I’ve picked up my copy of Roberto Bolano’s 2666. I had previously taken a break from this massive tome as a result of increased readings and coursework. 2666 was my Christmas read but at a staggering 893 pages I was interrupted with the return of classes. But, I like to think that I’m simply paying homage to Bolano by reading his epic the way he intended it to be read.
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR’S HEIRS
Realizing that death might be near, Roberto left instructions for his novel 2666 to be published divided into five books corresponding to the five parts of the novel, specifying the order in which they should appear, at what intervals (one per year), and even the price to be negotiated with the publisher. With this decision, communicated days before his death by Roberto himself to Jorge Herralde, Roberto thought he was providing for his children’s future.
After his death, and following the reading and study of his work and notes by Ignacio Echevarria (a friend Roberto designated as his literary executor), another consideration of a less practical nature arose: respect for the literary value of the work, which caused us, together with Jorge Herralde, to reverse Roberto’s decision and publish 2666 first in full, in a single volume, as he would have done had his illness not taken the gravest course. - 2666 - Roberto Bolano - Farrar, Straus, and Giroux New York 2008
In the long run, a 4 month delay between readings does not seem such a bad thing considering he initially requested that this book be separated into specific parts and distributed separately in each year. I stopped at page 351 which begins Part IV: The Part About the Crimes, which makes up the longest section of the novel. Some of the characters have become a bit fuzzy, but their peculiarities and nuances have started to return. A full review will follow shortly.
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