The Novices of Lerna by Ángel Bonomini - translated by Jordan Landsman

[@cilliansands6166]

Dude, the way you praise Argentinian literature and Bioy (I already said this in another comment, excellent pronunciation of the name) makes my porteña heart soar. I hope one day you try Ernesto Sabato: El túnel and Sobre héroes y tumbas are incredible, unforgettable books--his obsession with blind people was disturbing, he has a whole section where he rants about them and it's creepy and insane but great writing. If you ever want to discuss more Argentinian authors and maybe get a rec we're friends on GR. I'm Beyond Birthday. I had to download this book for Kindle. In English, because, comically, I can't find it in Spanish. So this Argentinian has to read an Argentinian author in English...🤨 Thank you for this video, Chris.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Hey there, again! And thanks again for the affirmation! So glad you can get your hands on this one-albeit, like you said, translated from your native language. Sabato’s Tunnel is firmly on my list. All best to you!

[@Mompellion]

I just finished this book! I went out and bought it based on your (and Bioy Casares’) recommendation. Thank you for bringing it to my attention, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@fefevicario]

Wonderful! Thanks for the review! Happy you liked it! Argentine literature is a faithful reflection of the roads traveled by the author during economic, political and cultural ups and downs of each era. I strongly recommend Manuel Puig. "Boquitas Pintadas" is an excellent example. Highly recommended! Greetings from an Argentinean 😃.

[@sventhemoose1218]

That sounds irresistible. Bought it!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Excellent! I really don't see how you could regret it.

[@MaximTendu]

What?! I read this book in Italian decades ago (I Novizi Di Lerna), lent it to someone who disappeared with it, and then I almost forgot about its existence. I'm going to get myself a copy in English right now. I owe you one, Chris.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Happy to help out! And I’m jealous that you can read Italian!

[@joseramirez-hh2sw]

At this point I'm sure there must be some kind of Ethernet cable running underneath my household and this channel, possibly tapped by the fbi

[@LeafbyLeaf]

hahaha! please expand on this!

[@Pretzels722]

Is the government spying on schizophrenics enough?

[@Paromita_M]

I've been on a bit of a Borges non-fiction kick, so the "liked by Borges and Bioy Casares" part immediately intrigued me. This sounds so interesting! Earlier in the year I did a bit of a Latin American literature deep-dive (sadly limited by what is translated into English) and realised I like the books which are away from the magical realism label. Contemporary authors I liked were Roberto Bolano (2666), Benjamin Labatut (When We Cease...) but my true interest was Borges and the "offbeat" authors around that time. Borges, Macedonio Fernandez (what was that book? 😁), Augusto Monterroso (excellent stories) were the ones I gravitated towards. Ernesto Sabato's On Heroes and Tombs was nice. Bioy Casares' Invention of Morel too. But really it's Borges and Monterroso. This sounds like an intriguing candidate for joining those two perhaps? Thank you so much for the discussion and happy reading!

[@eskybakzu712]

Not sure if you've heard about it, but I recommend Leopoldo Marechal's "Adan Buenosayres".

[@Manfred-nj8vz]

Wonderful review as always! Have you ever thought to read / talk about any novel by Nikos Kazantzakis? The Last Temptation or Christ Recrucified? Greetings from Greece!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Believe it or not, the _only_ book of Kazantzakis's that I've read is indeed _The Last Temptation_ ! I want to read his sequel to _The Odyssey_ too. Definitely need to get his work on the channel. All best to you in Greece! (As it happens, I'm planning to be there next year!)

[@Manfred-nj8vz]

@@LeafbyLeaf Oh that's great indeed! And yes, I'm sure that his Odyssey would be something special for you and your channel, since you tackle challenging and demanding books. I've read it twice already and it's a titanic work. I appreciate your reply and wish you all the best Leaf by Leaf!

[@BlueDusk95]

Thank you for making me discover this author who's never been translated to French. Have you ever reviewed Mariana Enriquez? I've read a few short stories from the two collections available in French (they are in English too) and she goes more into real horror but still within the general tradition of Argentinian literature.

[@eashanshenai4980]

Mr. Leaf by Leaf please hear me out. I read the story twice due to this video (and have watched the video two times as well) but I am very confused about The Novices of Lerna. My (naïve) best interpretation was that it was about a man dealing with depersonalization and shellshock caused by military service and Lerna was some sort of mental asylum or corrective facility. One the first read, I weakly believed this theory of mine; on the second, even less so. But after reading the two articles that I could find about the story, with their mention of words like homogeneity/individuality/identity, I felt that my interpretation was rather comical, if not absurd. Belonging to one of those types who 'really needs to know', I am now troubled by finding no good explanations. Please sir, be kind enough to provide an explanation and relieve this mental anguish of mine. But, if relieving the meaning isn't on the table, be it due to a moral code or something else, kindly accept my thanks for an amazing book recommendation!

[@reaganwiles_art]

Borges was a great teacher/lecturer, as a writer of ficciones he is overrated. He may have been a good poet. He could not or did not, perhaps was not capable to elaborate his ideas, he was too much a man of ideas to write fiction.

[@ELECDUBMETAL]

"was too much a man of ideias to write fiction" - that's funny!! you have a lot of fiction without ideas, just take an book at any store by change, it's highly probable that it's one where thought is absent, don't worry :)

[@cilliansands6166]

@@reaganwiles_art it's okay to dislike Borges's fiction. I take your comment as being too much a man of ideas means they don't translate well to fiction, or maybe fiction is not the right catalyst for them. Or at least that's how I read it, but feel free to correct me. I'm from Argentina, and, naturally, Borges was always on the menu: either through quotes, literature talk or required school reading. I never really cared much for him, but after so many years without even thinking about him, I bought the Complete Short Stories. I'm curious to see what I'll think of him now.

[@reaganwiles_art]

@@cilliansands6166 I've read a lot of Borges fiction and some nonfiction, which I preferred. I think his poetry is best.