Bless me, Ultima / Bendíceme, Ultima

 

by Rudolfo Anaya

Set in New Mexico during the 1940s, young Antonio Márez, who is raised under the protective wing of a mystic and herbal healer, seeks out his family heritage while learning the secrets of his mentor.

En Nuevo México durante la década de 1940, el joven Antonio Márez—criado por una curandera mística—busca a su legado familiar mientras aprende los secretos de su mentor.

Latin@Literature Discussion Group will meet Wednesday, June 12, 7-8:30 p.m., 3rd Floor meeting room. Attendees have the option to read in English and/or Spanish. Discussions may also be in English and Spanish. Attendees do not have to be bilingual. Copies of Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless me, Ultima (Spanish: Bendíceme, Ultima) will be held at the 2nd floor Readers Services Desk one month before the discussion. Call to register at (847) 448-8620!

Summaries to the stories in “Ficciones”

Below I’ve provided summaries to each story in Ficciones.  Just click on the title link below to read the summary.

For those of you struggling to understand Borges’ Ficciones, my advice is this:  don’t try too hard to find hidden meanings or stress yourself out trying to make sense of these fictions…just enjoy the cosmic ride and draw some general conclusions afterwards.  -rk

Part I

• Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius
• The approach to Al-Mu-taism
• Pierre Menard, Author of Don Quixote
• The circular ruins
• The Babylon Lottery
• Examination of the work of Herbert Quain
• Library of Babel
• The Garden of forking paths

Part II

• Funes, the Memorious
• The form of the sword
• Theme of the traitor and hero
• Death and the compass
• The secret miracle
• Three versions of Judas
• The end
• The Sect of the Phoenix
• The South

 And, some more general analysis of his works: The quest for Borges.

Understanding the Erudite : Jorge Luis Borges

For those of you who’ve started reading the newest Latin@book, Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges, this enotes.com link provides a brief introduction to approaching this erudite work.  Also take a look below at this tribute to the poet (in Spanish with English subtitles).

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Btw, in remembrance of last month’s book, Santa Evita (by Tomás Eloy Martínez) comes a macabre video (sent to me by a Latin@member) which might as well have been inspired, in part, by Martinez’s macabre novel.  My favorite part of this video comes at about 1:40 when Evita is portrayed in numerous images as a hallowed icon.

Ficciones

 

by Jorge Luis Borges

Fascinating and surprising Ficciones gives the reader a world of reflections on the conventions of reading and how to understand reality.

Ficciones fascina y sorprende al lector en una obra de reflexiones sobre las convenciones de la lectura y la forma de entender la realidad.

Latin@Literature Discussion Group will meet Wednesday, May 8, 7-8:30 p.m., 3rd Floor meeting room. Attendees have the option to read in English and Spanish. Discussions may also be in English and Spanish. Attendees do not have to be bilingual. Copies of Jorge Luis Borges’s Ficciones will be held at the 2nd floor Readers Services Desk one month before the meeting. Call to register at (847) 448-8620!

The funeral procession

For those of you who haven’t seen it, here’s the “funeral” scene from the 1996 musical drama film “Evita” (by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber; the film was directed by Alan Parker and written by Parker and Oliver Stone).
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Also, here’s a great biography.com website on Evita with some original film footage (but you have to sit through a commercial).

Santa Evita: A Novel

by Tomás Eloy Martínez

A macabre comedy on Eva Person’s corpse–hidden, hijacked, replicated, smuggled abroad, buried, resurrected and repatriated!

Una comedia macabra sobre el cadáver de Eva Perón–escondido, secuestrado, reproducido, sepultado, resucitado y repatriado.

Latin@Literature Discussion Group will meet Wednesday, April 10th, 7-8:30 p.m., 3rd Floor meeting room.  Attendees have the option to read in English and Spanish.  Discussions may also be in English and Spanish.  Attendees do not have to be bilingual. Copies of Tomás Eloy Martínez’s Santa Evita will be held at the 2nd floor Readers Services Desk one month before the meeting.  Call to register at (847) 448-8620!

Film “Harvest of Empire” screening dates

The film adaptation of Harvest of Empire will be shown at the Gene Siskel Film Center from April 19th through April 25th.   Author Juan González will be present for audience discussion at the 8:15 p.m. screening on Friday.  Click here for show times and ticket information!