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The Old Man Who Read Love Stories

Luis Sepúlveda

3.88 · Rating details · 9,695 Ratings · 716 Reviews

In a remote river town deep in the Ecuadoran jungle, Antonio José Bolívar seeks refuge in amorous novels. But tourists and opportunists are making inroads into the area, and the balance of nature is making a dangerous shift. Translated by Peter Bush.

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Paperback, 144 pages

Published July 14th 1995 by Mariner Books (first published 1989)

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Apr 08, 2013 Mike Puma rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: chilean-author, 2013

Briefly: This compelling and efficient novella grabs readers and quickly embeds them within the life of an aging Ecuadoran whose first, and only love, has died after a brief and unproductive marriage, leaving the much younger Antonio José Bolívar Proaño procreatively unaccomplished, as well as, a failure as a settler in a new community. Unable to return to his previous village, “the poor forgive everything but failure,” Antonio settles in the village of El Idilio (the Idyll—get a sense of how th

...more

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Oct 18, 2016 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-century, fiction, novel, romance, spanish, literature, chilean-literature, latin-american

Un viejo que leía novelas de amor = The Old Man Who Read Love Stories, Luis Sepúlveda
عنوانها: پيرمردی كه داستانهای عاشقانه میخواند؛ پيرمردی كه رماانهای عاشقانه میخواند؛ نویسنده: لوئیز سپولودا؛
عنوان: پيرمردی كه داستانهای عاشقانه میخواند؛ نویسنده: لوئیز سپولودا؛ مترجم: م. فریدون؛ ویراستار: نسیم عزیزی؛ تهران، نشر روزگار، 1382؛ در 141 ص؛ شابک: 9643740072؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان شیلیائی - قرن 20 م
عنوان: پيرمردی كه داستانهای عاشقانه میخواند؛ نویسنده: لوئیز سپولودا؛ مترجم: محمد شهبا؛ تهران، شهر کت ...more

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Mar 19, 2015 Agir(آگِر) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

از وقتی کتاب " درخت زیبای من" را خواندم ،علاقه خاصی به این سبک از ادبیات آمریکای جنوبی پیدا کرده ام
خون سرخپوستی و اسپانیولی با هم ترکیب شده و نژادی دوس داشتنی بوجود آمده
کتاب "پیرمردی که داستان های عاشقانه می خواند" هم داستانی است درباره انسان ها و هم حیوانات و هم جنگل

همانطور که ما ایرانی ها دل خوشی از روس ها و انگلیسی ها نداریم بخاطر استعمار و دزدی شون از سرزمینمون
آمریکای جنوبی ها هم از آمریکایی ها بیزارن
یانکی ها سال ها دزدی کردن و این سرزمین پر برکت رو تاراج کردن و هیچ احترامی هم برای مردمان ب ...more

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Jul 03, 2016 Sawsan rated it liked it · review of another edition

لويس سبولفيدا يهدي الرواية إلى أصدقاؤه الناشطين والمدافعين عن غابات الأمازون
الكاتب يحتفي بقوة وجمال الطبيعة في غابة الأمازون ويُدين استغلال وعدم احترام الرجل الأبيض للحياة البرية والطبيعية
الحياة في الغابة, تقاليد ومعتقدات سُكانها, والتعايش مع الطقس المتقلب وسلوك الحيوانات المختلفة
تفاصيل الشخصيات جميلة وخاصةً العجوز خوسيه بوليفار الذي عاش أكتر من أربعين سنة في الغابة الأمازونية مع سكانها الهنود الشواريين وبعد رجوعه للمدينة تستهويه قراءة الروايات الغرامية
ويصوره الكاتب وهو غارق في القراءة بالعدسة ...more

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Feb 19, 2018 Ahmed rated it really liked it · review of another edition

جرعة أدبية لاتينية مكثفة، تحمل في طياتها معاني كثيرة ورموز أكثر.

من يقرأ لا يشيخ.
من يقرأ يبقى خالد ويخالط النجوم.
من يقرأ يعرف كيف يخاطب الأرواح، فيكلم شجرة فارعة، ويفهم مراد نمر مكلوم فقد صغاره.

الرجل الذي كان يقرأ الروايات الغرامية: جرعة مكثفة من السحر اللاتيني الخالص، بترجمة رصينة متقنة.

اقرأوها لتسعدوا، اقرأوها لتعرفوا أن القراءة أكتر من مجرد هواية وشغف.

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Aug 31, 2017 Roberto rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: sudamerica

Non è un paese per vecchi

El Idilio, Ecuador, foresta amazzonica.

Pioggia, umidità, caldo tropicale, zanzare, scorpioni, fango, serpenti, vegetazione fittissima, animali feroci. Un ambiente così ostile che senza il machete in mano non si sopravvive.

Il vecchio Antonio Josè Bolìvar Proano sogna un mondo diverso da questo, dove ha trascorso tutta la sua esistenza. Per farlo, legge e rilegge, lettera dopo lettera, sillaba dopo sillaba, parola dopo parola, romanzi d'amore. Romanzi che "che parlavano d' ...more

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Feb 12, 2016 Gaïdic rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: coup-de-coeur-2016, favorites, lus-en-2016

Olala, qu'est-ce qu'il est beau ce roman !

J'ai découvert Luis Sepúlveda il y a quasiment 15 ans avec L'histoire d'une mouette et du chat qui lui apprit à voler (que j'avais adoré) et j'ai retrouvé celui-ci dans ma bibliothèque chez mes parents (j'ai du l'acheter il y a 6-7 ans). Je l'ai lu dans le cadre du défi #5books7days sur Instagram.

Quel coup de cœur ! On s'y croit tellement ! L'écriture est tellement belle, le personnage principal terriblement attachant et l'intrigue complètement prenante. ...more

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Feb 06, 2014 ليلي rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: دارمشان

چقدر دوستش داشتم! واقعا فکر نمیکردم بشه انقدر یه کتاب صد و چهار صفه ای رو که نویسنده شم اصلا نمیشناسیم دوست داشته باشم...
ولی واقعا خوب بود...
تو این صد صفه واقعا تو آمازون زندگی کردم! با حیوونای وحشیش و آب و هوای عجیب ش و سرخپوستای شووار ش و همه چیش...
و به خاطر همین فضاسازی فوق العاده ش، که میدونم واقعی م هست چون تویسنده خودش سالها تو آمازون زندگی کرده، کتابیه که همیشه قراره تو یادم بمونه...
پ.ن: حقیقتا ربط خاصی به داستان های عاشقانه نداره ولی:))

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Nov 16, 2016 Arzu rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Arzu by: Zeren

Shelves: roman

bazı kitaplar da hayvanlar gibi kalbinizi çalıverir.. "aşk romanları okuyan ihtiyar" da tam o kitaplardan..

kitabın dili, yalınlığı güzel; doğaya ayak uydurmayı öğrenen orman ve hayvanlara saygı duyan, insanların barbarlıklarından aşk romanları okuyarak kendine ayrı bi' dünya yaratan ana karakteri daha güzel..
yazar aşk romanları okuyan ihtiyarın hayatına dahil olmamızı sağlayıp doğal yaşama uyum ile ilgili bilgiler verirken, kitabın sonundaki ihtiyar ve jaguar arasındaki düello ile aslında savaş ...more

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Dec 22, 2012 فهد الفهد rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 0-favorites, fiction-south-america-chile

العجوز الذي كان يقرأ الروايات الغرامية

يوهمك العنوان برواية مختلفة، لا شيء سوى السخرية يمكن أن يجمع عجوزاً بالروايات الغرامية، ولكن سبولفيدا لا يسخر، إنها رواية مذهلة، أمازونية غارقة في الغابات المشبعة بالماء، والكائنات الخطرة، ولكن أنطونيو خوسيه بوليفار الذي عاش بين الهنود الشواريين زمناً، يعرف أين يضع قدمه في الغابة الواسعة، ويعرف كيف ينجو من لدغات الأفاعي، ومن هجمات القرود، لهذا يلجأ له الجميع عندما يفسد أمريكي سلام الغابة، ويثير لبؤة – هل كانت لبؤة؟ - بقتل صغارها وجرح ذكرها، لقد انتزعوا العج ...more

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Jun 26, 2017 Tânia Tanocas rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, guardados_favoritos

Desengane-se quem achar que este é um livro "fofinho" que fala de um velho que só lê romances de amor, esta pequena novela, é como um estalada à civilização que se intromete e destrói aquilo que deveria preservar e adorar.

Opinião completa aqui: http://baudatanocas.blogs.sapo.pt/o-v...

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Nov 18, 2016 Gabrielle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2016, reviewed, cultural-shock

When you work as an executive assistant, 80% of what makes the job good and interesting is whether or not you get along with your boss. And I don’t want to brag, but my boss is ze best! When we started working together, he quickly noticed I always had books kicking around and spent most of my lunch breaks with my nose buried in the pages of my latest read. One day, he handed me some stuff to file, but also a skinny little book.

“It’s one of my favourites: I hope you’ll like it!”

Seriously. Best bo When you work as an executive assistant, 80% of what makes the job good and interesting is whether or not you get along with your boss. And I don’t want to brag, but my boss is ze best! When we started working together, he quickly noticed I always had books kicking around and spent most of my lunch breaks with my nose buried in the pages of my latest read. One day, he handed me some stuff to file, but also a skinny little book.

“It’s one of my favourites: I hope you’ll like it!”

Seriously. Best boss ever.

“The old man who read love stories” is the story of a man named Antonio Jose Bolivar. He lives in a tiny village in Ecuador, and eventually leaves the comfort of his beloved books to hunt a man-killing panther in the Amazonian forest. Such a simple story at first glance – but don’t be fooled by the low page count. This novella is written with the musical elegance that I have come to associate with South American writers: each word is chosen carefully and flows right off the tongue if you should happen to be reading out loud.

Not simply a love letter to books, and their immense power to make life better, it is also a sad, adoring homage to the great South American forests that are being inexorably destroyed. The life and rituals of aboriginal tribes living in the forest are detailed, as are the beautiful fauna and flora to be found there. Contrasted with the crassness and greed of elected officials, poachers, gold diggers and other unsavory characters who can’t respect and appreciate the world they are violating, the murderous ocelot becomes a symbol of a wild part of nature that fights back against the invader, trying to defend its environment against an enemy that can’t possibly be stopped.

It reminded me in many ways of one of my favorite reads, “The man who planted trees” by Jean Giono; both stories are about lonely men who have a love of nature and solitude. But “The old man who read love stories” is much more brutal and raw than Giono’s lyrical tale. Where Elzear Bouffier reforests an entire region, Antonio Jose Bolivar cannot do anything but witness the destruction of the forest he lives in.

A very good, quick read that I recommend to all fans of South American literature. Thank you Richard, for sharing your book with me! ...more

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May 26, 2009 Palsay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Pak Tua Yang Membaca Kisah Cinta ini ditawarkan padaku di tengah kesuntukan membaca buku. Saat sedang ngumpul di sebuah toko kue di bilangan Tebet, jeng Lita menawarkan buku yang ditranslate oleh bung Ronny ini kepadaku. walhasil aku yang tadinya cuma berniat meminjam buku The Silent Spring akhirnya bawa pulang buku 1 tas kertas penuh..hehehe...

Pak Tua Yang Membaca Kisah Cinta juga merupakan perjumpaan pertamaku dengan Luis Sepulvida. Sebelumnya aku tak pernah membaca karya sastra Amerika Latin,
Pak Tua Yang Membaca Kisah Cinta ini ditawarkan padaku di tengah kesuntukan membaca buku. Saat sedang ngumpul di sebuah toko kue di bilangan Tebet, jeng Lita menawarkan buku yang ditranslate oleh bung Ronny ini kepadaku. walhasil aku yang tadinya cuma berniat meminjam buku The Silent Spring akhirnya bawa pulang buku 1 tas kertas penuh..hehehe...

Pak Tua Yang Membaca Kisah Cinta juga merupakan perjumpaan pertamaku dengan Luis Sepulvida. Sebelumnya aku tak pernah membaca karya sastra Amerika Latin, dan akupun membaca buku ini tanpa ekspektasi apa-apa. terlebih lagi sehari sebelumnya aku baru saja menyelesaikan Lelaki Tua dan Laut - nya Hemingway, dan masih dalam suasana takjub akan pesona Santiago, aku merasa menjadi Manolin yang sedia melakukan apapun guna mempermudah hidup sang lelaki tua. Demikianlah.

Pak Tua Yang Membaca Kisah Cinta merupakan novel pertama Luis Sepulvida, yang cukup tipis buat ukuran novel, akan tetapi isinya sangat berbobot. Beruntung setelah mengalami suntuk buku selama 3 minggu akibat membaca novel tidak bermutu (novel-yang-tidak-boleh-disebut-namanya-itu-karena-hanya-membuat-geram-dan-jengkel-saja) aku langsung dihujani buku-buku bermutu. Buku ini salah satunya.

Pak Tua Yang Membaca Kisah Cinta mengisahkan seorang lelaki bernama Antonio Jose Bolivar, seorang tua berusia tujuh puluhan, yang hidup menyendiri di rimba raya Equador. Ia sebenarnya seorang pemukim yang datang ke sebuah lokasi pemukiman yang disediakan pemerintah, bersama istrinya merentang harapan hidup di wilayah baru. Malang, istrinya tidak dapat bertahan karena malaria, dan mereka belum sempat memiliki keturunan. Karena putus asa dan tidak dapat kembali ke desa asalnya, maka ia mengutuki neraka hijau yang dianggapnya telah merenggut nyawa istri yang sangat dicintainya. Namun dalam keputusasaannya itu ia tau, ia belum cukup mengenal hutan itu untuk dapat membencinya.
Kemudian Pak Tua berteman dengan suku Indian Shuar, mempelajari hutan dan cara-cara bertahan hidup sesuai irama alam. Sampai akhirnya ia malah tak sanggup membenci hutan lagi, dan jatuh cinta padanya.

Pak Tua Yang Membaca Kisah Cinta merupakan buku yang ditulis dengan teliti, detail dan sarat emosi. Kebencian terhadap pendatang yang menjarahi hutan dengan semena-mena, ketamakan pada harta ataupun para pemburu emas dan kulit binatang telah mengacaukan keseimbangan dalam hutan, yang telah berlangsung ribuan tahun. Ekosistem terganggu, dan mahluk yang lebih lemah seperti suku Indian Shuar dan binatang hutan memilih bertahan, menyingkir atau punah.

Pak Tua Yang Membaca Kisah Cinta telah memberikan pertanyaan yang mengganggu, saat manusia dan hewan berebut tempat hidup di hutan, apa yang bisa kita lakukan guna melestarikan ketiganya?
...more

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Feb 26, 2016 Simona rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Sau cine mai eşti atunci când "nu eşti unul dintre ei, ci doar unul de-al lor".
Povestea emoţionantă a unui veteran al pădurii amazoniene, un semianalfabet refugiat in junglă, bătrânul Antonio José Bolívar Proano, care ştia să citească, dar nu ştia să scrie.
Din tinereţe şi până la venerabila vârstă de 70 de ani, rătăceşte între două universuri: civilizaţia şi lumea extrem de bine organizată şi cu reguli stricte a junglei amazoniene. Păstrează o ultima legătură cu civilizaţia citind romane de drag ...more

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Nov 26, 2012 عبدالله ناصر rated it really liked it · review of another edition

العنوان مخادع و إن كان جميلاً كبقية عناوين سبولفيدا. فالعجوز انطونيو خوسيه بوليفار بطل الرواية لم تنجب امرأته و لما كثر الحديث عن سوء طالعها - و كأنها مأساتهم الخاصة - نصحه أحدهم بقسوة أن يترك زوجته في احتفال القرية حيث الكثير من التكييلا و المطارحات الغرامية العابرة، قد لا تكون هي المذنبة في نهاية الأمر. ذهب بزوجته بعيداً نحو غابات الأمازون حيث يقيم الشواريون بجوار الأمازون و عالمه السري المليء بأصناف الحيوانات الأليفة و المتوحشة و الحشرات المسالمة و السامة و الأسماك الوديعة و القاتلة و بعد أن
العنوان مخادع و إن كان جميلاً كبقية عناوين سبولفيدا. فالعجوز انطونيو خوسيه بوليفار بطل الرواية لم تنجب امرأته و لما كثر الحديث عن سوء طالعها - و كأنها مأساتهم الخاصة - نصحه أحدهم بقسوة أن يترك زوجته في احتفال القرية حيث الكثير من التكييلا و المطارحات الغرامية العابرة، قد لا تكون هي المذنبة في نهاية الأمر. ذهب بزوجته بعيداً نحو غابات الأمازون حيث يقيم الشواريون بجوار الأمازون و عالمه السري المليء بأصناف الحيوانات الأليفة و المتوحشة و الحشرات المسالمة و السامة و الأسماك الوديعة و القاتلة و بعد أن فقد زوجته بسبب الملاريا. انتشله الشواريون و أفضوا إليه بأسرار هذا العالم و غرائز الحيوانات البرية و الفخاخ التي عليه أن يصنعها من أجل العيش و تلك التي من الواجب أن يتجنبها. و لكنه يخطئ فلا يعود مرحباً به. هنا سيذهب لأقرب مدينة و بحلول الانتخابات سيتذكر أنه يجيد القراءة ليقرأ في صنوف الكتب حيث تبدو الكتب العلمية غير مجدية و كذلك كتب التاريخ المليئة بالأكاذيب. و لكن غرينغو - لقب الأمريكي الأبيض في أمريكا اللاتينية - يبحث عن الذهب يقتل حيواناً في طريقه فتمزقه الأنثى و تقلق راحة المدينة الصغيرة بغزواتها. العنوان مخادع كما قلت فالعجوز الذي نفي من الغابة سيعود مرغماً لمطاردة الحيوان. تشارك الطبيعة البطولة مع العجوز حيث ستشعر بالرطوبة الاستوائية و تلك الأمطار المثابرة و كم كنت أتمنى لو كانت الرواية أطول. ...more

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Jul 24, 2017 Ege rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Her "etkisiz kitap"ın ardından beni çok derinden etkileyen kitaplara, geri okumalara dönmeye devam ediyorum.
3. kez okuyuşum, bu sefer Türkçe. Çevirisi güzel. Daha önce ki okuyuşlarımda hissettiğim duyguları yeniden hissettirmesi ayrı güzel.
Elbette ben de insanlardan kaçıp kitaplara sığınıyorum, iyi ki...

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Nov 11, 2009 Jimmy Navy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

PERINGATAN: Tulisan ini adalah sotoy belaka. Segala efek samping yang ditimbulkan menjadi tanggung jawab pembaca :p

Bumi, sebagai tempat tinggal kita, merupakan milik Sang Pencipta. Dengan cinta, Dia mempercayakannya kepada kita untuk dipelihara dan dikelola, seharusnya juga dengan cinta. Setelah waktu kita habis kelak, Bumi dan segala isinya juga akan dipercayakan kepada penerus kita, anak-cucu kita. Dipercayakan bisa berarti diberi tugas dan tanggung jawab untuk menjaganya dengan baik. Apa yang PERINGATAN: Tulisan ini adalah sotoy belaka. Segala efek samping yang ditimbulkan menjadi tanggung jawab pembaca :p

Bumi, sebagai tempat tinggal kita, merupakan milik Sang Pencipta. Dengan cinta, Dia mempercayakannya kepada kita untuk dipelihara dan dikelola, seharusnya juga dengan cinta. Setelah waktu kita habis kelak, Bumi dan segala isinya juga akan dipercayakan kepada penerus kita, anak-cucu kita. Dipercayakan bisa berarti diberi tugas dan tanggung jawab untuk menjaganya dengan baik. Apa yang bisa dinikmati oleh para pendahulu kita, seharusnya bisa dinikmati oleh para penerusnya. Seharusnya, sampai sekarang.

Ibarat meminjam buku dari teman, kita boleh membacanya sepuas hati tapi kita harus menjaga agar buku itu tidak rusak, apalagi sampai hilang. Bisa-bisa, kita tidak akan pernah dipercaya lagi untuk meminjam. (Oh tidak, jadi ingat kalau saya masih meminjam bukunya Roos, tapi sampai sekarang masih dalam antrian to read) Kita seharusnya bisa menjaganya seperti barang milik kita sendiri meskipun kita tidak benar-benar memilikinya.

Tapi, budaya orang yang katanya ‘moderen dan beradab’ berkata, “Jika kita tidak memilikinya, kita tidak perlu memperdulikannya.” Orang-orang yang katanya ‘moderen dan beradab’ itu pun tidak menjaga alam yang dipercayakan padanya. Hanya mengeksploitasinya, mengeruk isinya tanpa ada niat yang serius untuk memulihkan kondisinya. Hutan dibabat membabi buta, tanah dikeruk dan ditambang semena-mena tanpa membiarkan alam bernafas sejenak untuk sekedar memulihkan kondisinya.

Alam pun akhirnya bereaksi. Tidak heran, semut kena injak saja menggigit. Kalau alam bisa berbicara, mungkin dia akan mengatakan, “Lu jual, gue beli!” Cuaca berubah-ubah, temperatur naik, udara semakin kotor, air tercemar, hutan tidak bisa lagi menahan air dan menyediakan udara segara, longsor, dan banjir. Bahkan, hewan-hewan di hutan pun ikut terusik. Lahan tempat mereka mencari makan semakin menyempit padahal banyak perut yang harus diisi. ‘Berkunjung’ ke perkampungan penduduk menjadi salah satu solusi. Konflik antara manusia dan binatang pun terjadi.

Seandainya kita memiliki cinta terhadap alam ini. Cinta yang benar-benar cinta seperti yang dilakukan oleh orang-orang yang katanya kolot dan tidak beradab. Seperti orang-orang Shuar di pedalaman Amazon. Selayaknya pemburu sejati, mereka hanya mengambil apa yang benar-benar mereka butuhkan dari alam. Tidak serakah untuk memuaskan keinginan semata. Mereka hanya berburu hewan-hewan yang benar-benar sudah dewasa. Bahkan mereka dengan rela hidup berpindah-pindah dari satu lokasi ke lokasi lainnya hanya untuk memberikan lokasi yang mereka tempati sebelumnya bisa bernafas untuk memulihkan kondisinya alamnya.

Pak tua yang dikisahkan dalam buku karya Luis Sepulveda ini belajar dari orang-orang Shuar tersebut. Meski pak tua ini tidak pernah menjadi orang Shuar, tapi dia telah menjadi bagian dari mereka. Terlebih dalam hal bagaimana seharusnya memperlakukan alam yang telah banyak memberi sumber kehidupan bagi manusia. Ambil yang kau butuhkan, bukan yang kau inginkan.

Sebenarnya, pak tua ini berasal dari golongan orang-orang yang katanya ‘moderen dan beradab’. Tapi, dia sangat gemar membaca kisah cinta. Kisah cinta yang ada sedihnya, yang ada penderitaan yang luar biasa, tapi dengan akhir yang bahagia. Dia memang tidak lancar membaca tapi dia berusaha untuk mengerti dan memahami setiap kata yang menyusun setiap kalimat yang dia baca dalam novel-novel percintaan itu. Mungkin, itulah yang menyebabkan dia bisa memahami apa itu cinta, penderitaan, kesedihan, dan kebahagiaan. Sehingga dia bisa merasakan apa yang sedang dirasakan oleh mahkluk lain. Apalagi, saat dia menyaksikan sendiri bagaimana seekor macan betina menunjukkan rasa cintanya pada pasangannya.

Ketika kita merasa semakin pintar, merasa semakin beradab, dan merasa semakin moderen, kok kita semakin tidak menghargai alam dan hak mahkluk lainnya. Mungkin, kita harus lebih sering membaca kisah cinta seperti yang dilakukan oleh pak tua ini. Tidak sekedar membaca, tapi memahaminya agar cinta kepada alam yang pernah diajarkan oleh nenek moyang kita tidak terkikis oleh peradaban. Padahal, bukankan peradaban seharusnya membuat kehidupan di Bumi menjadi lebih baik? Haruskah kita mewariskan udara kotor, tanah gersang, air tercemar ataupun hutan yang gundul kepada mereka?

*Ngomongin tulisan soal cinta, lebih baik saya serahkan kepada pakarnya. Ibu Indri, silahkan…*
...more

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Jan 07, 2011 Ricardo Lourenço rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

“- Olha, com toda a confusão do morto já quase me esquecia. Trouxe-te dois livros.
Os olhos do velho iluminaram-se.
- De amor?
O dentista fez que sim.
António José Bolívar Proaño lia romances de amor, e em cada uma das suas viagens o dentista abastecia-o de leitura.
- São tristes? – perguntava o velho.
- De chorar rios de lágrimas – garantia o dentista.
- Com pessoas que se amam mesmo?
- Como nunca ninguém amou.”

Romances de amor. Através deles António Proaño, tendo passado a maior parte da sua vida na “- Olha, com toda a confusão do morto já quase me esquecia. Trouxe-te dois livros.
Os olhos do velho iluminaram-se.
- De amor?
O dentista fez que sim.
António José Bolívar Proaño lia romances de amor, e em cada uma das suas viagens o dentista abastecia-o de leitura.
- São tristes? – perguntava o velho.
- De chorar rios de lágrimas – garantia o dentista.
- Com pessoas que se amam mesmo?
- Como nunca ninguém amou.”

Romances de amor. Através deles António Proaño, tendo passado a maior parte da sua vida na Amazónia, consegue sonhar com realidades que lhe estão vedadas e reencontrar o amor que a selva lhe roubou na juventude. Vivendo na isolada aldeia de El Idilio, após uma convivência com os indígenas que o ensinaram a viver em harmonia com a natureza, António preenche os seus dias com a leitura.

“Lia atentamente, juntando as sílabas, murmurando-as a meia voz como se as saboreasse, e, quando tinha a palavra inteira dominada, repetia-a de uma só vez. Depois fazia o mesmo com a frase completa, e dessa maneira se apropriava dos sentimentos e ideias plasmados nas páginas.”

Numa escrita que apela fortemente aos sentidos, Sepúlveda cria uma imagem vívida da Amazónia, envolvendo-nos num mundo que tomamos como nosso, dando connosco a saborear cada palavra, cada frase; traço característico de um grande contador de histórias.
A descoberta de um cadáver vem quebrar a tranquilidade de que o velho homem desfrutava. O prepotente administrador da aldeia, cego às evidências, procura responsabilizar os indígenas pelo sucedido, hipótese que António rapidamente descarta ao analisar o corpo, acabando por chegar à conclusão de que a morte foi provocada por um jaguar. Esta dedução, fruto da sua larga experiência de vida na selva, eventualmente conduzi-lo-á a um confronto com o predador.

“Chegavam mais colonos, agora chamados com promessas de desenvolvimento no gado e nas madeiras. Com eles chegava também o álcool desprovido de ritual e, por conseguinte, a degeneração dos mais fracos. E, sobretudo, aumentava a peste dos pesquisadores de oiro, indivíduos sem escrúpulos vindos de toda a parte sem outro norte que não fosse uma riqueza rápida.
Os xuar moviam-se para Oriente buscando a intimidade das florestas impenetráveis.”

O choque entre o homem e o animal remete para o confronto entre a civilização e natureza. Ao longo do livro presenciamos a falta de respeito que os colonos demonstram pela Amazónia e todos os seres vivos que nela habitam, observamos a sua total incapacidade de se adaptar ao meio selvagem, meros bárbaros que “destroçavam a selva construindo a obra-mestra do homem civilizado: o deserto.”
Nesta homenagem a Chico Mendes, ambientalista assassinado devido à sua luta pela defesa da Amazónia, Luis Sepúlveda mostra-nos a extrema insensibilidade e violência que o homem é capaz de demonstrar para com o mundo que suporta a sua existência. Um apelo à preservação das riquezas naturais do planeta, um grito contra a nossa tendência destrutiva e, acima de tudo, uma história encantadora.

“Tu não és um caçador. Muitas vezes os habitantes de El Idilio falam de ti chamando-te o Caçador, e respondes-lhes que isso não é verdade, porque os caçadores matam para vencer um medo que os enlouquece e os apodrece por dentro.” ...more

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Sep 02, 2012 Lupurk rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, bookring, bookcrossing

Una storia da leggere tutta d'un fiato, che trasporta in luoghi lontani, in atmosfere così diverse, eppure così ben descritte, che quasi sembra di essere là con Antonio José Bolivar, a leggere romanzi d'amore, cercando di immaginare Venezia, a dare la caccia ai serpenti e a prendere in giro il sindaco, tanto tronfio nella sua "istruzione", che così poco gli serve, tra le leggi della natura.
Mentre leggevo, mi sono immedesimata nel protagonista "al contrario"...mi sembrava buffo immaginarlo nella ...more

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Nov 30, 2016 Julie Demar rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Forse questo libro si meritava 4 stelle, ma è stato talmente piacevole e immersivo che ho deciso per le cinque.
La storia di Antonio José Bolívar Proaño dura poco, troppo poco, ma in queste poche pagine senza dirci nulla l'autore ci dice tutto, è difficile spiegare come questo libro ti avvolga e ti porti in un meraviglioso, crudo viaggio nel cuore della foresta pluviale, dove la tecnologia non l'avrà mai da padrone, e dove l'uomo sensibile e la natura si studiano e si ammirano.

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May 23, 2016 Len rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Một trong những cuốn sách tôi có thể đọc lại nhiều lần nữa, giống như lão già, nhân vật chính trong câu truyện này, nhốt mình trong một không gian riêng tư gần như tuyệt đối, bên ngoài trời mưa như trút nước.
Sepúlveda đã vẽ nên một khung cảnh hoang sơ của núi rừng, nơi con người hoặc cùng tồn tại hoặc bị đánh gục bởi sức mạnh của thiên nhiên. Nơi đó, El Idilio, có ông già Antonio thích đọc tiểu thuyết tình cảm đớn đau với kết thúc có hậu, với vị bác sĩ Joachamín đến mở "phòng khám", nhổ răng của ...more

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Dec 26, 2016 Rosie Nguyễn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Cách dựng truyện tuyệt vời, nhân vật sâu sắc, cách kết nối giữa con người và thiên nhiên tinh tế và dữ dội.

Muốn học cách dựng truyện như thế.

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May 31, 2013 Juan Hidalgo rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Este libro es una gran sorpresa. En sus escasas 144 páginas se condensa una historia maravillosa de amor hacia la jungla y los seres que la habitan, y un relato ameno y a veces hilarante de las vivencias y las relaciones entre los pobladores de la remota amazonía.
A mi me recuerda al mejor García Márquez y su realismo mágico. También debo confesar que siento debilidad por los personajes solitarios y supervivientes en medio de lugares duros, extremos y poco aptos para la vida humana, así que Anton ...more

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Apr 16, 2018 Raquel rated it really liked it · review of another edition

O "velho" mal sabe ler, e no entanto é esta actividade que mais lhe prazer dá na vida, imaginando cidades que nunca conhecerá, a cada palavra que demora uma eternidade a ler mas que não lhe podia soar de forma mais bela. Não há solidão que resista a tantas aventuras vividas em cada página de um grande romance, como este que não resisti a trazer da biblioteca para devorar em poucos dias. E é uma excelente forma de começar a ler Sepúlveda: como se fôssemos este seu protagonista inesquecível.

http:/ ...more

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Feb 06, 2014 Amir Mojiry rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Amir by: Jireye Ketab

Shelves: story

پیرمردی که داستان های عاشقانه می خواند (به فتح نون) از چند جهت کتاب جذابی بود.
یکی این که از رسم های مردم بومی آمریکای لاتین و بومیان آمازون می گفت. رسم هایی که بسیاری شان به نظر علمی و انسانی و حتا شاعرانه می آیند و کمی شان وحشیانه و دور از منطق. با این حال نقطه ی مشترک همه شان پیوند نزدیک با طبیعت و فیلسوفانه بودن آن هاست (این که در همه ی این رسم ها به زندگی کنونی، به مرگ، به زندگی آینده، به انسان و به طبیعت اندیشیده می شود یعنی فیلسوفانه است).
دومین عامل جذابیت همان است که در عنوان کار شده. پیر پیرمردی که داستان های عاشقانه می خواند (به فتح نون) از چند جهت کتاب جذابی بود.
یکی این که از رسم های مردم بومی آمریکای لاتین و بومیان آمازون می گفت. رسم هایی که بسیاری شان به نظر علمی و انسانی و حتا شاعرانه می آیند و کمی شان وحشیانه و دور از منطق. با این حال نقطه ی مشترک همه شان پیوند نزدیک با طبیعت و فیلسوفانه بودن آن هاست (این که در همه ی این رسم ها به زندگی کنونی، به مرگ، به زندگی آینده، به انسان و به طبیعت اندیشیده می شود یعنی فیلسوفانه است).
دومین عامل جذابیت همان است که در عنوان کار شده. پیرمردی که داستان های عاشقانه می خواند و آن هم پیرمردی که در داستان با شخصیت منحصر به فرد و خاص او آشنا می شویم. او یک قهرمان نیست، یک ضد قهرمان هم نیست. اما کسی است با کوله باری از تجربه های مختلف و پر از شکست های متعدد. کسی که عمیقن اندیشمند است اما اصرار (و حتا تمایلی) ندارد که اندیشه هایش را برای دیگران مطرح کند. او فقط به خودش می اندیشد. زندگی او را وادار کرده که در انزوا باشد ولی انزوا روح شاعرانه و عاشقانه ی او را از او نگرفته است. و همین باعث می شود چنین شخصیتی و ماجراهایش جذاب شوند.
نویسنده مشخصن بیش تر به دنبال گفتن رسم های بومیان آمازون است در قالب یک داستان. این از توضیح های گاه مفصل او در مورد رسم ها و علت های آن ها بر می آید. با این حال، خود داستان هم جذاب است. و مشکلش فقط کوتاه بودن آن است و این که کمی داستانی بودنش کم است! یعنی که به خاطر همان که گفتم، نویسنده بیش تر از آن که به داستان بپردازد به رسم ها پرداخته. کاش کمی طولانی تر و مفصل تر بود. گرچه قضیه این است که خود نویسنده هم انگار مانند پیرمرد، تمایلی ندارد اندیشه های مردمش را مفصل بیان کند. آن قدری می گوید که دوست دارد و بعد که خسته شد می گذارد کنار. این رسم مردمی است که با طبیعت زندگی می کنند.
فصل غم انگیز پایانی داستان هم به تنهایی، یکی از عامل های جذابیت کتاب است. ...more

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Feb 05, 2015 Book Concierge rated it really liked it

Shelves: animals, books-about-books, concierge, culture, latino-literature, library, literature, magical-realism, nature, philosophy

From the book jacket: An old man lives in a village on the Nangaritza River. The village is so small the dentist comes only twice a year, to pull teeth and bring books to the old man – love stories, the kind with maximum heartache. This is a story of the jungle, green hell and Eden; of the Shuar Indians, who know how to live in harmony with it; of the machines and settlers and gold prospectors and gringos who have invaded it. Nature, out of balance, becomes vengeful and violent.

My reactions:
Wha ...more

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Apr 05, 2012 Linda Abhors the New GR Design rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone''appropriate for all ages

Recommended to Linda Abhors the New GR Design by: Fate

Shelves: favorites, latin-american, boston-book-club

Oh, I must have erased my original review!!
This book is one of my favorite books of all times. An absolute gem. Its poignant, beautiful, simple and complex at the same time. You can read it as a simple story, or you can peel the layers, like an onion.
Themes of ecology, love, solitude, exile.....its all there, with a little adventure thrown in. The most unique of his works, in my opinion. His other novels are mostly thrillers, and entertaining. But this one has a special quality that touches me. ...more

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Nov 30, 2013 Ben Winch rated it really liked it

Shelves: latin-american, chilean

Should be a bestseller. Could easily have been overpowered by sentimentality but it wasn’t. A kind of murder mystery where a big cat’s the killer and the mystery’s solved as soon as it’s introduced, but then they’ve gotta go hunt the cat. And it’s sad – it’ll stick in your throat. When the old man threw down his rifle and wept for shame I wept right along with him. Maybe not an ‘important’ work as far as the development of literature goes, but for spreading a message of conservation and respect ...more

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Jul 07, 2017 Cărți și călătorii rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Din nou despre contrastul dintre civilizație și „sălbăticie”, dintre coloniști și indigeni, dintre cunoașterea și respectarea naturii, pe de o parte, și cruzimea și prostia albilor colonizatori, pe de altă parte. O carte care mi-a adus aminte de Săgeata lui Dumnezeu, de Chinua Achebe, și de Așteptându-i pe barbari, de J. M. Coetzee. O poveste foarte frumos scrisă, surprinzătoare, emoționantă și condensată, pe care am citit-o chiar cu sufletul la gură. :) De recomandat oricând!

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Mar 23, 2018 Ian D rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: chilean-lit

Η αέναη μάχη του ανθρώπου, του μοχθηρού, άπληστου και κατακτητικού ανθρώπου ενάντια στη φύση όπου ο συγγραφέας, με τη χαρακτηριστική ευαισθησία και το ήθος που τον διακρίνουν, μας καλεί να ταχθούμε σαφώς υπέρ της πρώτης. Πώς να πεις όχι;

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About Luis Sepúlveda

Luis Sepúlveda

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Luis Sepúlveda is a Chilean writer, film director, journalist and political activist.

He studied theatre production at the National University. In 1969, Sepúlveda was given a five-year scholarship to continue his drama studies at the Moscow University, but it was withdrawn after five months on account of 'misconduct' (he attended a party with a Politburo Officer's Wife, which was considered high of Luis Sepúlveda is a Chilean writer, film director, journalist and political activist.

He studied theatre production at the National University. In 1969, Sepúlveda was given a five-year scholarship to continue his drama studies at the Moscow University, but it was withdrawn after five months on account of 'misconduct' (he attended a party with a Politburo Officer's Wife, which was considered high ofense).

Luis Sepúlveda was politically active first as a leader of the student movement and in the Salvador Allende administration in the department of cultural affairs where he was in charge of a series of cheap editions of classics for the general public. He also acted as a mediator between the government and Chilean companies.
After the Chilean coup of 1973 which brought to power General Augusto Pinochet he was jailed for two-and-a-half years and then obtained a conditional release through the efforts of the German branch of Amnesty International and was kept under house arrest.

He managed to escape and went underground for nearly a year. With the help of a friend who was head of the Alliance française in Valparaíso he set up a drama group that became the first cultural focus of resistance. He was rearrested and given a life sentence (later reduced to twenty-eight years) for treason and subversion.

The German section of Amnesty International intervened again and his prison sentence was commuted to eight years of exile, and in 1977 he left Chile to fly to Sweden where he was supposed to teach Spanish literature. At the first stopover in Buenos Aires he escaped and managed to enter Uruguay. Because the political situations in both Argentina and Uruguay were similar to those in his home country, Sepúlveda went to São Paulo in Brazil and then to Paraguay. He had to leave again because of the local regime and finally settled in Quito in Ecuador guest of his friend Jorge Enrique Adoum. He directed the Alliance Française theatre, founded a theatrical company and took part in a UNESCO expedition to assess the impact of colonization on the Shuar Indians.

During the expedition he shared the life of the Shuars for seven months and came to an understanding of Latin America as a multicultural and multilingual continent where the Marxism-Leninism he was taught was not applicable to a rural population that was dependent on its surrounding natural environment. He worked in close contact with Indian organizations and drafted the first literacy teaching plan for the Imbabura peasants' federation, in the Andes.

In 1979 he joined the Simón Bolívar international brigade which was fighting in Nicaragua and after the victory of the revolution he started working as a journalist and one year later he left for Europe.

He went to Hamburg in Germany because of his admiration of German literature (he learned the language in prison) especially the romantics as Novalis and Friedrich Hölderlin and worked there as journalist traveling widely in Latin America and Africa.

In 1982 he came in contact with Greenpeace and worked until 1987 as a crewmember on one of their ships. He later acted as co-ordinator between various branches of the organization.
...more

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“It was the purest love without purpose other than love itself. Without tenure or jealousy.” — 39 likes

“He often heard that wisdom comes with age, and he waited, trusting that this wisdom would bring him what he most wanted; that ability to guide his memories and not fall into the traps that they often set for him.” — 19 likes

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