3 Books by this Little Known Latin American Author
Clarice Lispector, the books you should read
The Hour of the Star
The most notable of Lispector’s difficulties for readers are her purposefully divisive style and form decisions. It’s a novel that emphasizes both the story itself and the mechanics of delivering the story; as Toibin puts it, Lispector takes us backstage while the play is being performed and shows us how the theater works. In fact, Lispector gives us a peek of her own inner monologue as she worked, which I prefer to believe without much evidence is what makes the book so stunning regarding the challenges of the writing process itself. I suggested this book to several of my writer friends in the hopes that they would be able to relate to some of Rodrigo’s alternately hopeful and lack of ability to fulfill his role in the story he is attempting to tell, as well as his display of godlike power as he moves his tiny puppets across the stage, not to mention his overt desire to express himself: I had to write about this girl from the Northeast or I’ll stutter. For instance, this is such a perfect image of how it feels to start writing a piece of fiction after pages of Rodrigo stalling: “The thing to do is to start suddenly, just as I leap suddenly into the chilly water of the sea, a manner of facing the severe cold with suicidal bravado I’m ready to suggest that in part, that she lacked competence. Incapable for life.
Selected Cronicas
The avant-garde author Lispector was asked to write a weekly column on any subject by Brazil’s top newspaper in 1967. Lispector demonstrated to Brazilian readers the breadth and depth of her interests for over seven years. This exquisitely rendered selection of cronicas, or columns, is still very engaging today, solidifying her position as one of Brazil’s best authors. Indeed, these essays ought to confirm her as one of the best essayists of the day. She is a genius at turning everyday occurrences into moments of clarity that reveal deeper truths; in this regard, she is like Montaigne. Collections of columns frequently have jagged transitions, but her openness builds a cohesive story that encompasses all the happenings, recollections, stories, and insights.
The Complete Cronicas have now been published in English and it is titled Too Much of Life. That might be well worth your time.
The Passion According to G.H.
Obviously, a person must enjoy reading. And not just for knowledge, not just for ownership satisfactions, nor just for the rush of a well-done deal — a bargain. This book is almost entirely set in one small, practically empty room. A cockroach and a woman accidentally cross paths. We spend a total of 139 pages inside this woman’s body, mind, and heart. Lispector, however, explores the depths of Hell and somehow gravitates up to Heaven despite these physical limitations, confusing the differences between them. It is a reflection on all the important topics that, for the most part, we are unable to articulate and that the busy world as a whole has little time for. The right reader can lose a whole afternoon going back and forth. It is infinitely readable.
