Adolfo Bioy Casares
Jorge Luis Borges calls The Invention of Morel perfect in no uncertain terms in his introduction to that story, and while he is guilty of the hyperbole he claims to avoid, Casares's story of the strange experiences of a lonely fugitive inhabiting a mysterious island is an excellent and philosophical tale that effortlessly raises issues of free will, love, and immortality without resorting to haughty third-person narration or explicitly discussing these issues out side of the realm of the story. This is a story that is about so much more than its adventure, but it is nonetheless a moving story presented in an engaging and easy-to-read translation by Ruth L. C. Simms. Casares knows how to work with narrative tension, allowing his story to rise and fall without seeming artificial and allowing just enough of the plot ot remain curious and uncertain to produce a riveting tale. His use of an unreliable narrator is absolutely magical as the reader must choose what, exactly, to believe of the fugitive who may be losing his mind or who may have stumbled upon a morally ambiguous and life-altering invention. There are points where the story gets a bit confusing without adding tension or any real benefits to the story and for some reason Casares has an invented editor chiming in throughout the story to discredit the narrator or make asinine comments that may lend themselves to scrutiny of the story's credibility but which only pull the reader out of the story and which cause far more confusion than they clear up. Overall, The Invention of Morel is an engaging tale that posits a world-altering invention and lends itself to philosophical ramblings while maintaining an interesting story line that takes a drastic and tragic turn at its final crescendo.
The other stories in this edition, which together comprise Casares's short story collection La Trama Celeste, provoke similar feelings in the reader, if they are not executed as admirably or are as engaging and interesting beyond themselves. Aside from the incomprehensible "The Future Kings", which doesn't seem to have any sort of significance and which is written poorly and in a confusing manner, the stories of La Trama Celeste are engaging and deal with the unique quirks of spirituality and effects of the universe we can never hope to understand. The best story of the collection is by far "The Celestial Plot", which allows the reader to conjure an explanation without being obvious. The story is a delightful maze of a plot that is enjoyable to read and to ponder afterward.
Like most of its cousins here, "The Celestial Plot" uses engaging first-person narration, though Casares shows a taste for nested narratives that seems redundant and is only used with real success in the otherwise mediocre "The Perjury of the Snow". Overall, however, stories such as "In Memory of Pauline" raise some of the issues seen in The Invention of Morel and employ an atmospheric spookiness that is interesting and enveloping. Casares is able to relate the utterly fantastic with a deadpan seriousness that only serves to amplify the celestial nature of his plots and plot twists. While it's true that reading the collection in one sitting can be tiresome as each story follows the same formula, La Trama Celeste is interesting and engaging, certainly pleasant even if each story hinges on one crucial moment and possesses excruciating amounts of unnecessary detail (see "The Other Labyrinth", most of the plot of which is unnecessary but which leaves a lingering effect upon the reader nonetheless). Taken together, The Invention of Morel and the stories of La Trama Celeste do well to create a mood of the unexpected and present the work of a master of the fantastic. Everything is just a bit off-kilter in these worlds, and the effect is, more often than not, delightful.
Grade: B+
The other stories in this edition, which together comprise Casares's short story collection La Trama Celeste, provoke similar feelings in the reader, if they are not executed as admirably or are as engaging and interesting beyond themselves. Aside from the incomprehensible "The Future Kings", which doesn't seem to have any sort of significance and which is written poorly and in a confusing manner, the stories of La Trama Celeste are engaging and deal with the unique quirks of spirituality and effects of the universe we can never hope to understand. The best story of the collection is by far "The Celestial Plot", which allows the reader to conjure an explanation without being obvious. The story is a delightful maze of a plot that is enjoyable to read and to ponder afterward.
Like most of its cousins here, "The Celestial Plot" uses engaging first-person narration, though Casares shows a taste for nested narratives that seems redundant and is only used with real success in the otherwise mediocre "The Perjury of the Snow". Overall, however, stories such as "In Memory of Pauline" raise some of the issues seen in The Invention of Morel and employ an atmospheric spookiness that is interesting and enveloping. Casares is able to relate the utterly fantastic with a deadpan seriousness that only serves to amplify the celestial nature of his plots and plot twists. While it's true that reading the collection in one sitting can be tiresome as each story follows the same formula, La Trama Celeste is interesting and engaging, certainly pleasant even if each story hinges on one crucial moment and possesses excruciating amounts of unnecessary detail (see "The Other Labyrinth", most of the plot of which is unnecessary but which leaves a lingering effect upon the reader nonetheless). Taken together, The Invention of Morel and the stories of La Trama Celeste do well to create a mood of the unexpected and present the work of a master of the fantastic. Everything is just a bit off-kilter in these worlds, and the effect is, more often than not, delightful.
Grade: B+
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