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Simpatia
O cenário é uma Caracas em colapso, população em fuga. Mais precisamente, uma casa aos pés do monte Ávila, onde Ulises Kan recebe a missão de montar um abrigo para cães abandonados junto aos funcionários leais do ex-proprietário e a um casal de veterinários desconhecidos. Ao redor da mansão orbitam presenças ambíguas, como a ex-esposa de Ulises, Paulina, e seu pai militar com pinta de Alain Delon; Paco, o centenário guardião do Hotel Humboldt; advogados nos quais se pode confiar; a escritora Elizabeth von Arnim; e o fantasma de Nevado, o cachorro de Simón Bolívar. Repleta de artimanhas, heranças, lendas e esconderijos, a trama vibrante de Calderón assume, por vezes, tons picarescos. Em outros momentos, um lirismo insuspeito encontra a brecha para escapar da tensão que solapa o paí Ulises, duas vezes órfão, “ele, um verme, um parasita”, parece encontrar sentido na família postiça que constrói em torno do abrigo. Para os humanos desamparados de Simpatia, os cães deixados na rua se tornam alento e força motriz.
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First published January 1, 2020
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About the author
Rodrigo Blanco Calderón
24 books164 followers(Caracas, 1981)
Escritor venezolano.
Ha publicado los libros de cuentos Una larga fila de hombres (Monte Ávila, 2005), Los Invencibles (Random House Mondadori, 2007), Las rayas (Punto Cero, 2011), Emuntorios (El Malpensante, 2018) y Los terneros (Páginas de Espuma, 2018). Por sus cuentos ha recibido diversos reconocimientos dentro y fuera de Venezuela. En 2007 fue seleccionado por el Hay Festival para formar parte de la primera edición de Bogotá 39. En 2013 fue escritor invitado del International Writing Program de la Universidad de Iowa.
En 2016 publicó su primera novela, The Night, en la editorial Alfaguara, de España, con una excelente recepción que le ha valido elogiosas críticas, diversas traducciones y varias distinciones: Premio «Rive Gauche à Paris a la mejor novela extranjera» en Francia (2016), Premio de la Crítica en Venezuela (2018), Premio III Bienal de Novela Mario Vargas Llosa en la ciudad de Guadalajara, México, en 2019.
En 2021 aparecerá su segunda novela, Simpatía, en la editorial Alfaguara.
Entre 2015 y 2018, vivió en París. En la actualidad reside en Málaga, España.
Escritor venezolano.
Ha publicado los libros de cuentos Una larga fila de hombres (Monte Ávila, 2005), Los Invencibles (Random House Mondadori, 2007), Las rayas (Punto Cero, 2011), Emuntorios (El Malpensante, 2018) y Los terneros (Páginas de Espuma, 2018). Por sus cuentos ha recibido diversos reconocimientos dentro y fuera de Venezuela. En 2007 fue seleccionado por el Hay Festival para formar parte de la primera edición de Bogotá 39. En 2013 fue escritor invitado del International Writing Program de la Universidad de Iowa.
En 2016 publicó su primera novela, The Night, en la editorial Alfaguara, de España, con una excelente recepción que le ha valido elogiosas críticas, diversas traducciones y varias distinciones: Premio «Rive Gauche à Paris a la mejor novela extranjera» en Francia (2016), Premio de la Crítica en Venezuela (2018), Premio III Bienal de Novela Mario Vargas Llosa en la ciudad de Guadalajara, México, en 2019.
En 2021 aparecerá su segunda novela, Simpatía, en la editorial Alfaguara.
Entre 2015 y 2018, vivió en París. En la actualidad reside en Málaga, España.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
May 10, 2024
Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2024
Political themes and cultural cross-references abound in the Latin American entries that dominate this year's International Booker list. Calderón writes about life under the authoritarian regime of Nicolás Maduro (who is still in power - watch out for the Presidential elections in Venezuela on July 28th!). Protagonist Ulises Kan's wife leaves him and flees the country, his beloved father-in-law Martín dies and tasks him in his will to turn his estate into a dog shelter and vet clinic to harbor the dogs left behind by fleeing elites. A rather complicated cat-and-mouse game ensues, featuring the ex-wife and her twin brother, Ulise's former lover, the people who help him set up the shelter, the police, etc. pp.
But what renders this short novel so intriguing is the even more complicated net of meta-textual references, mainly to Greek mythology (The Odyssey, Medea, the Argonauts), literature (starring Elizabeth von Arnim), modern movies, mainly "The Godfather", and actors like Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale. And of course: Dogs, dogs, dogs. These references cannot easily be interpreted as one thing, they hover over the scenery and play hide and seek. This is great fun for people who enjoy wicked puzzles, and pure hell for those who long for a straightfoward story arc. Admittedly, the sex scenes are also ... well, Garth Greenwell this is not.
Still, I'm always here for unhinged, labyrinthic takes on political issues, so overall, I was intrigued.
You can listen to our discussion on the podcast (International Booker, Latinx edition) here: https://papierstaupodcast.de/podcast/...
Political themes and cultural cross-references abound in the Latin American entries that dominate this year's International Booker list. Calderón writes about life under the authoritarian regime of Nicolás Maduro (who is still in power - watch out for the Presidential elections in Venezuela on July 28th!). Protagonist Ulises Kan's wife leaves him and flees the country, his beloved father-in-law Martín dies and tasks him in his will to turn his estate into a dog shelter and vet clinic to harbor the dogs left behind by fleeing elites. A rather complicated cat-and-mouse game ensues, featuring the ex-wife and her twin brother, Ulise's former lover, the people who help him set up the shelter, the police, etc. pp.
But what renders this short novel so intriguing is the even more complicated net of meta-textual references, mainly to Greek mythology (The Odyssey, Medea, the Argonauts), literature (starring Elizabeth von Arnim), modern movies, mainly "The Godfather", and actors like Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale. And of course: Dogs, dogs, dogs. These references cannot easily be interpreted as one thing, they hover over the scenery and play hide and seek. This is great fun for people who enjoy wicked puzzles, and pure hell for those who long for a straightfoward story arc. Admittedly, the sex scenes are also ... well, Garth Greenwell this is not.
Still, I'm always here for unhinged, labyrinthic takes on political issues, so overall, I was intrigued.
You can listen to our discussion on the podcast (International Booker, Latinx edition) here: https://papierstaupodcast.de/podcast/...
March 16, 2024
The general was jealous of the dog.
Longlisted for the International Booker Prize - and ones that unfortunately adds to my view that these judges and I don't have a common taste in books.
Simpatía is Noel González Hernández and Daniel Hahn's translation of Rodrigo Blanco Calderón's original.
The novel is set in a Venezuala suffering from the economic and social effect of Chavismo and the Maduro government, with citizens increasingly leaving the country and, pertinently for the plot, leaving their dogs behind.
The main protagonist of the novel Ulises Kan is separating from his wife Paulina (one of a set of twins with her brother Paul), a marriage neither seemed to enter with any conviction. Paulina is estranged from her father, a retired General Martín Ayala, but Ulises comes close to him. When the General passes away, Ulises finds he's been left the flat he shares with his soon-to-be-ex-wife but:
"There’s just one condition. General Ayala requested that you coordinate a special project as a prerequisite of your becoming the apartment’s owner. If you carry this out within the established timeframe, Señor Kan, the property is yours.”
Martín had arranged to donate Los Argonautas, the main house, to a foundation dedicated to rescuing abandoned dogs. Ulises was tasked with coordinating, together with the couple in charge of the foundation, its proper setup and operation in the grounds of the house.
“Within 120 days after his death. That’s about four months. Counting from today, the foundation must be up and running by January 3 next year at the latest.”
Exploring Los Argonautas, the main house, Ulises comes across the obsessions of the General - El Libertador Simón Bolívar and his dog Nevado - and the General's late wife - the literary works of Elizabeth von Arnim, in particular her All The Dogs Of My Life:
He looked at all the portraits and drawings of Simón Bolívar and one in particular caught his eye. Since this was on the strip of wall above the bookshelves, just inches from the ceiling, he needed a chair. The image showed Bolívar on a horse, leaning to his right, his outstretched arm stroking something that looked like a pony at first, but which he then identified as a huge dog. It was black, its back covered in white hair. To one side there was a boy in a poncho, with the Andean páramo as a backdrop. He looked for the picture’s caption and confirmed it was Bolívar’s famous dog, Nevado.
Only now did he register the book that was directly in his line of vision. Its thick white spine stood out among the dark blue row of other volumes. He took it out and looked closely at the cover. He climbed off the chair, sat down, and read the title again: Collected Works of Elizabeth von Arnim.
The deadline to complete the task and inherit the flat provides an element of narrative drive, although the barriers to this are more around the economic collapse of the country and the level of corruption, as Pauline disputes the will. And if anything the novel tries to turn this into something of a thriller (Ulises himself a Godfather movie fantatic) with an explanation at the end of a plot this reader hadn't been sufficiently engaged with to have interest in unravelling. Indeed it largely seems to end up as an excuse for a dubious political asylum claim.
Some of the characters struggle equally with engaging in unravelling the plot, preferring to unravel each other's clothes instead. This after Ulises attempts to explain what's going on to his new lover:
“It’s absurd Martín forgot about this specific thing,” said Ulises. “Maybe the old man wasn’t all there toward the end. I barely saw him during the last month. Shall I ask Segovia?”
Nadine set aside the thick white tome she was browsing and looked at Ulises tiredly.
“Come on, take off my panties.”
Ulises knew what was coming next. Nadine asking him, or rather ordering him, to start sniffing and licking her.
One of a number of gratuitous porn scenes which should make this a shoe-in for the Bad Sex in Fiction Awards. Another:
When Ulises opened his apartment door and let her in, they threw themselves onto each other hungrily. Nadine came quite quickly. Her orgasm wasn’t one of those stones that falls in the water and spreads into waves. It was more like the burning heat of an axe, brief and rough, cutting through wood with a single stroke. Almost without pleasure. Ulises hurried and buried his cock deep inside her. He didn’t move until he felt the last drop leaving him, his blood turning into hot snow.
Really not for me - 1.5 stars rounded up to 2. For balance the jury's more favourable take:
Longlisted for the International Booker Prize - and ones that unfortunately adds to my view that these judges and I don't have a common taste in books.
Simpatía is Noel González Hernández and Daniel Hahn's translation of Rodrigo Blanco Calderón's original.
The novel is set in a Venezuala suffering from the economic and social effect of Chavismo and the Maduro government, with citizens increasingly leaving the country and, pertinently for the plot, leaving their dogs behind.
The main protagonist of the novel Ulises Kan is separating from his wife Paulina (one of a set of twins with her brother Paul), a marriage neither seemed to enter with any conviction. Paulina is estranged from her father, a retired General Martín Ayala, but Ulises comes close to him. When the General passes away, Ulises finds he's been left the flat he shares with his soon-to-be-ex-wife but:
"There’s just one condition. General Ayala requested that you coordinate a special project as a prerequisite of your becoming the apartment’s owner. If you carry this out within the established timeframe, Señor Kan, the property is yours.”
Martín had arranged to donate Los Argonautas, the main house, to a foundation dedicated to rescuing abandoned dogs. Ulises was tasked with coordinating, together with the couple in charge of the foundation, its proper setup and operation in the grounds of the house.
“Within 120 days after his death. That’s about four months. Counting from today, the foundation must be up and running by January 3 next year at the latest.”
Exploring Los Argonautas, the main house, Ulises comes across the obsessions of the General - El Libertador Simón Bolívar and his dog Nevado - and the General's late wife - the literary works of Elizabeth von Arnim, in particular her All The Dogs Of My Life:
He looked at all the portraits and drawings of Simón Bolívar and one in particular caught his eye. Since this was on the strip of wall above the bookshelves, just inches from the ceiling, he needed a chair. The image showed Bolívar on a horse, leaning to his right, his outstretched arm stroking something that looked like a pony at first, but which he then identified as a huge dog. It was black, its back covered in white hair. To one side there was a boy in a poncho, with the Andean páramo as a backdrop. He looked for the picture’s caption and confirmed it was Bolívar’s famous dog, Nevado.
Only now did he register the book that was directly in his line of vision. Its thick white spine stood out among the dark blue row of other volumes. He took it out and looked closely at the cover. He climbed off the chair, sat down, and read the title again: Collected Works of Elizabeth von Arnim.
The deadline to complete the task and inherit the flat provides an element of narrative drive, although the barriers to this are more around the economic collapse of the country and the level of corruption, as Pauline disputes the will. And if anything the novel tries to turn this into something of a thriller (Ulises himself a Godfather movie fantatic) with an explanation at the end of a plot this reader hadn't been sufficiently engaged with to have interest in unravelling. Indeed it largely seems to end up as an excuse for a dubious political asylum claim.
Some of the characters struggle equally with engaging in unravelling the plot, preferring to unravel each other's clothes instead. This after Ulises attempts to explain what's going on to his new lover:
“It’s absurd Martín forgot about this specific thing,” said Ulises. “Maybe the old man wasn’t all there toward the end. I barely saw him during the last month. Shall I ask Segovia?”
Nadine set aside the thick white tome she was browsing and looked at Ulises tiredly.
“Come on, take off my panties.”
Ulises knew what was coming next. Nadine asking him, or rather ordering him, to start sniffing and licking her.
One of a number of gratuitous porn scenes which should make this a shoe-in for the Bad Sex in Fiction Awards. Another:
When Ulises opened his apartment door and let her in, they threw themselves onto each other hungrily. Nadine came quite quickly. Her orgasm wasn’t one of those stones that falls in the water and spreads into waves. It was more like the burning heat of an axe, brief and rough, cutting through wood with a single stroke. Almost without pleasure. Ulises hurried and buried his cock deep inside her. He didn’t move until he felt the last drop leaving him, his blood turning into hot snow.
Really not for me - 1.5 stars rounded up to 2. For balance the jury's more favourable take:
‘In this realistic allegory set in Caracas during Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship, we meet Ulises, a former orphan who is desperate for a sense of purpose and belonging. His wife has just announced by text message that she is leaving him and his father-in-law has willed him Los Argonautas, a house of accumulating secrets and mythologies. Much like that of Jason of the Argonauts, Ulises’ inheritance is contingent on the completion of a task: to transform the house into a veterinary clinic and kennel for the stray dogs left behind by the elites who have fled the city. Within the madness and austerity of political corruption and historical revisioning, Ulises devotes himself to one of the saner choices left to him: complete the task by saving the dogs, with the help of his Medea-like lover, Nadine, and the leftover animal rescue and house staff. In doing so he simultaneously creates a chosen family and a practice of care that is a stronger balm for the heart than sympathy.’
April 8, 2024
I don't have much to say about this book (which is usually a bad sign, but in this case... idk, it's just because I feel like I don't really get it?). It's an easy enough read, well translated, and has some surprising/intriguing moments. But ultimately I'm left a bit underwhelmed. It does make me want to look up more info about Venezuela and understand the historical context of this book which I definitely lacked while reading it.
April 7, 2024
Now that I am five books in the International Booker themes are starting to emerge, one is how a country’s history is integrated into one’s own personal history, the other consists of autofictional accounts about intense family relationships. Simpatía is part of the former category.
The plot is simple and yet as the book progresses it develops and unfolds: A divorced movie fan, Ulises, is left a will which states that he has to turn his father inlaw’s mansion into a dog shelter within a stipulated date. If he doesn’t then everything, including the flat he lives in, goes to the ex wife.
Like Homer’s Ulysses , this one is also on a quest. It’s no coincidence that the mansion is called Los Argonautas and on his quest he encounters dogs and people which share the names of the characters in Homer’s work (I’ll let the reader guess that).
To complicate matters, the Father inlaw was a general in the army and his connections protect Ulises against the bureaucratic problems he encounters on his quest. The current situation: a Venezuela plagued by poverty cause by the Madura government, which is resulting in all these stray dogs, is not helping.
More to unfold: Suddenly Ulises old lover comes back and together they solve another complex problem involving Bolívar’s dog and the author Elizabeth von Armin, who also wrote a book about dogs. Without spoiling the book, I will say that within this premise, things are not what they seem.
Simpatía has a myriad of meanings in Spanish, most which deal with relationships, and although this book is a political allegory, if I am correct the dogs represent the oppressed population while the ex wife represents the ruthlessness of upper classes, relationships play a huge part. It’s a quirky novel and always interesting. Unfortunately my knowledge of Chavez and Madura is shaky but I managed to appreciate the book and (hopefully) see the message that is conveyed.
The plot is simple and yet as the book progresses it develops and unfolds: A divorced movie fan, Ulises, is left a will which states that he has to turn his father inlaw’s mansion into a dog shelter within a stipulated date. If he doesn’t then everything, including the flat he lives in, goes to the ex wife.
Like Homer’s Ulysses , this one is also on a quest. It’s no coincidence that the mansion is called Los Argonautas and on his quest he encounters dogs and people which share the names of the characters in Homer’s work (I’ll let the reader guess that).
To complicate matters, the Father inlaw was a general in the army and his connections protect Ulises against the bureaucratic problems he encounters on his quest. The current situation: a Venezuela plagued by poverty cause by the Madura government, which is resulting in all these stray dogs, is not helping.
More to unfold: Suddenly Ulises old lover comes back and together they solve another complex problem involving Bolívar’s dog and the author Elizabeth von Armin, who also wrote a book about dogs. Without spoiling the book, I will say that within this premise, things are not what they seem.
Simpatía has a myriad of meanings in Spanish, most which deal with relationships, and although this book is a political allegory, if I am correct the dogs represent the oppressed population while the ex wife represents the ruthlessness of upper classes, relationships play a huge part. It’s a quirky novel and always interesting. Unfortunately my knowledge of Chavez and Madura is shaky but I managed to appreciate the book and (hopefully) see the message that is conveyed.
March 28, 2024
I really liked this and is high on my International Booker list in terms of enjoyment. It's about a guy whose wife leaves him but he is really close to his father-in-law, and when the father-in-law dies he leaves instructions for the guy to turn his apartment into a shelter for abandoned dogs.
It was great how it was light-hearted but there were also some really shocking and sad moments. Obviously with it being about abandoned dogs it tugs on the heartstrings a little bit but it really explores a wide range of emotions and feelings. I felt kind of sad for the main guy when things just weren't going his way and about halfway through noticed how attached I was getting to the story.
Would recommend this one - there is something in it that everyone will be able to enjoy, and you also get the opportunity to find out about some Venezuelan history too.
It was great how it was light-hearted but there were also some really shocking and sad moments. Obviously with it being about abandoned dogs it tugs on the heartstrings a little bit but it really explores a wide range of emotions and feelings. I felt kind of sad for the main guy when things just weren't going his way and about halfway through noticed how attached I was getting to the story.
Would recommend this one - there is something in it that everyone will be able to enjoy, and you also get the opportunity to find out about some Venezuelan history too.
June 6, 2021
“Son [los perros] como Cristo, pensó Ulises caminando hacia donde estaba Nadine. Cargan con el dolor de las personas, pero sin necesidad de crucifixiones ni sufrimiento. Les basta con sus colas, con agitarse como locos, para concentrar en torno suyo las ondas electromagnéticas de la alegría. Los perros son como Cristo pero locos, pensó Ulises. Son unos Cristos locos de la alegría”.
.
La ciudad y los perros son protagonistas de la nueva libro del escritor venezolano Rodrigo Blanco. La ciudad es la Caracas del chavismo, de los vigilantes que desfallecen de hambre y los cerrajeros que caminan por toda la ciudad porque no pueden reparar el carro y los buses van siempre hasta arriba. Los perros son las víctimas, los desvalidos, la ciudadanía que sufre décadas de opresión y miseria y aun así propagan alegría y fidelidad. Pero lo que más me gusta de las novelas de Rodrigo son las historias derivadas, las leyendas urbanas, las digresiones en las que aparece la historia y las historias del hotel Humboldt dominando las alturas de la ciudad desde que lo construyera el dictador Pérez Jiménez en los años 50; las novelas con perros y jardines de Elizabeth von Arnim; Nevado, el más fiel y peludo soldado de Simón Bolívar, muerto de un lanzazo en una batalla; o el submarino nazi que aún navega por los ríos de Venezuela desde que se perdiera el rastro en la costa del país en la II Guerra Mundial. Afirmaba el otro día en Málaga la filósofa Angélica Velasco la estrecha relación entre el maltrato a los animales y el desprecio y ejercicio de la violencia sobre las mujeres. Algo de eso he encontrado en esta estupenda novela: parafraseando a Thomas de Quincey, se empieza violando los derechos humanos y se acaba envenenando a un perrete.
.
La ciudad y los perros son protagonistas de la nueva libro del escritor venezolano Rodrigo Blanco. La ciudad es la Caracas del chavismo, de los vigilantes que desfallecen de hambre y los cerrajeros que caminan por toda la ciudad porque no pueden reparar el carro y los buses van siempre hasta arriba. Los perros son las víctimas, los desvalidos, la ciudadanía que sufre décadas de opresión y miseria y aun así propagan alegría y fidelidad. Pero lo que más me gusta de las novelas de Rodrigo son las historias derivadas, las leyendas urbanas, las digresiones en las que aparece la historia y las historias del hotel Humboldt dominando las alturas de la ciudad desde que lo construyera el dictador Pérez Jiménez en los años 50; las novelas con perros y jardines de Elizabeth von Arnim; Nevado, el más fiel y peludo soldado de Simón Bolívar, muerto de un lanzazo en una batalla; o el submarino nazi que aún navega por los ríos de Venezuela desde que se perdiera el rastro en la costa del país en la II Guerra Mundial. Afirmaba el otro día en Málaga la filósofa Angélica Velasco la estrecha relación entre el maltrato a los animales y el desprecio y ejercicio de la violencia sobre las mujeres. Algo de eso he encontrado en esta estupenda novela: parafraseando a Thomas de Quincey, se empieza violando los derechos humanos y se acaba envenenando a un perrete.
May 18, 2024
Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2024
I managed to read this novel after queuing for several weeks at my library for the digital copy. Rodrigo Blanco Calderón's Simpatía is set against the backdrop of modern-day Caracas, Venezuela. Against the stark backdrop of Nicolas Maduro's regime, Calderón tells a deeply personal story that explores themes of abandonment, survival, and the search for meaning amid chaos.
The novel centres on Ulises Kan, a part-time film teacher and dedicated cinephile who has a special feeling for the Godfather, whose life takes a drastic turn when his wife, Paulina, decides to leave him and flee the country. Paulina's departure, conveyed through a curt text message, is more liberating than heart-wrenching for Ulises. However, his newfound freedom comes with an unexpected challenge. His estranged father-in-law, General Martín Ayala, leaves him a daunting mission in his will: to convert Los Argonautas, a once-grand family estate, into a shelter for the stray dogs left behind by the city’s fleeing elite. Success within four months would secure Ulises an inheritance of the luxurious apartment he shared with Paulina.
Calderón masterfully captures Ulises' internal and external struggles. Ulises, whose orphaned past left him with a lingering sense of rootlessness, embarks on this mission not just as a means to secure his future but as a quest for identity and purpose. His journey is further complicated by the reappearance of Nadine, an old fire who stirs forgotten passions and unresolved emotions. The character of General Martín Ayala adds a profound layer to the narrative. A handsome, enigmatic figure with a deep love for dogs, Ayala's backyard dog cemetery is a testament to his quest for permanence in a nation marred by instability. His complex relationship with his daughter Paulina and his unlikely friendship with Ulises create a rich, interwoven tapestry of loyalty and the search for meaning. Having both Ulises and General Ayala as orphans also adds a deeper layer to the story, expressing the fear of abandonment of the two orphans even as they grow into adults.
The novel does not shy away from depicting the harsh realities of life under a repressive regime. Calderón paints a vivid picture of Caracas, a city where power cuts and food shortages are common, and where the intellectual class is fleeing in droves out of the country, leaving behind their pets as silent victims of the exodus. Through Ulises' eyes, we can see the everyday struggles of those who remain, highlighting the stark contrast between the lives of the privileged few and the suffering masses. Calderón's writing is poetic and raw, capturing the beauty and brutality of contemporary Venezuela. Ulises’ mission to save the abandoned dogs becomes a powerful metaphor for the larger societal struggles, symbolising hope, resilience, and the enduring human spirit. The stray dogs, much like the people of Venezuela, are survivors of neglect and abandonment, and their plight resonates deeply with the protagonist.
The translation by Noel Hernández González and Daniel Hahn is exceptional, preserving the novel's lyrical quality and cultural nuances. The collaborative effort of two translators brings a unique richness to the text in its English translation. I find it very natural. One of the novel’s other strengths is its ability to blend personal narratives with broader political commentary. Ulises’ journey is not just a personal quest but a reflection of the collective experience of Venezuelans living under Maduro’s regime. The abandoned dogs become poignant symbols of the country’s forsaken citizens, each struggling to survive in a society rife with corruption and neglect. Ulises' efforts to care for them represent a broader attempt to reclaim humanity and compassion in an environment where both are often scarce.
Simpatía is more than just a story of personal redemption, it is a profound commentary on the human condition. Calderón uses Ulises' journey to explore themes of love, loss, and resilience. The novel raises important questions about identity, belonging, and how we find meaning in the face of adversity. Through Ulises’ eyes, we can see their responses to crisis and how we can find hope and purpose even in the darkest of times.
I managed to read this novel after queuing for several weeks at my library for the digital copy. Rodrigo Blanco Calderón's Simpatía is set against the backdrop of modern-day Caracas, Venezuela. Against the stark backdrop of Nicolas Maduro's regime, Calderón tells a deeply personal story that explores themes of abandonment, survival, and the search for meaning amid chaos.
The novel centres on Ulises Kan, a part-time film teacher and dedicated cinephile who has a special feeling for the Godfather, whose life takes a drastic turn when his wife, Paulina, decides to leave him and flee the country. Paulina's departure, conveyed through a curt text message, is more liberating than heart-wrenching for Ulises. However, his newfound freedom comes with an unexpected challenge. His estranged father-in-law, General Martín Ayala, leaves him a daunting mission in his will: to convert Los Argonautas, a once-grand family estate, into a shelter for the stray dogs left behind by the city’s fleeing elite. Success within four months would secure Ulises an inheritance of the luxurious apartment he shared with Paulina.
Calderón masterfully captures Ulises' internal and external struggles. Ulises, whose orphaned past left him with a lingering sense of rootlessness, embarks on this mission not just as a means to secure his future but as a quest for identity and purpose. His journey is further complicated by the reappearance of Nadine, an old fire who stirs forgotten passions and unresolved emotions. The character of General Martín Ayala adds a profound layer to the narrative. A handsome, enigmatic figure with a deep love for dogs, Ayala's backyard dog cemetery is a testament to his quest for permanence in a nation marred by instability. His complex relationship with his daughter Paulina and his unlikely friendship with Ulises create a rich, interwoven tapestry of loyalty and the search for meaning. Having both Ulises and General Ayala as orphans also adds a deeper layer to the story, expressing the fear of abandonment of the two orphans even as they grow into adults.
The novel does not shy away from depicting the harsh realities of life under a repressive regime. Calderón paints a vivid picture of Caracas, a city where power cuts and food shortages are common, and where the intellectual class is fleeing in droves out of the country, leaving behind their pets as silent victims of the exodus. Through Ulises' eyes, we can see the everyday struggles of those who remain, highlighting the stark contrast between the lives of the privileged few and the suffering masses. Calderón's writing is poetic and raw, capturing the beauty and brutality of contemporary Venezuela. Ulises’ mission to save the abandoned dogs becomes a powerful metaphor for the larger societal struggles, symbolising hope, resilience, and the enduring human spirit. The stray dogs, much like the people of Venezuela, are survivors of neglect and abandonment, and their plight resonates deeply with the protagonist.
The translation by Noel Hernández González and Daniel Hahn is exceptional, preserving the novel's lyrical quality and cultural nuances. The collaborative effort of two translators brings a unique richness to the text in its English translation. I find it very natural. One of the novel’s other strengths is its ability to blend personal narratives with broader political commentary. Ulises’ journey is not just a personal quest but a reflection of the collective experience of Venezuelans living under Maduro’s regime. The abandoned dogs become poignant symbols of the country’s forsaken citizens, each struggling to survive in a society rife with corruption and neglect. Ulises' efforts to care for them represent a broader attempt to reclaim humanity and compassion in an environment where both are often scarce.
Simpatía is more than just a story of personal redemption, it is a profound commentary on the human condition. Calderón uses Ulises' journey to explore themes of love, loss, and resilience. The novel raises important questions about identity, belonging, and how we find meaning in the face of adversity. Through Ulises’ eyes, we can see their responses to crisis and how we can find hope and purpose even in the darkest of times.
April 6, 2024
"Here, on the other hand, it does feel like there's a war, only you can't see it. And it's the displaced, it's the people themselves, who abandon their dogs. That's worse than hanging them from a post. They abandon them to announce that they're leaving this hell."
What appears on the surface a seemingly almost absurd state of circumstances with Ulisses' father in law leaving him a dog sanctuary instead of leaving the home for his own daughter, turns into a very human and at times, sad take on the state of Venezuela. The country has been in ruins and disaster for years, and one of the symptoms of a crumbling state is the exodus of its citizens. In doing so, Venezuela has countless dogs who have been abandoned in search of a better life elsewhere. I mean how bad do things have to be in order for someone to just leave their dog to chance of survival?
"The only thing he could picture was the scar. Ultimately, all scars are alike. Some are big and others small, some are straight and others crooked. That's all. Stripped away from the body, they are like keyholes without a door. Useless pieces that take you nowhere."
What reads sometimes like a suspense novel, is in fact a love letter and a tale of empathy, longing and acceptance. Through the downcast existence of being left behind and through the spiritual aspect of dogs, Blanco Calderón has written a sneaky very good book. Simpatía covers a lot of bases and one thing it doesn't miss out on is balancing the intelligent with the emotional, tugging at your heart strings while also learning. Anyone who reads my reviews knows that these are a few of my favourite things in literature.
"On the day I understood that, despite all the evidence to the contrary, God might in fact exist. One day I saw my dogs and, through them, I thought I saw God, and that's when I knew. Sadly, I realized it very late."
It's not easy to put my thumb on exactly what I loved about this book, but for starters the intriguing premise and the strong writing were two key elements. The story kept offering insights and twists and insights at an enjoyable pace. On a longlist with many books offering promise of intrigue, Simpatía is definitely one that fulfills its promise and I would very much like to see this book on the IBP shortlist.
"They are like Christ, thought Ulisses, as he walked towards Nadine. They bear the pain fo others, but without the need for crucifixion or suffering. They only need their tails, and running about like crazy, to summon electromagnetic waves of joy. Dogs are like Christ but crazy, thought Ulisses. They're Christs crazy with joy."
"Maybe after all he was still the problem. How could he love someone, or let someone love him, if he didn't know how to get to the measure of his own tears?"
"And after all, he asked himself, isn't that what a book is? A tree that wants to talk?"
"Nothing he had experienced before could be compared to what radiated from that gaze. Wasn't this love, then? Or love was, at the very least, a checkpoint on the way to an unknown land. What Ulises found in his dog's gaze, from the moment he first saw him on the sidewalk at Los Argonautas, was a land that begins where love ends. Peace and joy without the shadows. A mirror that had dropped its veil. The final edge of light before death."
"He knew she wouldn't, but he couldn't help but give in to some sort of waiting. In the end, that's what defines an orphan who has also been abandoned and put up for adoption: waiting. Waiting endlessly for the arrival of someone who's not going to arrive."
"He didn't have a mother or a father, and nor had he ever been a son himself. In situations like these, where he couldn't grasp life's instinctive codes, he felt like a robot, a replicant about to be subjected to the Voight-Kampff test."
"But that's not working anymore. But it was the original plan. This country is beautiful. It's always been beautiful - on paper at least."
"There's nothing more horrible than dying without realizing it. Without experiencing that last, eternal second."
What appears on the surface a seemingly almost absurd state of circumstances with Ulisses' father in law leaving him a dog sanctuary instead of leaving the home for his own daughter, turns into a very human and at times, sad take on the state of Venezuela. The country has been in ruins and disaster for years, and one of the symptoms of a crumbling state is the exodus of its citizens. In doing so, Venezuela has countless dogs who have been abandoned in search of a better life elsewhere. I mean how bad do things have to be in order for someone to just leave their dog to chance of survival?
"The only thing he could picture was the scar. Ultimately, all scars are alike. Some are big and others small, some are straight and others crooked. That's all. Stripped away from the body, they are like keyholes without a door. Useless pieces that take you nowhere."
What reads sometimes like a suspense novel, is in fact a love letter and a tale of empathy, longing and acceptance. Through the downcast existence of being left behind and through the spiritual aspect of dogs, Blanco Calderón has written a sneaky very good book. Simpatía covers a lot of bases and one thing it doesn't miss out on is balancing the intelligent with the emotional, tugging at your heart strings while also learning. Anyone who reads my reviews knows that these are a few of my favourite things in literature.
"On the day I understood that, despite all the evidence to the contrary, God might in fact exist. One day I saw my dogs and, through them, I thought I saw God, and that's when I knew. Sadly, I realized it very late."
It's not easy to put my thumb on exactly what I loved about this book, but for starters the intriguing premise and the strong writing were two key elements. The story kept offering insights and twists and insights at an enjoyable pace. On a longlist with many books offering promise of intrigue, Simpatía is definitely one that fulfills its promise and I would very much like to see this book on the IBP shortlist.
"They are like Christ, thought Ulisses, as he walked towards Nadine. They bear the pain fo others, but without the need for crucifixion or suffering. They only need their tails, and running about like crazy, to summon electromagnetic waves of joy. Dogs are like Christ but crazy, thought Ulisses. They're Christs crazy with joy."
"Maybe after all he was still the problem. How could he love someone, or let someone love him, if he didn't know how to get to the measure of his own tears?"
"And after all, he asked himself, isn't that what a book is? A tree that wants to talk?"
"Nothing he had experienced before could be compared to what radiated from that gaze. Wasn't this love, then? Or love was, at the very least, a checkpoint on the way to an unknown land. What Ulises found in his dog's gaze, from the moment he first saw him on the sidewalk at Los Argonautas, was a land that begins where love ends. Peace and joy without the shadows. A mirror that had dropped its veil. The final edge of light before death."
"He knew she wouldn't, but he couldn't help but give in to some sort of waiting. In the end, that's what defines an orphan who has also been abandoned and put up for adoption: waiting. Waiting endlessly for the arrival of someone who's not going to arrive."
"He didn't have a mother or a father, and nor had he ever been a son himself. In situations like these, where he couldn't grasp life's instinctive codes, he felt like a robot, a replicant about to be subjected to the Voight-Kampff test."
"But that's not working anymore. But it was the original plan. This country is beautiful. It's always been beautiful - on paper at least."
"There's nothing more horrible than dying without realizing it. Without experiencing that last, eternal second."
March 30, 2024
Hmm this was a strange one! Set against the backdrop of a mass emigration of Venezuelans, our leading man, after being left by his wife, is tasked with turning his late father-in-law’s house into a shelter for the dogs that fleeing citizens have left behind.
There was just something off for me in this one. It all began so quickly—the wife leaving, the father-in-law dying, his lover returning—that I was never really invested in the relationships or the outcome of the shelter creation and related inheritance dispute. Time moved at a strange pace, slowing down for a few days and then skipping ahead weeks. I actually think I would have preferred this book be longer, I wanted more local history and political context and more details on the actual central story of building the shelter. The stakes are supposedly high, but it’s also rather lighthearted so it never really felt as if there was that much at risk.
There’s also a lot going on. The several side ventures were certainly interesting and kept me turning the pages, but, again, I think some came at the expense of plausibly developing the central story.
It wasn’t bad, it was intriguing and I read it quickly. But, as with most titles on this year’s IB list, I don’t predict it’ll stick with me long.
There was just something off for me in this one. It all began so quickly—the wife leaving, the father-in-law dying, his lover returning—that I was never really invested in the relationships or the outcome of the shelter creation and related inheritance dispute. Time moved at a strange pace, slowing down for a few days and then skipping ahead weeks. I actually think I would have preferred this book be longer, I wanted more local history and political context and more details on the actual central story of building the shelter. The stakes are supposedly high, but it’s also rather lighthearted so it never really felt as if there was that much at risk.
There’s also a lot going on. The several side ventures were certainly interesting and kept me turning the pages, but, again, I think some came at the expense of plausibly developing the central story.
It wasn’t bad, it was intriguing and I read it quickly. But, as with most titles on this year’s IB list, I don’t predict it’ll stick with me long.
April 5, 2024
Every so often I encounter a book where I don't particularly like or relate to any of the characters, a bunch of questions remain unanswered, I'm not 100% sure what was real, and semi-extraneous detail sends me down internet rabbit holes (did you know the developer of imagotipia wrote an historical account of Símon Bolivar's Venezuelan mucuchie dog Nevado?) and I'm like ooooh weird I LOVE this.
May 19, 2024
Die jüngere und gegenwärtige politische und gesellschaftliche Geschichte Venezuelas wird hier anhand des Protagonisten Ulises erzählt. Unser Held ist unglücklich verheiratet und erbt nach der Trennung von seiner Frau ein luxuriöses Apartment von ihrem Vater - wenn er dafür dessen Landsitz innerhalb einer gewissen Frist in ein Heim für Straßenhunde umwandelt. Es beginnt ein Wettlauf gegen Gier, Neid und Korruption. Der wahnwitzige Plot ist ein wahres Verweisfeuerwerk auf Themen aus Hoch- und Popkultur, Mythologie und vielem mehr und vor allem eine ganz große Verbeugung vor Francis Ford Coppolas Der Pate Filmtrilogie.
Mehr zum Buch in unserer ausführlichen Besprechung @ Papierstau Podcast: #298: International Booker Prize 2024
Mehr zum Buch in unserer ausführlichen Besprechung @ Papierstau Podcast: #298: International Booker Prize 2024
May 10, 2024
This one goes to so many interesting places! The setting is Caracas as it's falling apart, post-Chavez, and it focuses on the day-to-day lives of residents who stay behind to pick up the pieces, as they can. The main characters of the novel are training their efforts on setting up a home and hospital for rescued dogs abandoned by their owners who have fled the chaos, but the book has so many fascinating threads of mythology and cinema and literature that the echoes start pingponging in lots of cool directions. Recommended!
November 11, 2021
En una Venezuela que se tambalea económicamente, como suele suceder cuando algo no va bien, quienes no tienen voz son los primeros olvidados y abandonados, en esta historia el abandono es literal, pues narra como la gran mayoría que huye del país y cuenta con la maravillosa compañía de un perro lo abandona. Por suerte para compensar tanta ingratitud el protagonista junto a dos activistas pone en marcha el proyecto de una protectora, condición indispensable para heredar bienes de su suegro.
A lo largo de la novela el suspense y giros inesperados nos acompañan, y como en una especie de balanza aparece de una parte la maldad extrema que puede llegar a tener el ser humano y de otra la falta de rencor, capacidad de dar y recibir amor y nobleza de los perros.
El autor con una narrativa directa y sin adornos superfluos nos invita a bucear en las cloacas que muchas familias esconden.
No había leído nada de Rodrigo Blanco Calderón y me ha sorprendido gratamente, añado The Night a mi lista de libros que quiero leer.
Además gracias a él he conocido dos razas preciosas de perros y la cordillera que separa Caracas del mar.
A lo largo de la novela el suspense y giros inesperados nos acompañan, y como en una especie de balanza aparece de una parte la maldad extrema que puede llegar a tener el ser humano y de otra la falta de rencor, capacidad de dar y recibir amor y nobleza de los perros.
El autor con una narrativa directa y sin adornos superfluos nos invita a bucear en las cloacas que muchas familias esconden.
No había leído nada de Rodrigo Blanco Calderón y me ha sorprendido gratamente, añado The Night a mi lista de libros que quiero leer.
Además gracias a él he conocido dos razas preciosas de perros y la cordillera que separa Caracas del mar.
May 11, 2024
one of my fav books this year! so beautiful and also weird and so captivating
February 26, 2025
“Simpatia”, do autor e escritor venezuelano Rodrigo Blanco Calderón, é um livro fora da caixa pela forma como o autor aborda uma multiplicidade de temas aparentemente simples.
Resumidamente, Ulisses, o protagonista, é um homem comum que tenta sobreviver num país em tumulto sócio-político, marcado por um significativo êxodo de venezuelanos e consequente abandono dos seus animais de estimação, nomeadamente cães. Apesar dos desafios pessoais que enfrenta, Ulisses depara-se com uma missão: a de erguer uma fundação destinada a acolher cães abandonados. Mais do que uma missão filantrópica, este projecto tem um prazo para ser executado, havendo personagens que de tudo farão para levar a missão a bom porto e outras que de tudo farão para que ela não vingue.
Assentando em factos políticos reais, e organizado em três partes, este é um romance existencial e policial, no qual abundam peças por encaixar, segredos por desvendar, lutas de poder, interesses ocultos e inúmeros volte-face.
A capa do livro enternece pela presença de um cão, fiel companheiro do Homem e que, tão infelizmente, são abandonados pelos seus donos, as únicas pessoas em quem confiam, o que me levou a refletir não só sobre um problema social real, mas também sobre o que é ou não é descartável, sobre a importância dos vínculos, sobre as múltiplas camadas do abandono e do significado de família, confiança e das nossas raízes.
O título, de uma única palavra, assenta divinamente na narrativa e, logo no início, são apresentadas as várias definições de simpatia: todas elas estarão presentes à medida que os acontecimentos se desenrolam. Existem personagens secundárias que aparecem e desaparecem, sendo que esta ausência também fala, existem elementos excêntricos, outros aparentemente triviais mas, todos eles, acabam por se encaixar num todo com sentido.
Em suma, a escrita escorreita do autor proporcionou-me uma leitura “diferente”, que exigiu uma redobrada atenção aos detalhes e, globalmente, foi uma experiência literária agradável.
Resumidamente, Ulisses, o protagonista, é um homem comum que tenta sobreviver num país em tumulto sócio-político, marcado por um significativo êxodo de venezuelanos e consequente abandono dos seus animais de estimação, nomeadamente cães. Apesar dos desafios pessoais que enfrenta, Ulisses depara-se com uma missão: a de erguer uma fundação destinada a acolher cães abandonados. Mais do que uma missão filantrópica, este projecto tem um prazo para ser executado, havendo personagens que de tudo farão para levar a missão a bom porto e outras que de tudo farão para que ela não vingue.
Assentando em factos políticos reais, e organizado em três partes, este é um romance existencial e policial, no qual abundam peças por encaixar, segredos por desvendar, lutas de poder, interesses ocultos e inúmeros volte-face.
A capa do livro enternece pela presença de um cão, fiel companheiro do Homem e que, tão infelizmente, são abandonados pelos seus donos, as únicas pessoas em quem confiam, o que me levou a refletir não só sobre um problema social real, mas também sobre o que é ou não é descartável, sobre a importância dos vínculos, sobre as múltiplas camadas do abandono e do significado de família, confiança e das nossas raízes.
O título, de uma única palavra, assenta divinamente na narrativa e, logo no início, são apresentadas as várias definições de simpatia: todas elas estarão presentes à medida que os acontecimentos se desenrolam. Existem personagens secundárias que aparecem e desaparecem, sendo que esta ausência também fala, existem elementos excêntricos, outros aparentemente triviais mas, todos eles, acabam por se encaixar num todo com sentido.
Em suma, a escrita escorreita do autor proporcionou-me uma leitura “diferente”, que exigiu uma redobrada atenção aos detalhes e, globalmente, foi uma experiência literária agradável.
March 31, 2024
“…𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘳, 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥, 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘨𝘴. …𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭.”
Simpatía is a tricky book to review without giving too much away. The plot is unpredictable and the story takes readers on a wild ride!
The story follows Ulises Kan, who has recently separated from his wife, Paulina. After his father-in-law, Martín, passes away, Ulises inherits the family mansion on the condition that he transforms it into a dog shelter called the Simpatía por el Perro Foundation within a specific time frame. If he succeeds, he will be rewarded with his father-in-law’s apartment.
As he works on this task, Ulises meets various other characters, including his former lover Nadine, a 100-year-old man, and, of course, many dogs. Ulises faces several challenges along the way, such as corruption and deceit.
People may interpret this story differently. I enjoyed the unpredictable plot. However, I would have appreciated more commentary on Venezuelan politics and life. I found myself googling Simón Bolívar and Hugo Chávez, who are frequently mentioned in the book.
“…𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘴.”
Despite its light-hearted tone, the book addresses serious issues in Venezuela, such as the rising crime rate and refugee crisis. The author, Blanco Calderón, emphasises that Venezuelans often leave their homeland, leaving only their dogs behind.
Simpatía is an intriguing, surprising, and enjoyable book that explores themes of corruption and human connections. I’d love to know if you have any other book recommendations by Venezuelan authors.
“𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭- 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵.”
3.75 ⭐️
Simpatía is a tricky book to review without giving too much away. The plot is unpredictable and the story takes readers on a wild ride!
The story follows Ulises Kan, who has recently separated from his wife, Paulina. After his father-in-law, Martín, passes away, Ulises inherits the family mansion on the condition that he transforms it into a dog shelter called the Simpatía por el Perro Foundation within a specific time frame. If he succeeds, he will be rewarded with his father-in-law’s apartment.
As he works on this task, Ulises meets various other characters, including his former lover Nadine, a 100-year-old man, and, of course, many dogs. Ulises faces several challenges along the way, such as corruption and deceit.
People may interpret this story differently. I enjoyed the unpredictable plot. However, I would have appreciated more commentary on Venezuelan politics and life. I found myself googling Simón Bolívar and Hugo Chávez, who are frequently mentioned in the book.
“…𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘴.”
Despite its light-hearted tone, the book addresses serious issues in Venezuela, such as the rising crime rate and refugee crisis. The author, Blanco Calderón, emphasises that Venezuelans often leave their homeland, leaving only their dogs behind.
Simpatía is an intriguing, surprising, and enjoyable book that explores themes of corruption and human connections. I’d love to know if you have any other book recommendations by Venezuelan authors.
“𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭- 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵.”
3.75 ⭐️
September 19, 2024
Es una novela que envicia. Nos sumerge en un thriller cargado de nuevos realismos, con la majestuosidad de los espacios de Caracas, “El Padrino”, Homero, arte, Bolívar, locura, Nevado, trastornos, más artes. Es difícil de soltar por la buena planificación de los puntos de giro que nos llevan a todas partes hasta el punto final que es uno.
La simbología de los perros abandonados como hijos de guerra fue una daga: desde la última voluntad del general hasta la convicción de la joven pareja.
Es un 4 para mí por el desenlace de Nadine y la conclusión acelerada de Paul y Paulina, quizá porque las otras historias se narran con tanta fuerza que esperaba algo igual.
Me ha encantado leer al autor. Entiendo porqué esta novela fue longlisted en el Booker y él, además, ha recibido numerosos premios por su literatura. Tengo pendiente sus otros libros.
Recomendado para:
Venezolanos
Lectores de thriller
Escritores buscando referentes contemporáneos y de nuevos realismos
Amantes del cine, la historia de Bolívar y los perros
Y más
La simbología de los perros abandonados como hijos de guerra fue una daga: desde la última voluntad del general hasta la convicción de la joven pareja.
Es un 4 para mí por el desenlace de Nadine y la conclusión acelerada de Paul y Paulina, quizá porque las otras historias se narran con tanta fuerza que esperaba algo igual.
Me ha encantado leer al autor. Entiendo porqué esta novela fue longlisted en el Booker y él, además, ha recibido numerosos premios por su literatura. Tengo pendiente sus otros libros.
Recomendado para:
Venezolanos
Lectores de thriller
Escritores buscando referentes contemporáneos y de nuevos realismos
Amantes del cine, la historia de Bolívar y los perros
Y más
June 1, 2025
Cuando una novela mezcla temas aparentemente lejanos y sin, aparentemente, ningún punto en común salen o libros muy buenos o verdaderos sinsentidos. Estamos en el primer caso. Dictadura venezolana, Caracas, un país en descomposición política y social, una sociedad desnortada que solo pretende sobrevivir aún a pesar de que para ello a veces tiene que dejar a un lado cualquier ética y moral previas, y el amor a los perros, esos seres leales hasta el final, cariñosos y, en muchas ocasiones desamparados y abandonados por la ruindad del ser humano.
Además, todo lo anterior se entre laza en una novela que a veces va de la novela de folletín romántica, a la crónica social pasando, la mayor parte de ella, por el thriller. Siempre teniendo en cuenta el hilo conductor donde el amor por los perros y su cuidado y salvación de la inhumanidad humana, puesto que esa es la misión del protagonista de esta novela: crear, por encargo testamentario, de la nada una fundación de ayuda a los perros abandonados en Caracas para birlar o sisar parte de la herencia de un general ex alto cargo chavista a sus dos miserables hijos mientras mientras estos maniobran para torpedear esa misión empleando cualquier artimaña que el pútrido sistema chavista ha instaurado en el país. Una novela sorprendentemente magnífica.
Además, todo lo anterior se entre laza en una novela que a veces va de la novela de folletín romántica, a la crónica social pasando, la mayor parte de ella, por el thriller. Siempre teniendo en cuenta el hilo conductor donde el amor por los perros y su cuidado y salvación de la inhumanidad humana, puesto que esa es la misión del protagonista de esta novela: crear, por encargo testamentario, de la nada una fundación de ayuda a los perros abandonados en Caracas para birlar o sisar parte de la herencia de un general ex alto cargo chavista a sus dos miserables hijos mientras mientras estos maniobran para torpedear esa misión empleando cualquier artimaña que el pútrido sistema chavista ha instaurado en el país. Una novela sorprendentemente magnífica.
January 25, 2025
"But what he liked most was the ending. That cup of coffee left untouched, and therefore untranslatable, throwing the story's whole magical element into disarray. And the other cup, that of the Ulises character, with its canine or volcanic silhouette reminding us that the world is a postapocalyptic antenna that goes on transmitting signals even if no one receives them. Or that human beings are postapocalyptic animals who keep on trying to receive signals even if nothing, or nobody, is transmitting them anymore."
June 29, 2025
“No fim, todas as cicatrizes se parecem. Umas são grandes e outras pequenas; umas são retas e outras curvas. Mais nada. Despojadas do corpo, são como aberturas sem portas. Quartos inúteis que não conduzem a lado nenhum.”
Uma obra brilhante!!!
Uma obra brilhante!!!
September 5, 2024
крайне симпатичный роман о семье, сексе и собаках на фоне государства в кризисе. финал и интриги, на мой взгляд, можно было докрутить, но стилистически и сюжетно читается приятно
March 30, 2024
(3.5)
April 19, 2024
I don't know if I enjoyed this book. It did paint a picture of how difficult life was (is) in Venezuela, and how corrupt. But I kept having dreams about dogs while I was reading, and I'm not a dog person.
August 7, 2021
Creo que la historia es una excusa maravillosa para conocer un elenco de personajes atrapados en un país al que aman a la par que temen
Precioso
Precioso
April 7, 2024
3.75 *
This was my first ever read set in Venezuela and I found the aspects that highlighted the history of the country particularly interesting. I read that the title is a word that cannot be exactly translated into English but essentially signifies harmony in relationships, of which there are many in the book,which is on the longlist for the International Booker this year.
It is set at a time when there is social and economic turmoil due to the political situation and people are leaving en masse hoping desperately for a better future elsewhere. Their haste and desperation is evident from the abandonment of their pet dogs to their fate even as the owners flee.
Ulises is one of those who still remains, even after his wife informs him via a text message that she is leaving the country and him. Due to this and the fact that the marriage was quite indifferent, Ulises is shocked when his father in law, a rich General, tasks him with turning his family mansion into a shelter for abandoned dogs, to be managed by a foundation. If Ulises manages this within the stipulated deadline, the luxury apartment he shared with his wife, one she is determined to sell, will be his forever. The strife in the country and the number of people trying to get their hands on the valuable property prove to be difficult hurdles to cross for Ulises and those he is working with and their attempts to set up the shelter forms the story.
I found Ulises as a character quite intriguing and likeable even. His own history of abandonment makes him long for belonging and acceptance. The chosen family he builds for himself while working on fulfilling the General's wish was my favourite part of the book. There are discussions of quite a few prominent figures in the political landscape of Venezuela, Simon Bolivar being the most important one. Stories from the past indicating how the country came to this condition are also included from time to time. These give a sense of history and place. The plight of the abandoned pets is devastating and as a reader, I hoped the venture Ulises was heading would thrive for their sake.
There is a thread of suspense underlying the book, dealing with the General's own past and his relationships with his family members and the origin of his desire to set up the shelter. Also, certain sinister elements lurk around creating trouble.The tone of the book was not overtly bleak and that was a good thing. It was lightened by some situational humour that blended well.
The narrative does segue into some paths that are difficult to relate to and there are some totally random sex scenes that seem out of place in the context! Apart from these negatives, I found this a good read.
This was my first ever read set in Venezuela and I found the aspects that highlighted the history of the country particularly interesting. I read that the title is a word that cannot be exactly translated into English but essentially signifies harmony in relationships, of which there are many in the book,which is on the longlist for the International Booker this year.
It is set at a time when there is social and economic turmoil due to the political situation and people are leaving en masse hoping desperately for a better future elsewhere. Their haste and desperation is evident from the abandonment of their pet dogs to their fate even as the owners flee.
Ulises is one of those who still remains, even after his wife informs him via a text message that she is leaving the country and him. Due to this and the fact that the marriage was quite indifferent, Ulises is shocked when his father in law, a rich General, tasks him with turning his family mansion into a shelter for abandoned dogs, to be managed by a foundation. If Ulises manages this within the stipulated deadline, the luxury apartment he shared with his wife, one she is determined to sell, will be his forever. The strife in the country and the number of people trying to get their hands on the valuable property prove to be difficult hurdles to cross for Ulises and those he is working with and their attempts to set up the shelter forms the story.
I found Ulises as a character quite intriguing and likeable even. His own history of abandonment makes him long for belonging and acceptance. The chosen family he builds for himself while working on fulfilling the General's wish was my favourite part of the book. There are discussions of quite a few prominent figures in the political landscape of Venezuela, Simon Bolivar being the most important one. Stories from the past indicating how the country came to this condition are also included from time to time. These give a sense of history and place. The plight of the abandoned pets is devastating and as a reader, I hoped the venture Ulises was heading would thrive for their sake.
There is a thread of suspense underlying the book, dealing with the General's own past and his relationships with his family members and the origin of his desire to set up the shelter. Also, certain sinister elements lurk around creating trouble.The tone of the book was not overtly bleak and that was a good thing. It was lightened by some situational humour that blended well.
The narrative does segue into some paths that are difficult to relate to and there are some totally random sex scenes that seem out of place in the context! Apart from these negatives, I found this a good read.
August 29, 2021
No hay nada que yo quiera más en el universo que a los animalitos, por eso cuando vi esta portada y supe que este libro era de perritos no pude evitar comprarlo.
Y resultó siendo tan lindo todo el libro como la portada, porque leerlo justo se siente así, como la trompita de un perrito recostada en las piernas de uno en una tarde tranquila en casa.
Simpatía es una novela del escritor venezolano @rodrigoblancocalderon y es la historia de una serie de personas que confluyen en la vida para crear un hogar para perros abandonados. Entre quien dona la casa, quienes montan la fundación, quienes hacen lo imposible por cambiar el testamento que da forma a la historia y perros y más perros, se lee la historia de desamor y amor de Ulises, de amores y desamores humanos y de amores perrunos (porque ahí no cabe el desamor).
Este libro tiene algo que a mí particularmente me encantó: a veces siento en la literatura latinoamericana un vacío en su relación con lo político, respeto el no querer meterse en esas aguas, pero valoro mucho a quien lo hace y en este libro esa conjunción está muy bien lograda. No es un libro político, pero el autor va mostrando a través del contexto la forma en la que el régimen ha ido desvaneciendo a Venezuela, específicamente a Caracas. Cómo es el abandono de las mascotas por parte de la gente que se marcha, cómo no se encuentra concentrado para los animales o cómo es imposible ingresar elementos veterinarios sin pasar por la corrupción, terminan mostrando las realidades que han traído el régimen chavista, que más allá de pretender encasillar como buenas o malas al final son realidades.
Un libro lindísimo, de lectura tranquila y bonita pero muy sentida. Es un libro además maravilloso para estos días donde uno necesita algo así como un tecito caliente para el alma en medio de tanta xenofobia y falta de simpatía.
Y resultó siendo tan lindo todo el libro como la portada, porque leerlo justo se siente así, como la trompita de un perrito recostada en las piernas de uno en una tarde tranquila en casa.
Simpatía es una novela del escritor venezolano @rodrigoblancocalderon y es la historia de una serie de personas que confluyen en la vida para crear un hogar para perros abandonados. Entre quien dona la casa, quienes montan la fundación, quienes hacen lo imposible por cambiar el testamento que da forma a la historia y perros y más perros, se lee la historia de desamor y amor de Ulises, de amores y desamores humanos y de amores perrunos (porque ahí no cabe el desamor).
Este libro tiene algo que a mí particularmente me encantó: a veces siento en la literatura latinoamericana un vacío en su relación con lo político, respeto el no querer meterse en esas aguas, pero valoro mucho a quien lo hace y en este libro esa conjunción está muy bien lograda. No es un libro político, pero el autor va mostrando a través del contexto la forma en la que el régimen ha ido desvaneciendo a Venezuela, específicamente a Caracas. Cómo es el abandono de las mascotas por parte de la gente que se marcha, cómo no se encuentra concentrado para los animales o cómo es imposible ingresar elementos veterinarios sin pasar por la corrupción, terminan mostrando las realidades que han traído el régimen chavista, que más allá de pretender encasillar como buenas o malas al final son realidades.
Un libro lindísimo, de lectura tranquila y bonita pero muy sentida. Es un libro además maravilloso para estos días donde uno necesita algo así como un tecito caliente para el alma en medio de tanta xenofobia y falta de simpatía.
May 15, 2024
This complex novel begins with protagonist, Ulises Kan, a part-time teacher and film enthusiast, realising that although his own life is far from perfect, he is more upset by his country, Venezuela, which he decides, has is in a mess.
However, he sees a chance of his own salvation when his father-in-law, a fan of Simon Bolivar, dies. Kan is left a note from him,
.. his dying wish was to transform Los Argonautas, his beloved estate, into a home for the stray dogs plaguing the streets of Caracas.
An attractive premise indeed. Ulises recruits staff to help him, and gets to work, but is waylaid when girl-friend from the past moves in to help, but she has secrets.
This is an unpredictable novel, that falls just short of being really good. Calderón and his translator Hahn, over-complicate things at times. It may be a question of the translation, or more likely my lack of knowledge of Venezuela’s history.
However, he sees a chance of his own salvation when his father-in-law, a fan of Simon Bolivar, dies. Kan is left a note from him,
The Apocalypse is nigh. Sadly, I won’t be here to see it. It’s your task to build the ark and put your woman and your animals there and hold for 40 days.
.. his dying wish was to transform Los Argonautas, his beloved estate, into a home for the stray dogs plaguing the streets of Caracas.
An attractive premise indeed. Ulises recruits staff to help him, and gets to work, but is waylaid when girl-friend from the past moves in to help, but she has secrets.
This is an unpredictable novel, that falls just short of being really good. Calderón and his translator Hahn, over-complicate things at times. It may be a question of the translation, or more likely my lack of knowledge of Venezuela’s history.
August 7, 2025
Fue una sorpresa ya que no sabía de que trataba y movió mis sentimientos. La historia se centra en los años en que Venezuela empezó a decaer por la crisis política, social y económica y debido a eso muchos han tenido que emigrar. Se puede apreciar la tristeza en los personajes, las explicaciones de todos los problemas del país y el autor también aprovecha de contar algo de historia de mi país tanto de los tiempos mejores como de la época de Simon Bolívar. Algo que me hizo pensar y que antes no me había dado cuenta es de que muchos de los perritos y animalitos quedaban sin hogar cuando la gente se iba del país y algunas personas solo los abandonaban en la calle, eso me hizo entristecer ya que fue una realidad.
April 30, 2024
Just finished Simpatia, my fourth read from this year's International Booker Prize long list and currently my favourite, even though it sadly didn't make the shortlist. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and how the characters and story developed, from what was obvious and expected to being something else entirely. It's an unusual plot set against the backdrop of a country that is in turmoil, and that underlying fear and uncertainty is felt in the pages. I do feel it ended a little quickly and I would have liked a couple of the final acts to have just a little more substance and explanation, that said I think it is a very accomplished book and was a pleasure to read.
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