viernes, 27 de junio de 2014

Acerca de las sombras





He tratado de escribir una revisión de un par de libros relacionados entre sí, pero a pesar de mis esfuerzos para hacerla atractiva, he fracasado. Por eso decidí hacerla de este modo, quitándole cuanta floritura puedo eliminar y diciendo que me parecen muy buenos.
En el primero, Sombra de la sombra, se nos cuenta una novela policiaca con cuatro esquinas, en cada una de las cuáles se encuentra un personaje, cada cual tan atractivo como el anterior y el precedente. Está ambientada en el México postrevolucionario, en la convulsa ciudad de México. En ella, un periodista de nota roja bajo el mando de Vito Alessio Robles, hermano del revolucionario, se ve a sí mismo enamorado de una mujer de ojos color violeta y mira desde su propia ventana en el diario un aparente suicidio. Uno de sus amigos, un chino de Sinaloa, anarcosindicalista en un país donde la represión oficial era durísima, se enamora de una mujer china a la que debe rescatar de un fumadero de opio en la calle Dolores. Otro amigo de ellos, un elegante abogado de lupanar comparte sus historias. Por último, un ex dorado de Villa, poeta con mala estrella (sin llegar a ser un poète maudit), debe hacer trabajos miserables para granjearse la vida y mira, en un kiosco, el asesinato de un trombonista.
Como siempre, las aparentes inconexiones de las historias nos llevan a un nudo en el que se descubre un viejo complot para escindir del país la península de Baja California, el cual, por cierto, existió.
Pero lo que me gusta de ella es el ambiente que Taibo II crea en cada una de las escenas. Desde el inicio, donde los personajes juegan dominó bajo el cono de luz que una lámpara proyecta en una mesa solitaria del oscuro bar del hotel Majestic.
En la segunda novela, Retornamos como sombras, los personajes que salieron airosos de la primera, se reencuentran veinte años después (hay que recordar que Taibo II parece ser amante de Dumás) pero en deplorables condiciones. Alberto Verdugo es ahora un abogado recluido en un manicomio. Tomás Wong dejó la labor fabril y anda manejando un bulldozer en la selva chiapaneca, Fermín valencia, con un brazo menos, dejó lo de poète y conservó lo de maudit pues ahora es agente secreto de Gobernación mientras que Pioquinto Manterola sigue fiel al periodismo. Aquí la trama se ambienta en el sexenio de miguel Alemán y, ya que se coló un alemán en la historia, pues qué nos cuesta incluir unos cuantos nazis, tratando de instaurar el Tercer Reich en nuestro país (lo cual también sucedió).
Los finales son inesperados. Los reencuentros son agradables, especialmente para quienes queremos volver a ver a los personajes que nos han gustado antes reaparecer en las páginas, pero envejecidos, no como James Bond, siempre actualizándose (el tiempo no perdona en la realidad y la literatura debiera ser –en opinión de algunos– reflejo de la misma).
A mí me parece que los dos libros son entrañables por sus personajes, ciudad de México incluida, siempre jugando su papel en la historia.
Si tiene un fin de semana sin planes o sin ganas de salir de casa, léalos, que valen la pena.

ADDENDUM: probablemente la próxima entrada del blog sea una novela de Murakami o un documental sobre  ETA. ¿Qué le parecería escoger entre ellos? Mándeme su opinión; si se toma el tiempo de leer esto, también podría tomarse dos minutos y mandarme un correo. Danke und wieder lesen wir.}

I have tried to write a review of a couple of books related to each other, but despite my efforts to make it attractive, I've failed. So I decided to do it this way, taking as much frills I´ve been able to delete and saying I think they´re very good.
In the first, Shadow of the shadow, we are told a black novel with four corners, each one for a character, each as appealing as the previous and precedent. It's set in post-revolutionary Mexico, in the troubled Mexico City. In it, a sensationalist journalist under the command of Vito Alessio Robles, brother of the revolutionary, found himself in love with a woman with violet eyes and look from its own window an apparent suicide. One of his friends, a Chinese from Sinaloa, anarchist and pro-union man in a country where official repression was tough, falls in love with a Chinese woman whom must be rescued from an opium den in Dolores Street. Another friend of theirs, a smart lawyer for lumpen share their stories. Finally, a former Dorado de Villa, poet under a bad star (without becoming a poète maudit), must do miserable jobs to earn life and sees at a kiosk the murder of a trombonist.
As always, the apparent disjointedness of the stories take us to a knot in an old plot to split the peninsula of Baja California from Mexico, which, by the way, is a true story.
But what I like about it is the atmosphere that creates Taibo II in each of the scenes. From the beginning, where the characters play dominoes under the cone of light projected by lamp on a table in a dark and lonely bar Majestic.
In the second novel, We return as shadows, the characters of the first novel reappear out gracefully, reunite twenty years later (remember that Taibo II seems to be loving Dumas) but in deplorable conditions. Alberto Verdugo is now a lawyer detained in a mental hospital. Thomas Wong left the factory and go work driving a bulldozer in the Chiapas jungle, Fermín Valencia, one arm less, let him of poète and kept it from maudit for now is secret agent for the Interior Ministry while Pioquinto Manterola is sticking to journalism. Here the plot is set during the presidency of Miguel Alemán and, as a German slipped into history, how about to include a few Nazis, trying to establish the Third Reich in our country (which also happened).
Endings are unexpected. Reunions are nice, especially for those who want to see the return of characters we liked before, reappearing in the pages, but aged, not James Bond kind, always updated (time does not forgive in reality and literature should be –as some says, reflection of it).
It seems to me that the two books are beloved for their characters, including Mexico City, always playing its role in history.
If you have a weekend with no plans and no desire to leave home, read them, they are worth it.

ADDENDUM: Next blog may probably be a Murakami novel or a documentary on ETA. What if you could choose between them? Send me your feedback; if you take the time to read this, you may also take two minutes to send me an email. Danke und lesen wir wieder.


Image credit to:  http://ednaldohenriques.blogspot.mx/2011_04_01_archive.html

martes, 24 de junio de 2014

México-Croacia



I accept they made me close my mouth.
Anyhow, I do not like soccer. 
Hope this attitude last more.

Image: http://aspiretolead.net/being-a-good-listener-be-quiet-listen/

domingo, 22 de junio de 2014

México en Brasil



I do not like soccer. I do not like using a National Team shirt and paint my face as my flag and got drunk and argue with other people about a group of people so called athletes that after every single defeat claims that they are humans, that they failed but that´s how the game is, people that make lots of money for white collar footballers, that moves masses of people to the Independence Column to celebrate they have won a game against a small Caribbean team, but always fail to win to the USA team, because they are playing against their History instead play against their contraries.
I do not like soccer and I feel ashamed every single time a Mexico Team follower make some stupidity in other country: peeing in the Eternal Flame in Paris or something like that.
That´s the image of Mexicans around the world? Maybe it is, maybe is not.
I do not want to be part of that image.
If you are reading this instead of watch TV, maybe you think different. But most people don´t.
I really do not care what people may think about me if they do not know me. Is as stupid as saying all Cubans are socialists or all black people are rapers or that all white people are intelligent.
But watching people using those stupid hats, moustaches, Aztec customs… I just cannot stand it.
I´m afraid Mexican team is going to be defeated in the next match. I assume that, if that happens, next week we are going to be listening the same crap we´ve been hearing all these years: they gave their best! the rival was better! We need to work more in team work… the boys did it great, they deserve our recognition… Oh, hell!
The Mexican soccer team is just a reflection of the mediocrity that affects my country at all levels.
In my work, a Hospital of the National Healthcare System, there are doctors that smoke inside the building, patients that litter in the halls… they have the SS they deserve.
Mexico has they soccer team they deserve.




Image:http://www.sinembargo.mx/17-06-2014/1028236