José Donoso's The Obscene Bird of Night (1970)

José Donoso's The Obscene Bird of Night (1970) | Book Review and Analysis

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Күн бұрын

A reflection on José Donoso's The Obscene Bird of Night (El obsceno pájaro de la noche). English translation by Hardie St. Martin and Leonard Mades published by David R. Godine in 1973.
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Contents:
00:00 - A nightmare
01:39 - Introduction
02:55 - About José Donoso
06:09 - About The Obscene Bird of Night
07:20 - Premise
08:42 - Narrator
10:33 - Ambiguity
13:23 - Making sense out of chaos
14:49 - 1st nucleus: the Azcoitía family
15:55 - 2nd nucleus: "las viejas"
17:34 - 3rd nucleus: legends
19:24 - The unifying element: an illness
20:59 - Language
22:31 - New edition/translation
24:24 - Bottom line
25:16 - A couple of movie recommendations

Пікірлер: 25

@Phattadon02 2 ай бұрын

I’m currently 2/3 almost finished with the book, and I gotta say it's one of the most confusing books I ever read. This video helps a lot, thank you.

@JorgesCorner 2 ай бұрын

I'm so glad to hear the video helped! 😃 I know exactly how you feel. It really is a challenging text, a delirious novel in which we as readers are just as disoriented as the character(s). Thank you for watching and commenting, my friend, and have an amazing day!

@Tanyny99 Ай бұрын

Thank you very much for this brief review of Donoso's work, Jorge! I read The Obscene Bird of Night in Spanish and Czech, as that is my native language. I really loved how you incorporated some ideas of Donoso himself in your review. I would really love to know where they come from, if you don't mind sharing your sources? Just one thing, and now I am not sure if that was just a mistake or if I don't remember well the beginning of the novel. You said it starts with the death of Misiá Raquel Ruiz, but if I'm not mistaken, Raquel stays alive almost throughout the story. The one, whose dead Humberto is telling us about in the beginning is Brígida, Raquel's servant, isn't it so? Thank you once again, loved the video and your enthusiasm for Spanish-written literature!

@JorgesCorner Ай бұрын

Thank you so much for watching and commenting, Táňa! 😃 You are absolutely right: the novel starts with the death of Brígida, not Raquel. I apologize for the confusion! I can't believe I made that mistake... Thank you for pointing it out! That is amazing that you have read the novel both in Spanish and Czech!! The ideas from Donoso come from a text that is included as an afterword in my Spanish edition of the novel, titled "Claves de un delirio: los trazos de la memoria en El obsceno pájaro de la noche." It is 27 pages long, and quite enlightening. I hope you can find a copy! Please stay tuned: there will be more to come on literature in Spanish soon. Have a wonderful day, my friend, and happy reading!

@Patrick.__ 8 ай бұрын

This book was an impulse buy for me last year because I found the cover with the imbunche very alluring, I read it shortly thereafter and absolutely loved it. I am keen to read the new translation next year, but I do want to tackle it in Spanish one of these days. Great review.

@JorgesCorner 8 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Patrick! 😃 I'm so happy to hear you're a fan of this novel too. I definitely recommend reading it in Spanish. The "chilenismos" are one aspect that is lost in translation. I'm still curious about the new edition, of course. Have a great night, my friend!

@travelthroughstories 8 ай бұрын

Thanks so much for this, Jorge! I've been planning to read this one for a long time, but have felt pretty intimidated by it. The context you laid out in the first 10 minutes is super helpful. Now I just need to decide where to wait for the "un-abridged" English edition or just read the one I have! Great video!!

@JorgesCorner 8 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Sean! 😃 I understand the "unabridged" version will be released in March. I found no major problems (other than the usual translation-related issues that we just have to live with) with the current English version, so I'm sure you'll enjoy this fantastic novel either way. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it, my friend! Have a great night!

@Paromita_M 5 ай бұрын

Such a great video structure - I must admit I am more interested in the pre-boom authors (for example you mentioned Carpentier - I am interested, never read + rereading Borges). Boom authors I am interested in Donoso and Cortazar. It is so interesting Donoso championed novellas. My favourite format is the traditional novel but I am gradually learning to appreciate novellas more. Confession: I read The Obscene Bird of Night in June 2023 I think. a) Didn't really understand anything b) Majorly freaked me out 🤣 But I want to try again with the centennial uncut translation. This video helped me a lot. I will rewatch while rereading the novel. And if it works, I hope to check out another novella by Donoso. Great discussion. Happy reading!

@JorgesCorner 5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Paromita! 😃 The pre-boom authors are so interesting, in part because they are neglected, and definitely underrated, especially authors like Carpentier and Asturias. Carpentier's The Kingdom of this World is fantastic. When it comes to novellas by Donoso, I recommend Hell Has No Limits. There's so much more than meets the eye to that one. It has great allegorical dimensions. I totally relate to your initial experience of The Obscene Bird of Night. I think this is one of those novels that almost require a rereading (like The Magic Mountain, haha). Happy reading, my friend!

@Paromita_M 5 ай бұрын

@@JorgesCorner Thank you 🙏🏽

@mikereadstheworld 8 ай бұрын

This was recommended to me by another friend/reader as well, so I may have settled on this for Chile...I keep forgetting to mention I did pick up Onetti's novela collection 1 with Los Adioses so this won't be the first time your channel has convinced me to get a book. Great review as always, and thanks for the shoutout to my video 😊.

@JorgesCorner 8 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for watching and commenting, Mike! 😃 This would indeed be a great choice for Chile. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it! I'm so happy to hear you got the Onetti volume too! I enjoyed all of the texts included in that collection, probably more than the ones featured in volume 2, though I love almost everything that Onetti wrote. I look forward to your discussion of his work too. Have a great night, my friend!

@linasharkova 4 ай бұрын

starting this novel today in Spanish! thank you for the video, seems more approachable now 😀

@JorgesCorner 4 ай бұрын

Happy reading, my friend! 😃 I envy you: I wish I could read this novel for the first time again. Please let me know what you think. Thank you for watching and commenting, and have a fantastic day!

@mariomedhat5839 6 ай бұрын

That's a great video man loved the novel and loved your video And by the way I am from Egypt I found it very fabulous to know about the mythes of a country like Chile Keep going ❤️❤️

@JorgesCorner 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, my friend! 😃 Great novel, isn't it? Wow, Egypt! I've been wanting to visit your country since I was a little kid. Someday, hopefully. I did a video on Naguib Mahfouz recently. Thanks again, and have a fantastic day!

@marinellamaccagni6951 7 ай бұрын

Hi jorge! I missed this video. I tried to read this book by donoso in spanish but I gave it up. Maybe it was not the right time to read it. I'll give it another try in the future. Thank you very much for another astonishing review. Have a gorgeous day, my friend and see you soon!

@JorgesCorner 7 ай бұрын

Hello again, Marinella! 😃 You know, the first time I read this novel, I kind of had to push myself to keep reading, especially with the first chapter. It gets much better... and crazier... as you get more into it. I highly recommend El lugar sin límites too, maybe as an introduction to Donoso. Have a wonderful day, my friend! See you soon!

@Echoesoflostlibraries 8 ай бұрын

Great analysis my friend, I learned a lot. I think this books yields favorably to multiple rereads and I look forwards to reading the new translation (probably start out with a little side by side to see if it compares favorably, but ultimately I suppose the new translation must be read for the inclusion of cut materials from the previous translation) when it comes out. I took great pleasure in trying out how different interpretations of what was happening with the narrative structure felt. Is this just shifting perspectives, is it a descent into madness, or is transformation? Thanks to you my friend I will go into my next read better armed to tackle this odd but magnificent book.

@JorgesCorner 8 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, my friend! 😃 You're absolutely right: this is one of those books to reread. I had a similar experience with Rayuela, but I believe that in many ways The Obscene Bird of Night is more complex, and it demands the reader's involvement just as much (or more?). The ambiguity, or the openness, which you mention, is just exquisite. That central episode, chapter 16... Wow. Donoso really found that unifying element to the three nuclei. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on rereading Donoso, my friend. Thanks again, and have an amazing day!

@neo5kali 8 ай бұрын

Thanks for this video review. I have The Obscene Bird of Night on my TBR list. I love Carlos Fuentes' writing and think both Aura and The Death of Artemio Cruz are magnificent [Terra Nostra is on my TBR list]. Can you read and review Roberto Bolano's novels 2666 and The Savage Detectives? Both are among my favorites. I would really like to hear what you think about those books.

@JorgesCorner 8 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for watching and commenting, my friend! 😃 I'm sure you'll enjoy this novel. Aura is a gem. Terra Nostra, wow... I need to read that, preferably during a relatively quiet time, so I can focus. I'm so glad you mentioned Bolaño. I refer to him briefly in my upcoming video. Many years ago I began to read his works, one after another, including The Savage Detectives, 2666, Amulet, By Night in Chile, Distant Star, his short stories... you name it. I just couldn't stop. The only books by him I haven't read are The Third Reich, Woes of the True Policeman, and The Spirit of Science Fiction. When I reread him, I'll definitely share my ideas here. Thanks again, and have a wonderful day!