Pedro Páramo
by Juan Rulfo, Margaret Sayers Peden, trans., Susan Sontag, foreward
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| Pedro Paramo | 1 | 02/24/2008 01:46PM |
| Literatura Latina-americana | 1 | 02/20/2008 02:01PM |
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1013)
Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
Kaylor Maddox
I grant it five stars for context; for a book written in 1955 Mexico, it stands out even now as tremendously original and strangely gorgeous. To those familiar with Magic Realism, it would be less impressive than a five, but I am attempting to imagine what it would be like to come across it upon first publication. It is not a classic narrative. It is violent, confusing, but soundly built through the motifs that, if I read through again more closely, I could tie together thematically. It's rare t...more
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Read in January, 2008
It makes sense to me that this surrealist tale was published in 1955, but it took 40 years for it to be published in English.
I read this book for my infamous "Sex and Death" English writing class at CCA, taught by Mr. J. Acosta (who is from Mexico City). It sure did fit the theme of the class. I don't think you can say that this book has a happy ending, so don't read it while really depressed.
This book is best read a little out of focus. If you are a control freak who must know...more
I read this book for my infamous "Sex and Death" English writing class at CCA, taught by Mr. J. Acosta (who is from Mexico City). It sure did fit the theme of the class. I don't think you can say that this book has a happy ending, so don't read it while really depressed.
This book is best read a little out of focus. If you are a control freak who must know...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
Anyone perusing Mexican Literature
I feel like I really should've loved this book, given my proclivity towards magical realism and existentialism. Rulfo seems to be able to produce a wonderful tour through the hell of defining one's own existence through the eponymous character and the ghosts of Comala that he left in his wake.
In truth, although I know this is considered to be one of THE classics of 20th Century Mexican literature, it just doesn't really do it for me. The poetry in prose is often beautiful, but the disjointed ...more
In truth, although I know this is considered to be one of THE classics of 20th Century Mexican literature, it just doesn't really do it for me. The poetry in prose is often beautiful, but the disjointed ...more
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Read in March, 2008
This is a strange little book, and one I'm not sure I totally understood. It's a ghost story, quite literally, in that it is a book full of ghosts who tell stories. The narrative switches from past tense to present, and from first person to third, depending on who is talking and when they died (I think). Apparently, this book has been very influential, to people like Garcia Marquez and other magical realists, and I'm sure my ranking of it is higher because I know smart people have thought highly...more
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This book really confused me. I read it at the request of a friend who is adapting it into a play. It is translated from Spanish and my friend was happy for the most part with the edition we read (translated by Margaret Sayers Peden). I just finished the book and I still don't know what to think. The language is rich and poetic but the story-line is confusing. The text jumps from character to character and moves forward and backward in time with very little indication that a shift is happeni...more
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Read in July, 2008
High quality writing through most of the book. I find the technique of interspersed italicized lyrical castback to previous forms of loss a bit annoying, but that only happens so often.
It's a strange book, for sure, but seems to be less firmly woven into the fabric of reality than later books of its type (magical realism, as claimed).
It reads quickly, and is worth reading, and probably worth a higher score than three stars. But coming off the Queneau novel, which was so full of spark a...more
It's a strange book, for sure, but seems to be less firmly woven into the fabric of reality than later books of its type (magical realism, as claimed).
It reads quickly, and is worth reading, and probably worth a higher score than three stars. But coming off the Queneau novel, which was so full of spark a...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
Titi
"Pedro Páramo" é o único romance de Juan Rulfo, escritor mexicano que aborda as facetas diversas da tragédia humana, os caminhos entrelaçados pelo fantasma da morte ou pela vida desprovida de ingênuas fantasias de felicidade, tendo como cenário longínquo os dias de violência da Revolução Mexicana.
As palavras do escritor, traduzidas para o português por Eliane Zagury [Rulfo, Juan. "Pedro Paramo e O Planalto em Chamas". 2. ed. Paz e Terra, Rio de Janeiro, 1977.]...more
As palavras do escritor, traduzidas para o português por Eliane Zagury [Rulfo, Juan. "Pedro Paramo e O Planalto em Chamas". 2. ed. Paz e Terra, Rio de Janeiro, 1977.]...more
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Read in June, 2008
So having read this three additional times, researched it, and discussed it for three hours during class, I've come to realize that this might actually be an amazing masterpiece and a book I'd be willing to read a fifth and a sixth and maybe even more times. Disorienting and ambiguous as hell--and quite depressing overall--but deeply fascinating and littered with dozens of beautiful passages and memorable characters.
The supposed precursor to Latin American magic realism and a major influenc...more
The supposed precursor to Latin American magic realism and a major influenc...more
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More surrealism than magical realism. At times I felt as lost and dislocated as the narrator in search of father's ghost. It's like reading someone's bad dream you've been dropped in the middle of -- little or no context or discernible structure. More of an atmospheric mood piece than a narrative. I generally enjoy books with untraditional narratives, but this one really challenges your expectations of a story. Reads more like an extended prose poem than fiction. I'm probably not doing it ...more
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Read in October, 2007
It has taken me nearly four years to get around to reading this book, the favorite book of Daniel Alarcon, and so many other aspiring and great writers. And I read it, because a professor of mine assigned it for class. This book is WAY smarter than me. I’ve read it twice and I don’t think I grasped all that it offered. It’s the founding novel of magical realism, the book that inspired Gabriel Garcia Marquez and One Hundred Years of Solitude! I have to read it five more times, I think.
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surreal & spooky. storytelling at its best.
"You see, I didn't even steal space from the earth. They buried me in the grave with you, and I fit right in the hollow of your arms. Here in this little space where I am now. The only thing is that probably I should have my arms around you. You hear? It's raining up there. Don't you hear the drumming of the rain?"
"I hear something like someone walking above us."
"You don't have to be afraid. No one can sca...more
"You see, I didn't even steal space from the earth. They buried me in the grave with you, and I fit right in the hollow of your arms. Here in this little space where I am now. The only thing is that probably I should have my arms around you. You hear? It's raining up there. Don't you hear the drumming of the rain?"
"I hear something like someone walking above us."
"You don't have to be afraid. No one can sca...more
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4 comments
Read in September, 2007
پدرو پارامو
فکر میکنم بهترین چیزی که برای این کتاب میتوانم بگویم شعری است از کتاب لی لی نوشته ی کورتاسار :
طنین ِ گامهایم ، در این خیابان ،
در خیابان ِ دیگری به گوش می رسد .
جایی
که صدای گامهایم را می شنوم
که در همین خیابان طنین می اندازند .
تنها مه
واقعی است ...
خولیو ...more
فکر میکنم بهترین چیزی که برای این کتاب میتوانم بگویم شعری است از کتاب لی لی نوشته ی کورتاسار :
طنین ِ گامهایم ، در این خیابان ،
در خیابان ِ دیگری به گوش می رسد .
جایی
که صدای گامهایم را می شنوم
که در همین خیابان طنین می اندازند .
تنها مه
واقعی است ...
خولیو ...more
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Read in February, 2008
Rulfo's narrative style is definitely not for everyone, but the following lines alone earn this novel four stars in my book:
"When I sat down to die, my soul prayed for me to get up and drag on with my life, as if it still expected some miracle to cleanse me of my sins. I didn't even try. 'This is the end of the road,' I told it. 'I don't have the strength to go on.' And I opened my mouth to let it escape. And it went. I knew when I felt the little thread of blood that bound it to my hea...more
"When I sat down to die, my soul prayed for me to get up and drag on with my life, as if it still expected some miracle to cleanse me of my sins. I didn't even try. 'This is the end of the road,' I told it. 'I don't have the strength to go on.' And I opened my mouth to let it escape. And it went. I knew when I felt the little thread of blood that bound it to my hea...more
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This is a very intriguing book, though not such a staggering work of art as I had been led to believe. It is significant for its influence over nearly all subsequent Latin American authors, but the book itself is short and lacking much conviction. Its strong point is probably its elegant use of prose to create pictures, scenes, and contrasts on a level comparable to good poetry. However, as a novel, there is little more than experimentation in the absurd and mythical.
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La verdad es que me lo mandaron leer a fuerza en primero de secundaria y como no le entendí bien y la maestra ni nos explicó nada, solo nos dijo "Ahh como no pueden asombrarse ante tal genialidad". Tal vez algún día lo vuelva a intentar leer pero igual Juan Rulfo no me gusta mucho, sé que mi calficación no es muy justa pero pues es mía ;)
Conclusión: jamás obliguen a los niños a leer algo que todavía no puedan comprender en su totalidad...
Conclusión: jamás obliguen a los niños a leer algo que todavía no puedan comprender en su totalidad...
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recommended to Gabriela by:
Barbara my english teacher and friend
Read it when I was 15 and haven't read anything even remotely similar since. I particularly remember him writing that every time you sigh a little bit of your soul leave the body... Strange, it is filled with sentences like that. I found it intriguing.
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Read in March, 2005
My favorite piece of Spanish Literature by one of the all-time great Mexican authors, Juan Rulfo. The story is a trip that can leave you guessing what is real and what is not. You'll want to re-read it when you're done to make sure you didn't miss anything. Haven't read the English version so I'm not sure how it compares but if you can read Spanish then I suggest you pick it up and read, the dialogue is not difficult to read.
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While in Mexico and hanging out with some prominent architects, I asked them what one fiction writer they would recommend I read. They all agreed it was Juan Rulfo, but only Pedro Paramo as they felt his other books were not as impressive. Unbeknownst to most U.S. readers, Paramo influenced all of the South American magic realism writers. This book is gorgeous and literally fabulous.
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Read in August, 2007
This book was amazing. Admittedly, Pedro Paramo was Marquez' greatest inspiration before he writes One Hundred Years of Solitude. I could also see its impact in terms of meloncholic imagery, eclectic style and terse prose in the contemporary Latin American writers. Another interesting note about this ambitious book is that it is just about 100 pages. I should read it again.
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Read in October, 2007
they won't stay dead!
if you are interested in finding the logic in things, all things, then you shouldn't be reading magical realism and you should definitely not read this book.
on the other hand, if you like the stuff that doesn't quite fit... it's quick. it's short. but it's almost as rewarding as it is dense. for what it's worth, i intend to read it again.
if you are interested in finding the logic in things, all things, then you shouldn't be reading magical realism and you should definitely not read this book.
on the other hand, if you like the stuff that doesn't quite fit... it's quick. it's short. but it's almost as rewarding as it is dense. for what it's worth, i intend to read it again.
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