Roberto Bolano - The Last Interview and Other Conversations

Chilean poet Carlos Pezoa Véliz (1879–1908) embodies the melancholy at the core of Chilean and Latin American poetry. His style was clear and simple and, to Bolaño, appeared to be a direct representation of the Chilean people.

MM:Why do you always take the opposite view of things?

RB:I never take the opposite view of things.

MM:Do you have more friends than enemies?

RB:I have a sufficient amount of friends and enemies, all gratuitous.

MM:Who are your dearest friends?

RB:My best friend was the poet Mario Santiago, who died in 1998. At present, three of my best friends are Ignacio Echevarría, Rodrigo Fresánand A.G. Porta.

MM:Did Antonio Skármetaever invite you on his program?

RB:One of his secretaries, perhaps his maid, called me on the phone once. I told her I was too busy.

MM:Did Javier Cercasshare the royalties for Soldiers of Salamis with you?

RB:No, of course not.

Spanish journalist and literary critic Ignacio Echevarría was a close friend of Bolaño’s and became Bolaño’s literary executor. He is currently a staff writer for El País in Madrid.

Another friend of Bolaño’s, Rodrigo Fresán (b. 1963) is an Argentine fiction writer. His work Gardens of Kensington , 2006, was translated by Natasha Wimmer.

A prolific Spanish author, A.G. Porta was a close friend of Bolaño’s. His debut, and most popular work, is Consejos de un discípulo de Morrison a un fanático de Joyce seguido de Diario de Bar , 1984, which was co-authored by Bolaño. None of his work is available in English.

A Chilean author, screenwriter, and director, Antonio Skármeta (b. 1940) has had his major works translated to English. The program to which Maristain is referring is a television program focusing on Spanish-language literature that was hosted by Skármeta.

A Spanish author, Javier Cercas (b. 1962) enjoys relative success in the English speaking world. His novels The Soldiers of Salamis , 2004, and The Speed of Light , 2007, are both available in English. One of the main characters in The Soldiers of Salamis is named “Roberto Bolaño.”

MM: Enrique Lihn, Jorge Teillieror Nicanor Parra?

RB:Nicanor Parra above all, including Pablo Neruda and Vicente Huidobroand Gabriela Mistral.

MM: Eugenio Montale, T.S. Eliot, or Xavier Villaurrutia?

RB:Montale. If it had been James Joyce instead of Eliot, then Joyce. If it had been Ezra Pound instead of Eliot, then Pound without a doubt.

MM:John Lennon, Lady Di, or Elvis Presley?

RB:The Pogues. Or Suicide. Or Bob Dylan. Well, but let’s not be pretentious: Elvis forever. Elvis and his golden voice, with a sheriff’s badge, driving a Mustang and stuffing himself full of pills.

MM:Who reads more, you or Rodrigo Fresán?

RB:Depends. The West is for Rodrigo. The East is for me. Then we’ll count the books in our corresponding areas and it might appear that we’ve read them all.

MM:In your opinion, what is Pablo Neruda’s greatest poem?

Chilean born poet, playwright, and novelist Enrique Lihn (1929–1988) is the subject of a Bolaño short story, “Meeting with Enrique Lihn.” Lihn’s major works are available in English.

An important Chilean poet, Jorge Teillier (1935–1996) has had two collections of selected works translated into English, In Order to Talk with the Dead , 1993, and From the Country of Nevermore , 1990.

A major Chilean poet, Vicente Huidobro (1893–1948) was one of Bolaño’s favorites. He was prolific, and selections of his work have been translated into English, including Altazor , his major work.

A Chilean poet, Gabriela Mistral (1889–1957) was the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Her major works Desolación (1922), Ternura (1924), and Tala (1938) have been translated into English.

Eugenio Montale (1886–1981) was a Nobel Prize-winning Italian poet and translator.

Mexican poet, playwright, essayist, and critic Xavier Villaurrutia (1903–1950) was a significant Mexican literary figure. He is most widely appreciated for his work in the theatre, but his complete works, including poems, plays, and a novel have been translated into English.

RB:Almost any in Residence on Earth .

MM:If you had known Gabriela Mistral, what would you have told her?

RB:Forgive me, ma, I’ve been bad, but I turned good for the love of a woman.

MM:And to Salvador Allende?

RB:Little or nothing. Those who have power — even for a short time — know nothing about literature; they are solely interested in power. I can be a clown to my readers, if I damn well please, but never to the powerful. It sounds a bit melodramatic. It sounds like the statement of an honest whore. But in short, that’s how it is.

MM:And to Vicente Huidobro?

RB:Huidobro bores me a little. He’s excessively happy-go-lucky, too much like a descending skydiver belting songs from the Tyrol. Skydivers who descend while engulfed in flames are better, or those who fall flat, like the ones whose parachutes never open.

MM:Does Octavio Paz continue to be the enemy?

RB:For me, certainly not. I don’t know what the poets who wrote like clones of his during that era, while I was living in Mexico, must think. It’s been a long time since I’ve known anything about Mexican poetry. I reread José Juan Tablada and Ramón López Velarde; I can even recite “Sor Juana” divided in three, but I know nothing of what those who, like me, are nearing fifty years old write.

MM:Wouldn’t you give that role to Carlos Fuentes today?

RB:It’s been a long while since I’ve read anything by Carlos Fuentes.

MM:What do you make of the fact that Arturo Pérez-Reverteis the most widely read author in the Spanish language?

RB:Pérez-Reverte or Isabel Allende. It strikes me the same. Feuilletwas the most widely read French author of his time.

MM:And of the fact that Arturo Pérez-Reverte has been admitted to the Royal Spanish Academy?

RB:The Royal Spanish Academy is a cave full of privileged craniums. Juan Marséis not a member, Juan Goytisolois not a member, Eduardo Mendozaand Javier Marías are not members, Olvido García Valdesis not a member. I don’t remember if Álvaro Pombois a member (if he is, it’s likely due to a misunderstanding), but Pérez-Reverte is a member. Besides, Coelho is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters.

One of Europe’s best-selling authors, Arturo Pérez-Reverte (b. 1951) is a Spanish novelist and former war correspondent. He is known for “Alatriste,” a collection of novels based on the life and times of a seventeenth century Spanish soldier. The first four books in the series are available in English.

Octave Feuillet (1821–1890) was a French novelist and dramatist.

Juan Marsé (b. 1933) is an award-winning Spanish novelist, journalist, and screenwriter. His translated works include Lizard Tails , 2004, and Shanghai Nights , 2007.