The Savage Detectives

[Matt]

Just wondering if anyone has read The Savage Detectives prior to reading 2666. TSD was published first and shares a few key traits with 2666 (although moreso in the parts set in Mexico). If you have, what did you think of TSD?

[Hank]

I read "The Savage Detectives" the week or so before the "2666" group read began. I thought it was pretty great, though it's very different from "2666," at least until you get to "The Part About the Crimes." Then the style of writing become more similar, though it's still not quite the same.

[Derek]

The Savage Detectives was good to read before 2666, and I am glad I read them in that order. If you can push through all the name dropping and narrative changes, 2666 will be, in many respects, an easier, and fortunately much more meaningful read. TSD paints hundreds of quickly changing scenes, while 2666 lingers longer in fewer places. It definitely seemed to me that Bolaño honed his craft from one book to the next. Interesting to see the common themes between these two novels.

[Anthony]

I have read The Savage Detectives, By Night in Chile, Distant Star, Amulet, and Nazi Literature in the Americas.

There is some overlapping characters and ideas within some of Bolano's short works and TSD. I found Savage Detectives quite different from 2666.(thats why I was interested in this group just to see what others thought about 2666)

My favorite Bolano work is Nazi Literature in the Americas.

[Scott]

I love the Lima/Belano cameo in 2666. That caught me off guard, but made the rest of The Part About The Crimes a bit more interesting.

[Big Hard Books & Classics]

Egad, this group is D.E.A.D . . .