Rocío Quispe-Agnoli's Blog: On Peruvian Speculative Fiction and more, page 2

Various. "El día que regresamos"

El día que regresamos - Reportes Futuros Después de la Pandemia by Various

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book was written and published in the very first months of COVID-19 in 2020. It includes very short fiction (up to 700 words each, approximately) by women writers from Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Spain. Of these 20, at least 9 deserve 5 stars (excellent) or very good (4 stars). Among the 5-star excellent stories: Aprendiendo a no estar sola" (B. Pérez), "After all" (T. Tynjälä), "Cuando ella despertó" (S. Canal), "Quebrantacerebros" (M. Larralde), "Rutina interrumpida" (E. Soza), "Al final del arcoíris (A. Alarco de Zadra), "Polvillo azul" (T. Huerta) y "Ocurrió un lunes" (A. Amosson). Among the very good ones (4 stars): "Sin gusto, sin olfato" (L.T. Calle). In the short extension of each story, the authors write about personal and intimate experiences of the global enclosure that resulted from the pandemics. Most of the stories are located in Peru. The 9 stories I mention in this review ought to be read. They provide women's gaze and female psyche of a historical event in our world, and how they imagine the future and its dilemmas.



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M. A. Jimenez, comp. "Presbítero. Eternos residentes"

Presbítero. Eternos Residentes by Michael Alberto Jiménez

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a volume with a very interesting premise that should have worked well--if not for lack of sufficient editorial criteria. A collection of 15 short fiction about the late 19th-century cemetery of Lima, Peru, "Presbítero Maestro." From the 15 stories, I highlight the following as outstanding: "La gran apuesta" (Walter Ugarte), "La mancha" (Felix Castillo), "Eterna búsqueda" (Margarita de La Colina), and Frich Flores (Armando Requena). The next batch of good short fiction includes "Expiación" (Tania Huerta), Deudas post-mortem (Emilio Paz Panama), "El pacto" (Liliana Flores Campos). "El pasajero" (R. Qespi) would fit in this batch as well. These are 9 out of 15 stories, i.e., more than 50%, which is not bad for a collection that has elementary editorial work. Would like to read more from these authors and the subject.




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D. Collazos Bermúdez. "La heliofobia de M"

La Heliofobia de M by Daniel Collazos Bermúdez

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a great very short novella (or a very long short fiction) of Peruvian noir literature, a genre little developed in the literary history of Peru. Collazos Bermúdez manages very well the construction of suspense and the pace of the story (ritmo), building it up slowly and trapping its reader's attention until the very end. The idea of the story is quite original (heliofobia), the character whose name is at stake (M) uncovers herself slowly alongside the reader. The reader is positioned side by side with the main male character in a strange, and later desperate, journey of discovery. The narration rounds up with a very good ending. This is, so far, one of the best pieces of this author.
On the side, the illustrations don't do anything for me, despite the suggested link between manga (comics) and noir literature. The text shines by itself anyway. Highly recommend. It is only available in Amazon.



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D. Collazos Bermúdez. "Necrópolis"

Necrópolis by Daniel Collazos Bermúdez

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A collection of noir short fiction set, mostly in the city of Lima (Peru). I've read the interactive digital edition that was published in 2021 (instead of this one, pub. in 2015). The 2021 edition includes 16 stories and links to multimedia (music on Spotify, youtube video, facebook posts). Its title provides clues: death and the city. And death is the leading force of these stories.
From the 16, I highlight "Viajero," "Iris" (great pace, great use of language), "Por la familia," "Aló" (one of the best if not the best), "Apagón" (great pace), and "Distanciamiento" (very well written despite its predictable ending. The subject is not a crime per se but a hyperrealist obsession). This is 6 very good/above average stories out of 16. Others are good/okay, and others are missing some elements. "La procesión de los efímeros" is a story that seems to be supernatural horror and reveals itself as noir literature. It was published in a collection about an urban legend titled"Tantas veces Sarah." This review is too short to provide appropriate details. However, the ones mentioned above are worthy of further study--and more readers.
The print edition (2015) is beautiful. The only minus to that edition are illustrations that add nothing to the edition. Unless the idea was to remind us of the young human's innocence by representing children's elementary drawings.



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D. Collazos Bermúdez. "Maga"

Maga by Daniel Collazos Bermúdez

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Maga is a novel that requires a dedicated reader. It has 18 chapters, and it takes time to get into it, i.e., to be trapped as a reader. I kept reading because I liked the premise of the story and wanted to know more. The structure of the story is very well constructed.
There is intertextuality between the concept of "los intangibles" and "el invisible" in Alejo Carpentier's "El arpa y la sombra". "Los intangibles" constitute a very interesting entity with a specific function in the universe: to cause mental disorders. Throughout the novel, there is a subtle reflection about forgetfulness and oblivion, which explodes in the very last chapters.
Ch. 6 (Parsimonia) was a disturbing surprise, well written though disturbing. Chapters 14-18 are narrative delight, with a crescendo that reaches an unexpected story's climax in chapter 16. The ending leaves me in media res, with many questions, too many possibilities, and the desire and hope that Maga's saga continues to round it off. I hope to read the 2nd part to satisfy that climax that did not end in this edition.



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