AURA by Carlos Fuentes
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- Опубликовано: 30 июн 2022
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Paperback, 145 pages
Bilingual Edition
Published 1986 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
first published 1962
ISBN: 9780374511715
#leafbyleaf #bookreview #carlosfuentes #aura
It's pretty good. I started reading Aura before bed with the intention of only going through a few pages and I ended up reading through the whole thing. Less than 100 pages novellas are underrated; it's immediacy makes them quite the unique reading experience. Have you read 'Battles in the desert' by José Emilio Pacheco? It's also 70 pages or so and also takes place in Mexico City. As a Side note, Aura is begging to be adapted to film by Guillermo del Toro, they're truly made for each other.
Aura was assigned reading in 9th grade and I fell in love with Carlos Fuentes ever since. Much of his work centers around the mexican revolution and its aftermath but if you ever find yourself wanting something similar to Aura in tone, mood, setting, and even length I suggest giving his "Vlad" a chance (I believe it has been translated to english). It's Fuentes' take on Dracula, set in Mexico City. Aura and Vlad are a testament to Fuentes' flexibility in his ability to write beautiful and genuinely haunting gothic horror in the form of a ghost story and a vampire story respectively.
Weirdly I feel like no one reads Fuentes anymore-always a big pile up of his stuff at every used bookstore I go to. Loved his first novel, Where The Air Is Clear, and Terra Nostra kind of broke my brain in the brief third of it I read, but I definitely need to revisit. Would recommend, though I am unsure of the translations available, Efraín Huerta who is considered to have done in poetry what Fuentes did in prose for Mexican literature, which is to say modernizing it in a distinct and new way. Huerta is also one of the all time world great city poets, writing and rewriting his journeys literal, aesthetic, and imaginary through the streets of Mexico City. One of my all time favorites
Liked your description very much,,,, you seem to leave out the cold coffee out in your comments,,, love to learn your thoughts on that
Follow up- I just finished Aura. What an incredible read. Wow. Wow. Wow.
Excellent review! You have great content and taste 👌 keep it coming sir! 😊
I also like how the title “Aura” is the girls name, and sounds a lot like (Ahora) meaning “now”… since a big theme of the story is time
Thanks so much from Mexico to you. GRACIAS
Great review thanks
Grabbed this along with “Bloodchild” Butler, and “wretched of earth” Fannon the other day. I extended the joy of this mini, as much as I could so what probably could have taken a few hours turned into a few weeks. So was pleasantly surprised and pleased to find your review here as I do my post reading gathering of any and all facts and tidbits and info. 📖 📚
One can always count on you to recommend interesting books
I highly enjoy your Latin/Hispanic author book reviews. I was never exposed to these greats in school. Would you ever consider doing a Latin/Hispanic series much like you did the western core series? Thank you.
Love the video, Chris. Fuentes seems incredible, and if nothing else, your cold helps your voice sound smooth and serious out of respect for such a great little novella lol
I hope you are feeling better. This novella looks like fun to check my Spanish with dual language edition, plus a good read.
I love this, Chris! It's been a few years since I read Aura (I'm not even sure if I reviewed it on my channel or not). I have read a lot by Fuentes although not Terra Nostra (I have the feeling that novel has a better reputation in the English-speaking world than it does in Hispanic countries). Excellent job!
An old favorite
I haven’t read any Fuentes, but one of my favorite writers here in Romania recommended “Destiny and Desire” by Fuentes and he said it’s a masterpiece and a literary event, so I’m curious about that one as well. Have you read it?
That’s just how I like my masterpieces: mini. This book is so easily available in Spanish that I have forgotten to read it. I’ll change that soon. But Chris, the most notable Mexican writer, until the ruins of el Zócalo get mixed up with the ruins of the Aztec pyramids and a new species of bipeds walks the earth and the Spanish language becomes illegible, will always be Juan Rulfo.
Terra Nostra is a book written solely to be reviewed by Leaf by Leaf. Currently reading it and I gotta say it’s a truly great novel.
Pagecountwise, this sounds like quality over quantity. I think I'll get a copy. And yes, re-reading is often when the real magic kicks in. Gracias for the baritonal report y cuidate.