Roberto Bolaño’s Fiction
An Expanding Universe Chris Andrews
T h e f irst ma jo r crit ica l wo rk in En glis h to e xp lo re t he fo rma l, t hemat ic, a n d et hica l d i m e nsi o n s o f Bo la ñ o ’ s in t ricat e n ovels.
Since the publication of The Savage Detectives in 2007, the work of Roberto Bolaño (1953–2003) has achieved an acclaim rarely enjoyed in contemporary fiction. Chris Andrews, a leading translator of Bolaño’s work into English, explores the singular achievements of the author’s oeuvre, engaging with its distinct style and key thematic concerns, incorporating his novels and stories into the larger history of Latin American and global literary fiction.
“An Expanding Universe is an engaging, original, and thoroughly successful attempt to interpret Roberto Bolaño’s entire corpus of fiction. The questions Andrews raises about ethics and the relationship of literature to life are timely and should appeal to a range of readers.” —Ignacio López-Vicuña, University of Vermont
Andrews provides new readings and interpretations of Bolaño’s novels, including 2666, The Savage Detectives, and By Night in Chile while at the same time examining the ideas and narrative strategies that unify his work. He begins with a consideration of the reception of Bolaño’s fiction in English translation, examining the reasons behind its popularity. Subsequent chapters explore aspects of Bolaño’s fictional universe and the political, ethical, and aesthetic values that shape it. Bolaño emerges as the inventor of a prodigiously effective “fiction-making system,” a subtle handler of suspense, a chronicler of aimlessness, a celebrator of courage, an anatomist of evil, and a proponent of youthful openness. Written in a clear and engaging style, Roberto’s Bolano’s Fiction offers an invaluable understanding of one of the most important authors of the last thirty years. Chris Andrews
teaches at the University of
Western Sydney, where he is a member of the © University of Western Sydney
$30.00* / £20.50 cloth 978-0-231-16806-9 $29.99 / £20.50 ebook 978-0-231-53753-7 J u ly 304 pages L i t e r a r y Cr i t i c i s m
All Rights: Columbia University Press
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Writing and Society Research Center. He has translated ten books by Roberto Bolaño. His book Lime Green Chair won the 2011 Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize.