Jordi Punti

Seis años después de la muy elogiada colección de relatos Animales tristes, Jordi Puntí demuestra su talento para la ficción de largo alcance con esta particular «novela de carretera»: una historia conmovedora, descarnada y cargada de un humor sutil, que ahonda en las vidas de un pequeño grupo de personajes en una Barcelona sofocada por el manto gris de la dictadura y deseosa de incorporarse a la modernidad europea. Cuando el escurridizo barcelonés Gabriel Delacruz —huérfano, transportista y jugador empedernido— desaparece del mapa, sus cuatro hijos «cristóbales», que viven repartidos por Europa e ignoran la existencia de sus hermanos, se conocen y empiezan a atar los cabos de la historia de su padre. A medida que avanza la narración, el complejo retablo de una vida adquiere progresivamente profundidad, produciendo en el lector la misma fascinación que el propio Gabriel ejerce en quienes han tenido trato con él, en las mujeres que lo han amado y en los hijos que llevan esperándolo toda una vida.… (plus d'informations)

Tenc curiositat per saber com ordena l'autor (o l'editor) un recull de contes a l'hora de publicar-lo. Si posa els més bons primer, el final pot ser una mica decebedor. Si posa els millors al final, el llibre et pot caure de les mans abans d'haver-ne llegit una quarta part. I si és reserven els més fluixos per a la meitat del recull, pot ser difícil trobar ganes de continuar.

Siga com siga, he llegit els tres primers contes dels deu de què consta el recull, i l'interès és nul. L'autor va contant una tirallonga de fets banals, i ni tan sols és capaç de crear un gir o un final que sorprenga una mica. Aquesta obra va guanyar el Premi a la Creació de la Fundació Enciclopèdia Catalana 1995. No vull ni pensar com devien ser les altres obres que s'hi varen presentar.… (plus d'informations)

This Is Not America is a collection of nine short stories mostly taking place in Barcelona, but also with Catalans traveling abroad. The first and last stories are the strangest. In the first, “Vertical”, a man is waking the ‘I’ in Mai, memorializing his late wife by walking her name on the streets of Barcelona. His description of grief is vivid and authentic, though the story meanders through its own streets. Frankly, I nearly quit reading during the first story, but the rest were far more to my taste.

“Kidney” is a story of estranged brothers and a weak story that seems more like a long joke told late into the night on a drunken bender. “Consolation Prize” is a strange story of a man falling into infatuation with a girl because he learns she shares an admiration for a band he likes. To me he seemed a bit stalkerish and unpleasant, but I think Puntí’s stories are far more expressive of the male worldview. You really see that in “My Best Friend’s Mother” which has a middle-age man trying to replay an adolescent wish fulfillment fantasy.

I think “Seven Days on the Loveboat” is my favorite, a man had planned a trip to Paris with his wife but they separated right before their anniversary, so he trades his trip in for a Mediterranean cruise on one of the hookup type cruise ships where things don’t go as planned.

This Is Not America is strange collection of stories. Some of them I really liked and others were just strange and a couple I just did not like. I thought the final story was too cute by half, going all meta by writing about a writer writing a short story on commission who goes to a party where Jordi Puntí happens to be a guest. On the other hand, except for “Kidney” every story seemed truly new, unlike anything I have read before. That excites me, so on the whole, it’s a good anthology with a mix of hits and misses.

I received an e-galley ofThis Is Not America from the publisher through NetGalley

This Is Not America at Atria Books | Simon & Schuster
Jordi Puntí on Twitter

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2019/08/06/9781982104719/… (plus d'informations)