Diario de la arena by Hugo Burel (review)

Abstract

fact, represents a turning point inthe narrator's life (although wehearthe man'sversion only), often disguised as a failure, a defeat, ora loss. Although encouragedby one another,the four men quickly becometheir own audience,while the waiting room, first described asa "comfortless island," morphs into an underground cave, an otherworld wherethemenare takenby their own recounting, and wherethey seemtoremain ina trance ofreminiscence and regret until,released fromthisspell,theyreemerge to the surfaceof theirordinary life. Caught ina sort ofcathartic process, they strive todecipher "theinvisible writing ofthepast," andwhat comes backto hauntand illuminate each oneofthem isnotthememory ofa long-lost love,butthewayinwhich suchan eventchangedtheirlives forever. The questionis notwhat did or did nothappen,but what couldhave happened, and whyit happened this andnotanother - any other - way. It is a classicalquestion , and one thatnurtures anxiety andobsession, thetwinvultures of middle-aged man. Bythetime thefourth andfinal story ends, itisdawnandthestation isstirred backtolife bythenewsof anapproaching train. Thefour men, waking outoftheir trance, leavethe roomandboardthetrain as perfect strangers. Onlythewriter remembersthefateful youngcoupleand, suddenly recognizing them huddled together on thebusyplatform, tries to retain a glimpseofthisillusion as thetrain rollsoutofthestation. Moresignificantly, perhaps, bythe timethereaderemergesfromthe cave of confession and deception, thewriter has becometheWriter, andhisauctorial voiceiswhateventually guidesus through thebustle oftheplatform andoutofthestory. And in thissubtletransformation lies perhapsthesimplest truth of this finely tuned little novelinwhich Bose,writing ata critical moment in thehistory ofhiscountry, clarifies andclaimstheindispensable roleof artandliterature insociety. Graziano Krdtli YaleUniversity HugoBurel. Diariode la arena.Montevideo . Alfaguara. 2010.241 pages. $U360. isbn 978-9974-95-370-3 HugoBurel isthe author ofmore than a dozenbooksoffiction. Hisprolific creative workhas been recognized extensively inUruguay as wellas in therest ofLatin America. In2003he wasselected asa finalist for the prestigiousRomulo Gallegos International NovelAward for hisnovel Los Guerreros del crepuscirio (2001 ;seeWLT, Summer 2002, 148). With Diario delaarena, hislatest novel, Burel againdemonstrates his mastery of novela negra andthepsychological thriller, with a narrative that combines a police story, theliterature of thefantastic, and political denunciation. MiguelVernier, themaincharacter , hasbeenfired from hisjobat a printing companyforusingthe office's facilities to print pamphlets against theUruguayan dictatorship. Although noonehasaccused Vernier, he feelspersecuted - another victim ofthegeneralized stateofparanoia and fear. The yearis 1974and the country isgoverned byanextremely brutal military dictatorship. Forced to flee, Vernier decidestoaccepta job as theguardian ofa desolate sandbankthatis locatedfarawayfrom Montevideo. Theplaceis idealfor a fugitive likehim.However, thefact isthat Vernier isfleeing from a crime that hedidnotcommit. Inthis sense, itisnotdifficult toseethat Diario dela arena isarticulated bya Kafkian principle :"Inreality I ama fugitive who hasanticipated thepunishment ofa fault notyetformulated. Nobody has accused me,nevertheless I'malready inprison." Fault andpunishment precedethecrime . Vermier's "prison" isimaginary andrealatthesametime. He hasn't beenarrested, nobody islooking for him, buthehasconfined himself to thesolitude ofthesandbank where he lives as if he were politically exiled.One daywhilein hiscabin, Vermierdiscoversa journalthat seemstohavebeenhidden between two of thefloor's woodenplanks. The journalcontains noteswritten bytheformer sandbank's guard,a manwho,according torumors, has gonecrazyand stillprowlsaround thearea.In thejournal, theformer guard describesthe sandbankas a livingbeing,comparable to the unconscious, whereitis possibleto getlostor,evenworse, tobe "swallowed " without leavingany trace. The metaphor is clearand evocative .The sandbank, likeVermier's 58 1 World Literature Today imagination, isa dangerous placeto explore in depth.Thediaryis also a testimony anda warning: itisnot possibletoescapethesandbank, or blindalley.He whoflees willfinally be caught inhisorherownimaginaryconstruction ina spacewhere reality gets entangled with madness. InDiario delaarena ,HugoBurel exploresthe personaldimension of an obscuremachineoperator's defeat during a time ofmilitary dictatorship . Thethreatening shadowof therepressive power, addedtoVermier 's inability toescapefrom a past that inexplicably condemnshim, makeDiario delaarena aninvaluable contribution to the best narrative tradition ofJuanCarlosOnetti and theasphyxiating Kafkian nightmare. Marcelo Rioseco University ofOklahoma TejuCole.OpenCity. NewYork. RandomHouse . 2011.259pages.$25.isbn 978-1-4000-6809-8 Julius, thenarrator of Teju Cole's first novel, isa solitary manwhofrequently ruminates onsolitude itself. A dedicatedwalker,Juliususes his walks aroundNew Yorkand Brusselsto reflect on history and contemporary politicsand culture, generally espousinga postcolonial sensibility, buttrying as wellnotto be "claimed"by simplistic, superficial affinities, as whenblackmen presume thattheyhavesomething in commonsimplybecauseJulius comesfrom Nigeria.In a novelof fewevents, Julius isbeaten bythree blackteenagers whilehe walksin New York,an eventthatconfirms hissuspicion ofidentity andunderscoreshiscommitment to thecity. Preoccupied morewithideas than actions,Juliusat timesexpresses poignant insight, as whenherecalls childhoodvisitsto the tailor,the barber, or thedoctor. "Thesewere therarecases in whichyou gave permission to a stranger to enter your personal space.Youtrusted the expertise proffered, andenjoyed the promise that theopaquemaneuvers ofthisstranger's handswouldyield a result." A student of arthistory, Cole can transmute...