By Night in Chile by Roberto Bolaño
Mar. 17th, 2025 06:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
m_oonmoonMy first foray into Latin American literature is with Gabriel García Marquez's works. Now, after reading my first Bolaño, I find a growing interest in discovering works from other authors of this region. More than anything, I loved the ease with which the prose flows. It's been awhile since I read Marquez (something I'm going to have to rectify within the next month. I think it's time to read One Hundred Years of Solitude again) but I remember being very enamored with the way he wrote. At the risk of sounding cliche, it really did felt like I was being transported. I experienced the same thing while I was reading By Night in Chile.
The novella is Sebastian Urrutia Lacroix's stream of consciousness as he lies in his deathbed. As such, the main challenge in reading By Night in Chile is contending with the lack of paragraphs. It would certainly be do-able to read this book in one sitting but since I didn't have the time (and attention span) to do so, I read it over the course of a few days. So, whenever I have to pick up where I left off, I find that I had to read the previous pages again to get back into it. Other than that, the prose is so beautiful and lyrical and it's easy to immerse yourself into the book.
The book explores heavy themes as Sebastian looks back on his life. Sebastian wears many hats. He is a Chilean priest, a literary critic and a 'failed' poet, moving primarily in the intellectual and artistic circles of Chile. As he relays the history of his life to clear up some points to the 'wizened youth' that seems to be terrorizing him at the end of his life, it becomes clear that he is complicit in allowing the dictator Pinochet's rise to power.
In the midst of the social turmoil he escapes into Greco-Roman poetry. Pinochet's junta commissions his assistance in tutoring them in Marxism to 'better understand their enemies', to which Sebastian accepts. While the country was undergoing curfews, he attends Maria Canales' soirées in her home, not once asking how she could afford to have the frequent gatherings without attracting trouble. Throughout all these, Sebastian seems to imply that he had no choice in the matter and that he didn't see anything wrong with what he was doing at that time.
By Night in Chile is a criticism of the nonchalance that 'intellectuals' display during times of social upheaval. As long as they are safe in their mansions, they turn a blind eye on the troubles that surround their country. I do not pretend to know much about this time in Chile's history but I can see a resemblance in the way some people in my country choose to remain apolitical during difficult times. Admittedly, the comparison is loose and hard to defend. After all, the CIA was heavily involved in Allende being ousted (despite being democratically elected) and Pinochet's subsequent rise to power. Sometimes, it feels like the people in my country don't need the CIA's interference. This country will elect a right-wing dictator out of their own volition.
All that aside, I'm sure I've spoiled a lot already but there are a couple of things in the novel that really stand out to me (whether because of its imagery or the message it provides). Without giving too much away:
The novella is Sebastian Urrutia Lacroix's stream of consciousness as he lies in his deathbed. As such, the main challenge in reading By Night in Chile is contending with the lack of paragraphs. It would certainly be do-able to read this book in one sitting but since I didn't have the time (and attention span) to do so, I read it over the course of a few days. So, whenever I have to pick up where I left off, I find that I had to read the previous pages again to get back into it. Other than that, the prose is so beautiful and lyrical and it's easy to immerse yourself into the book.
The book explores heavy themes as Sebastian looks back on his life. Sebastian wears many hats. He is a Chilean priest, a literary critic and a 'failed' poet, moving primarily in the intellectual and artistic circles of Chile. As he relays the history of his life to clear up some points to the 'wizened youth' that seems to be terrorizing him at the end of his life, it becomes clear that he is complicit in allowing the dictator Pinochet's rise to power.
In the midst of the social turmoil he escapes into Greco-Roman poetry. Pinochet's junta commissions his assistance in tutoring them in Marxism to 'better understand their enemies', to which Sebastian accepts. While the country was undergoing curfews, he attends Maria Canales' soirées in her home, not once asking how she could afford to have the frequent gatherings without attracting trouble. Throughout all these, Sebastian seems to imply that he had no choice in the matter and that he didn't see anything wrong with what he was doing at that time.
By Night in Chile is a criticism of the nonchalance that 'intellectuals' display during times of social upheaval. As long as they are safe in their mansions, they turn a blind eye on the troubles that surround their country. I do not pretend to know much about this time in Chile's history but I can see a resemblance in the way some people in my country choose to remain apolitical during difficult times. Admittedly, the comparison is loose and hard to defend. After all, the CIA was heavily involved in Allende being ousted (despite being democratically elected) and Pinochet's subsequent rise to power. Sometimes, it feels like the people in my country don't need the CIA's interference. This country will elect a right-wing dictator out of their own volition.
All that aside, I'm sure I've spoiled a lot already but there are a couple of things in the novel that really stand out to me (whether because of its imagery or the message it provides). Without giving too much away:
- A falcon bringing down the white dove (Picasso's dove)
- The basement in Canales' house
- The wizened youth
- Pinochet being tutored Marxism
- Sebastian turning away from the peasants