almost 2 years ago
Judy Krueger
I received this story collection from my Archipelago Books subscription. The author was well loved in the 1970s and 1980s of Brazil, when a military dictatorship began to censor his writing and put him on a wanted list.
His stories in Moldy Strawberries feature the alienation, indecision and insecurity experienced by gay men in those years. I was reading these stories concurrently with John Irving's latest novel, The Last Chairlift, finding plenty of parallels with those times of danger to gays, including AIDS.
The prose of Caio Fernando Abrue, at least in translation, is beautifully descriptive of both the inner and outer landscapes of his characters. His somewhat stream of consciousness style drew me into these people lives, evoking their loneliness, hopelessness and suppressed longings.
I felt a distinct Jorge Luis Borges influence and was also reminded of Clarice Lispector's writing. That might just be because of the cultural exigencies of South America in the 20th century. It seems to me that life was more unstable there than in North America but I am no expert on those differences.
I have read more short stories than usual in the past year. I find it best to read just one story a day. I have discovered that as I read my way through a collection in that fashion, I get to know its author, their concerns and views and style. When I reach the end I usually have come to an appreciation and even fondness for the writer. This was especially true in Moldy Strawberries.
His stories in Moldy Strawberries feature the alienation, indecision and insecurity experienced by gay men in those years. I was reading these stories concurrently with John Irving's latest novel, The Last Chairlift, finding plenty of parallels with those times of danger to gays, including AIDS.
The prose of Caio Fernando Abrue, at least in translation, is beautifully descriptive of both the inner and outer landscapes of his characters. His somewhat stream of consciousness style drew me into these people lives, evoking their loneliness, hopelessness and suppressed longings.
I felt a distinct Jorge Luis Borges influence and was also reminded of Clarice Lispector's writing. That might just be because of the cultural exigencies of South America in the 20th century. It seems to me that life was more unstable there than in North America but I am no expert on those differences.
I have read more short stories than usual in the past year. I find it best to read just one story a day. I have discovered that as I read my way through a collection in that fashion, I get to know its author, their concerns and views and style. When I reach the end I usually have come to an appreciation and even fondness for the writer. This was especially true in Moldy Strawberries.
