Literatura | Torre Visual

¿Acaso sólo Los Estados Unidos de América de principios del siglo XXI?

Intrigante colección de realismo mágico que presenta historias en las que los personajes intentan superar barreras inquietantes. En el prólogo de esta ingeniosa colección, el exhausto protagonista llega por fin a las puertas del paraíso tras un arduo viaje, pero la ansiada entrada no tiene picaporte ni cerradura, ni timbre ni intercomunicador. Considera escalarlo, pero el muro llega hasta el cielo. Piensa en palabras mágicas que podrían abrirlo e incluso lo patea, sin éxito. El largo y difícil viaje lo ha llevado a nada más que a un muro de hormigón rodeado de desierto.

“En esta inventiva colección, sueños extraños impregnan las noches de los demás. Los personajes de estas diecisiete historias se encuentran de espaldas a la pared, ya sea literal o figurativamente. La chingada persigue a un hombre a través de un laberinto lleno de basura y niños hambrientos, mientras se pregunta por su destino. En otro, los ojos del mundo se enfocan en el ennegrecido Obelisco de DC., cubierto de millones de insectos, mientras las fuerzas gubernamentales intentan hacer frente a esta emergencia nacional”.

“In the prologue to this inventive collection, the exhausted protagonist finally reaches the doors to paradise after an arduous journey, but the longed-for entrance doesn’t have a handle or keyhole and there’s no bell or intercom. He considers climbing over it, but the wall reaches to the sky. He thinks of magic words that might open it and even kicks it, to no avail. The long, difficult trip has brought him to nothing except a concrete wall surrounded by desert.

The characters in these seventeen stories find themselves with their backs against the wall, whether literally or figuratively. They run the gamut from undocumented immigrants to faded rock and soap-opera stars and even the Washington Monument. The eyes of the world focus on the blackened obelisk, which is covered in millions of insects, as government forces attempt to deal with this national emergency! Several pieces deal with people who are lost or long to go back in time. In one, Ramírez wakes up disoriented to discover he—along with untold others—is trapped in a bus terminal, unable to leave the Lost & Found area that’s piled high with thousands of suitcases, trunks, backpacks and packages.

Strange dreams pervade the nights of others. A female monster, la chingada, chases a man through a maze full of garbage and starving children, and he wonders if he should just confront his destiny. A worker falls asleep on the subway after a triple shift and dreams he’s in a pool with Death swimming towards him. Exploring topics such as immigration, corruption and police abuse, Roblest expertly depicts the loneliness and uncertainty of people struggling to survive, but who yearn for something more elusive. These moving portraits reflect the lives of those who must breach the walls—physical, social, political or cultural—blocking their paths.

This intriguing collection of magic realism features stories in which characters attempt to surmount unsettling barriers”.

Arte Público Press, 2021.

Against the Wall: Stories, Arte Público Press 2021, by Alberto Roblest.