zachbrumaire's review against another edition
4.0
the creative dexterity and raw scope of Bolaño's creation is of course immense, so much so that, at be the risk of over-exactitude i would have preferred the inclusion of a substantive forward or introduction (the 30th of the 33 sections already operates as a conclusion, thematically at least) so as to better attain a sense of capacity to navigate the total world he elaborates with such a fecund yet (paradoxically?) restrained pen. Such works as Borges' Survey of the Works of Herbert Quain and The Approach of Al-Mu'tasim come to mind, their fingerprints (which is not *necessarily* to say the lineage, though in this case we can probably safely assume) already being clear enough on the present text. Still, it profits one little to critique an author for not writing the book one would have preferred (or expected) to read. Or perhaps we should congratulate Bolaño for writing *precisely* that book, and all the more so for executing it by means of that most asture of all literary tequniques.
ethorwitz's review against another edition
4.0
This book is deceptively short. It is a series of biographies, some of them as short as one or two pages, of poets and authors who have adopted either antisemitic or right wing ideologies. The depths of the character's lives and the extent of the underground fascist literary scene implied by these chunks of text would require a sprawling epic to accurately convey if this were a standard novel. But this format allows Bolaño to compress a large amount of content into little pieces.
I've always been a big fan of fake nonfiction, so this would have gotten a good review from me even if it were a series of invented biographies of pastry chefs or fly fishermen. But instead this book is populated by monsters. These subjects all share shades of thoroughly unpleasant, chillingly psychotic, or pitiably deluded.
I'm a lefty and Bolaño is a lefty so it would be a cheap interaction for him to write and me to read something that just makes fun of the other side. But after a while it becomes clear that this isn't a book about ideology or Nazism at all. This book is about alienation. Most of the subjects are pushed further and further down the deep end by the opprobrium of the literary establishment and their peers. They end their lives wasting away of disease or drink somewhere, alone and forgotten. It is clear that these characters could easily be Bolaño or one of his real-life friends.
I've always been a big fan of fake nonfiction, so this would have gotten a good review from me even if it were a series of invented biographies of pastry chefs or fly fishermen. But instead this book is populated by monsters. These subjects all share shades of thoroughly unpleasant, chillingly psychotic, or pitiably deluded.
I'm a lefty and Bolaño is a lefty so it would be a cheap interaction for him to write and me to read something that just makes fun of the other side. But after a while it becomes clear that this isn't a book about ideology or Nazism at all. This book is about alienation. Most of the subjects are pushed further and further down the deep end by the opprobrium of the literary establishment and their peers. They end their lives wasting away of disease or drink somewhere, alone and forgotten. It is clear that these characters could easily be Bolaño or one of his real-life friends.
nickjagged's review against another edition
4.0
Bolaño crafts a fictional taxonomy of myriad literary scenes that intersect in various ways with Nazi ideology from ~1870 to ~2040. What's notable about this book is how he creates a range of authors and poets covering the spectrum of fascist ideology, without any of them existing as an "exemplary figure" of an American Nazi Author (as fascism has never been much for clear definitions). None of the characters seem too far-fetched, excepting for maybe the skywriter (though one could easily see D'annunzio pulling such a stunt if skywriting had come about 20 years earlier). There are no Timothy McVeighs (after all, he wasn't much of a literary figure), but some of them share more than a few characteristics with William Luther Pierce (or, in a different key, Leni Riefenstahl).
grasonpoling's review against another edition
4.0
This novel sort of opens up the Bolaño-verse and makes connections to his other works that could’ve only been guessed. This novel doesn’t do away with any of the shadows hiding answers, but gives perspective of how thorough his void is.
For the new-to-Bolaño, Nazi Lit will probably feel too random, but still enjoyable in its format and comedy.
For the new-to-Bolaño, Nazi Lit will probably feel too random, but still enjoyable in its format and comedy.
anthonyk's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this book rings true, and that's frightening considering how little had changed in society
fffv's review against another edition
4.0
A strange little book. Far from Bolaño's best, but it might be the one that best fills the gaps. I'll read it again and reassess once I have the chance to work through 2666.
trashstaaar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have to admit I was going to rate this book a bit lower than I did, as I feel like it was a bit hit or miss for me, going from smart, witty satire to mundane, wikipedia esque entries that I found myself skipping through (though there is a chance I was simply missing the humour in some parts, as I’m not that well versed in the politics and history of the Americas to get all the nuances). But, the more I think about the whole concept of the book, the whole idea is honestly so brilliant. Even though I didn’t love the stylistic aspects at times, I still have to give props to the character and world building.
Also, the very last entry to the book is some of, if not the most gripping story I’ve read so far. I’ll definitely be doing a deeper dive into Bolaño’s oeuvre to see if I can experience something similar fleshed out into a full book.
Also, the very last entry to the book is some of, if not the most gripping story I’ve read so far. I’ll definitely be doing a deeper dive into Bolaño’s oeuvre to see if I can experience something similar fleshed out into a full book.
_nick_'s review against another edition
5.0
"He detested Alfonso Reyes with a tenacity worthy of a nobler enterprise."
mrswhatsit8's review against another edition
5.0
Extraordinary, a novel that shouldn't for a second work but does because of Bolaño's enormous talent, biting humor, and expansive imagination. Reading this encyclopedia of far-right writers who never were elicits some of the pleasures of a great sci-fi novel, where you are plunged into a fully lived-in reality and must work out the details, and is always compelling (Bolaño can evoke whole epic tragedies in phrases, worlds in clauses). But the strongest feeling when reading it is that of being stalked by a shadow, an ominous force that raises the hairs on your neck but you can never quite see. Bolaño never loses hold of the dangerous cruelties of the Nazi culture-making he depicts even as he unveils its absurdities and human personalities, and the rotting underneath is never over explained but viscerally felt. I'm sure greater knowledge of mid-20th century American fascism and literature would have made the experience even richer, but worth a read for everyone, and provides illumination to some of the mechanisms of Nazi cultural production taking place today.