Saturday, October 29, 2011

Enrique Vila-Matas' "Montano's Malady"

Is there such a thing as literature sickness? According to Enrique Vila-Matas' (sort of) novel, the answer is yes. There also should be a warning sign on the cover saying this book is only for literary nerds, because this is a hardcore open port to the world of literary concerns. In fact, one would think that this is the ultlmate book for anyone who is even thinking of writing a novel or two. 
Reflections on Kafka, Benjamin, and every cult writer from the 20th Century is in this book, as well as some side issues, like Edgar Ulmer' s great noir film "Detour." And also what is a writer's journal and does it reflect on 'real' life or life imagined. Does these issues concern you? If no, skip the book, but if you are an obsessive reader like me, who wonders about these things -well then Vila-Matas is the Brian Wilson of Euro book geek-dom. So yeah, I love it. 

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