The Writer's Life 11/23 - Chilly

Author of 18 novels and four works of non-fiction, Isabel Allende has received a ton of minor literary awards. Born in Peru, she is of Chilean descent. She is related to deposed Marxist president Salvador Allende. Her third novel, Of Love and Shadows, takes place in an unnamed Latin America country clearly based on Chile. Given her reputation, I looked forward to reading it. Alas, the danger of high expectations did me in. Of Love and Shadows is a political screed wrapped around a love story. It has two major faults: the powers that be inflict unforgivable atrocities, making the story black and white, empty of the grey that makes for great art; and all suspense is eroded when in the first third there is a line about the main characters looking back years later. The writing is sound but windy. There is an absence of the magic realism that characterizes much of the literature of the region, which is fine with me. 41 users at Amazon have rated the novel, forging to a consensus of four out of five stars. I say 2.5. Published in 1985, it is still selling fairly well. A film version starring Antonio Banderas and Jennifer Connelly was released to tepid reviews in 1994. Salvador Allende was ousted in a coup by General Agosto Pinochet's forces in 1973. It took more than a decade, but the regime's free market policies finally took off and Chile became a great success story. On the down side, it is estimated that 3000 citizens were either killed or went missing during Pinochet’s reign ('73-'90). He eventually took responsibility but never expressed regret. In his final speech, read by his wife, he professed his love for his country. He had the last laugh, dying at 93. The right, with reservations, loves him, the left despises him, and there‘s the rub regarding Of Love and Shadows, although the General‘s name is never mentioned. No work has universal appeal, but the best approach it. Dickens did not romanticize the revolutionaries, however just their cause, in A Tale of Two Cities. That’s the difference between a great and mediocre work.  

Occasionally, the Weird But True column in the NY Post has an item that is a gem such as this, paraphrased by yours truly: An Australian man of Vietnamese extraction has had his Facebook account closed three times because of his name -- Phuc Dat Bich, which he says should be pronounced Phoop Dook Bic.

My thanks to the kind folks who bought books today on Bay Parkway, especially an old work buddy, affectionately known as Joe Piss, who bought Exchanges, Fortunately, the bank blocked the wind, as it so often has done, and the sunny session was a snap. I'm reminded of an old elementary school joke: Did you hear the Mexican forecast? Chili today and hot tamale. Rimshot.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5

Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/