flawlessly through a variety of geographical and cultural backdrops, and he never falls into that “quaint little town” cliché.2666 contains five “books” in total, all connected but each following a slightly different thread. The first book (The Part About the Critics) tells about a four European professors / critics / bibliophiles who are trying to track down the elusive German author, Benno von Archimboldi.Their search eventually leads them to city in northern Mexico where, in books three through four (The Part About Amalfitano, The Part About Fate, The Part About the Crimes) we learn about a series of violent murders that have been occurring in the area for several years. Finally, book five (The Part About Archimboldi) brings the novel to a conclusion with the story of the mysterious author himself.
This is one of the few books I’ve read recently that stands up to all the hype surrounding it. I thoroughly enjoyed 2666 and highly recommend it, especially to anyone who likes novels about European history, literature, or crime. My only caution is that it can get a little graphic in certain sections, notably “The Part About Crimes” which goes into detail about the murders (which incidentally are based on the very non-fictional femicides taking place for the past ten years in Ciudad Juárez).
(4 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)