Best Latin American writer?

[Kyriakos]

Since a couple of days ago one of the most famous latin American writers died, but i have not read any full story or novel by him, i thought that this thread might have a reason for existing.

Of the Latin American writers (ie of any country south of US in the New World) i have only read a lot of works by Borges, who was in my view a very capable author, and original in his story concepts. Not a 'perfect' writer, but no one probably is by and large. He did create labyrinths inside his best stories, and was not afraid to not care that much about the readers getting all of the intended meaning (which to a point is inevitable, but on the other hand it rarely is a good idea to not have some semblance of a key to the lock you created in your story).

So in the thread you can discuss Latin American writers and their work. Apart from Borges i only read a few stories by other Argentinian writers (more notably that one about the Axolotl).

 

[luiz]

Garcia Marquez, who recently passed away, was no doubt talented but also boring. Vargas Llosa is the best living Latin American writer IMO, and that was true before Garcia Marquez died as well.

The best all time LA writer is quite difficult to determine. I can say with good confidence that Machado de Assis was the best ever Brazilian writer, but I'm not at all comfortable in making the same judgement for the Hispano-American writers. The best poet was almost certainly Pablo Neruda.

 

[plarq]

Neruda is a staunch commie. Borges is conservative enough to qualify, and due to his British ancestor (paternal grandma), he's not too keen to right-wing nutjobs in Argentina as well. Good balance.

 

[sophie]

Márquez. His Spanish is absolutely, stunningly beautiful.

 

[luiz]

Neruda is a staunch commie. Borges is conservative enough to qualify, and due to his British ancestor (paternal grandma), he's not too keen to right-wing nutjobs in Argentina as well. Good balance.

Neruda was a dirty Stalinist indeed, but also one of the finest poets of the 20th Century. He was a genius. We shouldn't condemn works because of the politics of their authors. Leave that to idiotic communists.

 

[Traitorfish]

Neruda is a staunch commie. Borges is conservative enough to qualify, and due to his British ancestor (paternal grandma), he's not too keen to right-wing nutjobs in Argentina as well. Good balance.

Those are some very strange criteria.

 

[Kyriakos]

Re Borges, i often see it claimed in his bios that he was not awarded the Nobel mostly due to being 'conservative'. He obviously was very much against the two Peron periods of power, but indeed he did not have any 'left'/'leftist' political view either (like most sane people)

I am sure he would have been a far better nomination for the nobel in literature in most years, let alone the year Steinbeck won that award.

 

[Thorgalaeg]

I have tried to read "100 años de soledad" several times, but always gave me stomach ache. It is not that i didnt like it or something, it is tsimply that my stomach hurt every time i start to read it! And i never have stomach ache normally... Speaking about magic realism...

Anyway, on the best latin american writter, it must be Borges for me, no doubt about that.

 

[luiz]

Re Borges, i often see it claimed in his bios that he was not awarded the Nobel mostly due to being 'conservative'. He obviously was very much against the two Peron periods of power, but indeed he did not have any 'left'/'leftist' political view either (like most sane people)

I am sure he would have been a far better nomination for the nobel in literature in most years, let alone the year Steinbeck won that award.

Yeah the fact that Borges didn't win the Nobel and that Vargas Llosa was denied it for so long, while writers of the "quality" of Doris Lessing got it, kind of discredits the award.

 

[Kyriakos]

^At least i hope that Kundera never wins it

I was reading a bit on the lit winners of the Nobel, and the only writer who in my view clearly had a great value and got the novel, was Hesse. And he got it after WW2, which is a bit of a farse.

#1(Knut Hamsun was another good choice, but i read his two famous books from the local translation, and i think they got maimed a bit).

#2(but like i said i haven't read the latin american writers on that list).