Subject: Re: Rushdie & Coetzee(on INCA Paz or incapaz)
From: Robert Brian Garcia (robgarcia@overnet.com.ar)
Date: Thu Jun 05 1997 - 23:23:03 GMT
Dear Admirer of Labyrinth of Solitude, and all fellow admirers:
While I'm aware that this club is about Salinger, I can't help but bicker
with anyone who would dares recommend Octavio Paz's Labyrinth of Solitude.
For those who haven't read it, it is a social anthropological book that
explores Latin American identity. Latin American identity!! People must
think that Latin America is a country. Try to think for a second how hard
it is to explain American identity. Latin America entails more than 21
different countries. Paz attempted to explain this phenomenon in less than
200 pages without any sort of evidence or research. Moreover, throughout
the book, Paz constantly generalizes, and despicably, reduces latin american
identity with utmost assurance. What's most antagonizing and shocking,
apart from its content, is Paz's tone; Paz does not hesitate when he claims
that Latin Americans enjoy beating their wives, or when he claims that Latin
American have a facination with death. He claims that Latin Americans have
huge fiestas because they live on the edge, in the moment, constantly
thinking of death. OhHHHHHHHHH! GARBAGE! I'm sorry for tormenting fellow
Salingerians with this bullshit, it is just that someday I would like to
spit on Octavio Paz's face for writing this garbage. Furthermore, and I'm
sorry to be so confrontational, but I have no respect whatsoever for anyone,
and I mean anyone, PhD or no PhD, artist or poet, who makes such absurd
generalities confidently and assuringly without any care in the world for
its repercussions, especially, and worst of all, when they claim their
deductions to be universal truths on reality. Anthropology, hah! Well, I'm
tired of Paz bashing, but I feel must say one more thing: A few years ago,
when I was in college, I was assigned to read this abominable book. Excited
to read a Nobel Prize winner, I went immediately to the book store and
picked up a copy for $25. I went home and read the entire book in one
sitting. Never had I been so disillusioned, disgusted, and outraged, so I
went outside with my copy, placed it very carefully on my Weber Grill, and
burned it. I urge every owner of crappy book to do the same; char the
sucker! let it burn!!! Nonetheless, I am still interested to hear people's
honest opinion on this book, especially Malcs who recommended it. I would
really like to know why the recommended it.
Looking forward to your replies,
Robert
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