Louis De Bernieres
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
De Bernieres' work is sublime to say the least. He manages to mix the grotesquely macabre with the ridiculously hilarious in one swift down stroke of the pen. To cover such topics as torture, rape and murder in a light hearted way, would normally seem inappropriate and offensive, but De Bernieres manages to pull this off, offering us a delightful, emotional rollercoaster ride through his mythical country in South America.
He mixes historical fact from several of the Latin states and combines this with a combination of the colourful variations of the local peoples and their equally varied mythologies and religions, to produce his semi-fantasy world of Chochadebajo de los Gatos, where thousands of tame jaguars roam free playing like over sized kittens; where Aurelio the Indian and brujo changes into an eagle to travel long distances and talks regularly with his dead daughter, and the local priest levitates when preaching.
It is a town oblivious to the western worlds views and the laws of nature and consequently they live their lives oblivious to the fact that what they do is not exactly the norm.
All in all the first three novels by this man from Clapham, 'The War of Don Emanuels Nether Parts', 'Senor Vivo and the Coco Lord', and 'The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman', are amongst the best books, I have ever read.
If only the place existed I'd be off tomorrow to set up house in this city of, love, cats and absurdity.
He mixes historical fact from several of the Latin states and combines this with a combination of the colourful variations of the local peoples and their equally varied mythologies and religions, to produce his semi-fantasy world of Chochadebajo de los Gatos, where thousands of tame jaguars roam free playing like over sized kittens; where Aurelio the Indian and brujo changes into an eagle to travel long distances and talks regularly with his dead daughter, and the local priest levitates when preaching.
It is a town oblivious to the western worlds views and the laws of nature and consequently they live their lives oblivious to the fact that what they do is not exactly the norm.
All in all the first three novels by this man from Clapham, 'The War of Don Emanuels Nether Parts', 'Senor Vivo and the Coco Lord', and 'The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman', are amongst the best books, I have ever read.
If only the place existed I'd be off tomorrow to set up house in this city of, love, cats and absurdity.
