When I Think of My Missing Head

by Adolfo Couve, Jessica Sequeira (Translator)

Camondo, a painter, wakes up one morning in his studio with his head missing, it having been yanked from his body the night before by Marieta, a model. This is a punishment from the gods, who have already taken away his artistic talent. Now, mysteriously resurrected but not quite intact, Camondo wanders about a seaside town wearing a Franciscan habit stolen from church in an attempt to diguise himself.

Published posthumously, When I Think of My Missing Head, by the Chilean painter and novelist Adolfo Couve, here translated for the first time into English by Jessica Sequeira, is a phantasmagorical literary experiment, an existential puzzle with pieces that fit together by secret logic. With tones that are gothic and surrealist, symbolist and magical, this is a highly original work of terror and fantasia.

Genres: Fiction, Latin American

100 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Pintor y escritor: debutó en 1965 con Alamiro y en 1971 llegó incluso a abandonar la pintura para consagrarse a la literatura. A partir de 1983 regresó a la primera, pero ya sin abandonar la segunda. La crítica lo define como un escritor de realismo descriptivo, y lo considera miembro de la Generación Literaria de 1960, a la que también pertenecen Antonio Skármeta, Mauricio Wacquez y Carlos Cerda.

Reviews

[Patrick.G.P · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I Think of my Missing Head is a series of surreal anecdotes, metaphors, experiences, and memories of Camondo, a painter who wakes up to find he is missing his head, stolen by his model Marieta. The narrative seems partly coherent at times, where we follow Camondo on his journey towards Santiago, but along the way strange memories, dreams, and metaphors play out, all of them having some sort of bearing upon his missing head.

Throughout the book, Camondo encounters memories from his childhood, the life of a Christian Martyr, the visitation of angels and even the devil himself. Beautiful, melancholy, funny and sometimes grotesque, Adolfo Couve explores the themes of identity, of finding one's place in the world, humiliation, confusion and even horror at being faced with limitations of art, and a sense of individuality and loss of self-expression. One of the most wonderful moments in the books comes from the almost mundane short vignettes, the story of his former model Marieta, that works as a quiet metaphor for life and for her state of mind.

There is an odd, comforting beauty in the narrative and prose, and I found myself wanting to re-read parts of it immediately after finishing it, to savor the words, the paragraphs and maybe even find a little solace in the strangeness that the gods visited upon one unfortunate artist in his quest to find his missing head.

[Nirvana · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly dense and puzzling work of genius for something so slim. Echoing writers like Jose Donoso, Couve weaves a mystical labyrinth from a central idea--missing your own head, and thinking while you are decapitated. Another quality release from Snuggly Books.

[Seregil of Rhiminee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published at Risingshadow.

Adolfo Couve's When I Think of My Missing Head is a fascinating piece of fiction that has undertones of fantasy, horror, surrealism, symbolism and magical realism. It's a slightly Kafkaesque book that will entertain, intrigue and surprise the reader with its unusual and non-linear story.

I think there's a possibility that this book may not be to everybody's liking due to the author's non-linear and surreal storytelling, but I consider this to be a good thing, because not every book has to please everybody. I was personally captivated by this book and found it refreshingly strange. I think that readers who are like me and enjoy unusual stories that demand concentration from the reader will be fascinated by this book.

It's a bit difficult to classify When I Think of My Missing Head merely under one genre, because it has elements from many genres. In my opinion, the best way to classify this book is to say that it's a unique and experimental combination of literary fiction, speculative fiction and surrealism.

This book consists of three parts: "When I Think of My Missing Head", "Minor Quartet" and "The Road to Santiago". "When I Think of My Missing Head" tells of the headless Camondo and his condition and wanderings. This part is magnificent in its weirdness and has a slightly unsettling edge to it. The second part, "Minor Quartet", consists of a series of fragments that are connected to each other and also to the the first story. In "The Road to Santiago", Camondo is once again the protagonist of the story and makes his way toward Cuncumén.

These three parts are different from each other, but when you read the whole book and think about what you've read you'll notice that they belong together. They're connected by fine threads that flow throughout the parts and unite them.

When I Think of My Missing Head is basically a book about headlessness, which means the absence of a head, but it is also much more than that when you think about its contents. The author approaches headlessness in his own utterly unique way and creates a story that it filled with metaphors, allegories and non-linear storytelling, not to mention phantasmagorical and grotesque details that spice up the story. All of these elements will tease and thrill the reader's mind in a delicious way.

One of the main reasons why this book is good can be contributed to Jessica Sequeira's excellent translation. I was pleased with the translation, because it is of exceptionally good quality. It's great that this book has been made available for English speaking readers, because it's a rewarding reading experience.

Before I finish this review, I want to mention that the afterword by the translator is informative and worth reading, because it sheds light on many things.

If you're looking for something extraordinary to read, please don't hesitate to take a look at Adolfo Couve's When I Think of My Missing Head, because it's genuinely something different. It's one of the best books available for readers who want to read demanding and rewarding stories.

Highly recommended!

[Rod · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was delighted with this witty and allusive novel - a simultaneously picaresque and intensely absurd adventure that introduced me to an important South American writer. In the course of the novel, Couve moves the reader through time and space with a highly unusual but always entertaining narrative structure, packed with subtle allusions. I was reminded of The Saragossa Manuscript, as well as The Golden Asse, and hope that Sequeira will translate more by this fascinating author.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this one might have gone a bit over my head

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both unsettling and absurd. Highly recommended if you like this sort of thing.

[Silvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adoré este libro, tan sólo su título me hace sentido todo el tiempo.