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Memoria del fuego #2
Faces and Masks
"From pre-Columbian creation myths and the first European voyages of discovery and conquest to the Age of Reagan, here is 'nothing less than a unified history of the Western Hemisphere... recounted in vivid prose.'"-- The New Yorker A unique and epic history, Eduardo Galeano's Memory of Fire trilogy is an outstanding Latin American eye view of the making of the New World. From its first English language publication in 1985 it has been recognized as a classic of political engagement, original research, and literary form.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
About the author
Eduardo Galeano
129 books3,526 followersEduardo Galeano was a Uruguayan journalist, writer and novelist. His best known works are Memoria del fuego (Memory of Fire Trilogy, 1986) and Las venas abiertas de América Latina (Open Veins of Latin America, 1971) which have been translated into twenty languages and transcend orthodox genres: combining fiction, journalism, political analysis, and history.
The author himself has proclaimed his obsession as a writer saying, "I'm a writer obsessed with remembering, with remembering the past of America above all and above all that of Latin America, intimate land condemned to amnesia."
He has received the International Human Rights Award by Global Exchange (2006) and the Stig Dagerman Prize (2010).
The author himself has proclaimed his obsession as a writer saying, "I'm a writer obsessed with remembering, with remembering the past of America above all and above all that of Latin America, intimate land condemned to amnesia."
He has received the International Human Rights Award by Global Exchange (2006) and the Stig Dagerman Prize (2010).
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February 24, 2022
If you accustom the child always to see reason behind the orders he receives, he misses it when he does not see it, and asks for it saying, “Why?” Teach the children to be inquisitive, so that, asking the reasons for what they are told to do, they learn to obey reason, not authority like limited people, nor custom like stupid people.
Critical thinking is the enemy of indoctrination. It’s not a surprise that religious fanatics, despots and imperial apologists constantly attack education and educators. The words above come from the early 1800s, a revolutionary time in Latin America as it fought to shed the chains of their European overlords. Simon Rodrigues, the teacher of iconic Simon Bolivar, has emerged for me as the true heart of this second volume of the ambitious project by Eduard Galeano to condense two hundred years of world history into a passionate, colourful and educative tapestry that searches for the roots of national identity, for the true role models and for the uncomfortable events that authorities would rather sweep under the rugs of their sumptuous palaces.
While the vignette approach and the need to pick and choose from a source material that could well fill a hundred volumes reveal the limitations of this trilogy as a comprehensive historical study, the evident emotional involvement of the author with the subject is a good starting point for further study of each episode mentioned. Galeano invites us not to agree with his viewpoint here, but to start doubting the official press releases. For myself, I spent almost as much time looking up references online about names and events mentioned in the book as I did actually reading the text. This is the sort of book that sits better on your own shelves instead of borrowing it from a public library, readily available for future visits and nicely organized by year and place.
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Most of the period from 1700 to 1900 in Latin America is drenched in blood : indigenous, slaves, revolutionary. Greed, fanaticism, intolerance are pervasive. State sponsored , church sponsored and business sponsored repression of the few people who tried to unite the divided continent, to educate the masses, to reign in the church and the landowners is a constant. This long list of pain and betrayals is only rarely relieved by the stories of the naturalists, the poets, the painters and others who contributed as much as the rattling sabres of generals to the birth of the national soul.
Knowing I cannot highlight in my review all the worthy episodes in this second volume, I will now provide a personal list of the roadmarks that caught my eye during the journey:
1701: Ouro Preto – Conjuring Tricks
The friars of the Brazilian mines devote more time to trafficking in gold than to saving souls.
1717: Dupas Island – The Founders
His wounded legs will travel farther than his wildest daydreams. La Verendrye’s explorations will make this map look foolish.
1742: Juan Fernandez Islands – Anson
In the name of perfecting Cartography, Geography, Astronomy, Geometry and the Art of Navigation, scientist Anson has hunted down various Spanish ships with his guns and set fire to several towns, taking everything, down to wigs and embroidered underwear.
1763: Buraco de Tatu – The Subversives Set a Bad Example
History, the pink-veiled lady offering her lips to those who win, will have much to hide. She will feign absent-mindedness or sicken with fake amnesia; she will lie that the black slaves of Brazil were meek and resigned, even happy.
1801: Bogota – Mutis
Jose Celestino Mutis, patriarch of America’s botanists, is put to sleep by speeches but enjoys intimate chats as much as anyone.
1802: The Caribbean Sea – Napoleon Restores Slavery
In the cabin of the flagship, a female slave fans Paulina Bonaparte and another gently scratches her head.
1804: Catamarca – Ambrosio’s Sin
The mulatto Ambrosio, who belongs to the commander Nieva y Castillo, was denounced to the authorities for having committed the crime of learning to read and write.
1825: Potosi – England Is Owed a Potosi
The new countries, fearful of Spanish reconquest, need official recognition by England; but England recognizes no one without first signing a Treaty of Friendship and Commerce which assures freedom of invasion for its industrial merchandise.
1826: Chuquisaca – Cursed Be the Creative Imagination
The prefect of Chuquisaca heads the campaign against the satyr who has come to corrupt the morals of youth.
Boys and girls should study together in the schools. First so that in this way men should learn from childhood to respect women; second, so that women should learn not to be afraid of men.
The boys should learn the three principal trades: masonry, carpentry, and smithery, because with earth, wood, and metal the most essential things are made. Instruction and a trade should be given to women, so that they will not prostitute themselves out of necessity, nor make marriage a speculation to assure subsistence.
He who knows nothing can be deceived by anyone. He who has nothing, anyone can buy.
Simon Rodriguez, Bolivar’s teacher
1826: Panama – Lonely Countries
London had no interest in the unity of its new dominions .
1837: Guatemala City: Morazan
Francisco Morazan, president of Central America, is the ‘heretical foreigner’ who has unleashed these mystical furies. Morazan, born in Honduras, has not only unified the Central American provinces into one nation, he has also reduced counts and marquesses to the category of mere citizens, and has created public schools that teach things of this world and say nothing of Heaven.
1839: Valparaiso – The Illuminator
Up a hill, in the Rinconada barrio of the Chilean port of Valparaiso, in front of a plain house there is a sign:
American Lights and Virtues
That is, tallow candles, patience,
soap, resignation, strong glue,
love of work.
Inside, kitchen smoke and uproar of children. Here lives Simon Rodriguez. Bolivar’s teacher has in his house a school and a small factory. He teaches the children the joy of creating. Making candles and soaps, he pays his bills.
1848: Buenos Aires – The Lovers
They are two by an error that the night corrects.
1865: Buenos Aires – The Alliance Woven of Spider-Spittle
Brazil, which has two million slaves, promises freedom to Paraguay, which has none.
1887: Chicago – Every May First, They Will Live Again
Jose Marti writes reportage of the anarchists’ execution in Chicago. The world’s working class will revive them every First of May.
1899: New York – Mark Twain Proposes Changing the Flag
... the white stripes should be black, he says, and the stars should be skulls and crossbones.
The volume ends with the invasion of Cuba by adventuring Americans who, in the name of liberating the country, are quick to seize land and industrial sectors for themselves.
The third volume, covering 1900 to 1984, promises to be as provocative and as beautifully written as the first two.
Read
July 18, 2024
Map Of South America And North America - 1760 - a drawing by Louis Charles Desnos
Faces and Masks is the second volume of Eduardo Galeano's Memory of Fire trilogy, covering the eighteenth and nineteen centuries. The author narrates the history of America with a special focus on Latin America, a narrative that will "reveal its multiple dimensions and penetrate its secrets."
As with each volume, Faces and Masks is written in short entries, more than 300 in number, each entry about a half page in length.
For both North America and South America, the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were among the most brutal and tragic in the long saga of human history. Eduardo includes some uplifting events and happenings, but sadly, most of what is written about here reflects greed, hatred, and unflinching stupidity.
To share a taste of what a reader will encounter, below are direct quotes taken from a number of entries along with my comments.
1701: Paris – Temptation of America
“In his study in Paris, a learned geographer scratches his head. Guillaume Deslile draws exact maps of the earth and the heavens. Should he include El Dorado on the map of America?”
The question is a legitimate one. After all, Walter Raleigh describes golden waters the size of the Caspian Sea. And soldiers of fortune from Spain, Portugal, England, France, and Germany have violated forests and tortured and murdered thousands of Indians in search of the golden city of El Dorado. Eduardo concludes his entry thusly:
“All seek the miracle. Beyond the ocean, magical ocean that cleanses blood and transfigures destinies, the great promise of all ages lies open. There, beggars will be avenged. There, nobodies will turn into marquises, scoundrels into saints, gibbet-fodder into founders, and vendors of love will become dowried dèbutantes.”
This serves as a flagrant example of our common human experience: chasing dreams that have no basis in reality with the consequence of turning our backs on the intense suffering our illusions inflict on others, especially if those others have their own customs and beliefs, their own rituals and way of life.
1717: Dupas Island – Portrait of the Indians
“Among the Indians of Canada there are no paunches nor any hunchbacks, say the French friars and explorers. If there is one who is lame, or blind, or one-eyed, it is from a war wound. They do not know about property or envy, says Pouchot, and call money the Frenchmen's snake.”
So, the French encountered a people who where in excellent physical and mental shape, who shared all their food and goods in common, who would only eat when they were hungry (as opposed to set times), and marry and have sex with whomever and whenever they wanted. In a word, a people who were healthy and free.
Now, do you think the French opened up their minds and hearts to these healthy people? Absolutely not! The Indians were mere fodder for French proselytizing. And what was the Indians' response when these free, happy people heard about Christianity? Here are Eduardo's words.
“According to Brèbeuf, the Indians cannot grasp the idea of hell. They have never heard of eternal punishment. When Christians threaten them with hell, the savages ask: And will my friends be there in hell?”
18th century print of Indians - notice how all are in excellent physical shape
1785 – Mexico City – Fiction in the Colonial Era
“The viceroy of Mexico, Matías de Gálvez, signs a new edict in favor of Indian workers. The Indians are to receive fair wages, good food, and medical attention; and they will have two rest hours at noon, and be able to change employers whenever they like.”
Hey, we have an instance where one European displays a sense of fairness and decency. I suspect Eduardo wrote his title, Fiction in the Colonial Era, with a touch of irony and black humor, knowing land owners and employers might not adhere to every detail of the new edict.
It is now 2024. How have things changed in Latin America these past 250 years? Take bananas. Why are bananas so unbelievably cheep in the US? One reason: in Ecuador, the largest exporter for bananas, the average pay for an adult working in the banana field is $5.85 a day. The many thousands of children working in the banana fields are not so fortunate. According to one Human Rights Watch report, “In the course of their work, child banana workers were exposed to toxic pesticides, used sharp knives and machetes, hauled heavy loads of bananas, drank unsanitary water, and some were sexually harassed.” And children form a huge chunk of the banana workforce since they are paid much less than adults - $3.50 a day.
1848: Villa of Guadalupe Hidalgo – The Conquistadors
“In Washington, President Polk proclaims that his nation is now as big as all Europe. No one can halt the onslaught of this young voracious country. To the south and to the west, The United States grows, killing Indians, trampling on neighbors, or even paying. It bought Louisiana from Napoleon and now offers Spain a hundred million dollars for the island of Cuba.
But the right to conquest is more glorious and cheaper. The treaty with Mexico is signed in the Villa of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Mexico cedes to the United States, pistol at chest, half of its territory."
One historical fact few US schoolchildren learn about American History: there was a time in the nineteenth century where the US government payed bounty hunters good money for Indian scalps. You can read all about this wretched practice in Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian - but you'll need a strong stomach.
1861: Havana – Sugar Hands
“Hands are needed for sugar. Blacks smuggled in via the Mariel, Cojímar, and Batabanó beaches are scarce and expensive.”
As Eduardo notes, Cuba desperately needs more black slaves who are loyal and meek, who will work long and hard out in scorching hot sugar fields in order to support Cuban economic prosperity. This is one of many entries addressing slaves brought from Africa to North and South America. Another tragic fact schoolchildren will not read about in their history textbook: over eight million Africans – women, men, and children – died on the middle passage from Africa to the Americas.
Faces and Masks isn't exactly a fun read. But Eduardo Galeano has given us a book where we can, if we're open, learn a good bit of history and that awareness, wisdom, and compassion will always benefit ourselves and others at any time and in any place.
May 20, 2014
This is the second volume of Eduardo Galeano's "Memory of Fire," one entry in the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. Four hundred sixty-three readers have rated it and it has an average rating of 4.49. If you feel too lazy, tired or busy, or too old and have not much time left in this world to read all three volumes then don't. But you must, and I say this with urgency and great conviction, you must read at least one of these three volumes for you simply cannot die, as it is unimaginable that any serious reader would die, without having experienced Galeano even just once in his/her life.
Volume One, "Genesis," I had praised to high heavens. I wish I could do more here, imagine a place higher than the heavens, invent new superlatives, convince everyone that although I might have already seen similar styles in volume one, each episode of history Galeano presents here, in living colors, is as infuriating, harrowing and heart-breakingly tender as when it happened many, many long forgotten years ago.
I have many favorites here, as in volume one, but I'll pick the longest story here told in three mini-chapters. And you'll be surprised that the longest could be that short yet, with utmost economy of words, this Uruguayan still manages to tell history magically---
**********************************************************************************
1848: Buenos Aires
The Lovers (1)
Dramatis Personae:
CAMILA O'GORMAN. Born in Buenos Aires, in a house with three patios, twenty years ago. Educated in the odor of sanctity, to be successively virgin, wife, and mother in the strait and narrow path that leads to conjugal peace, the offices of the needle, evenings at the piano, and the rosary told with black mantilla on head. She has eloped with the parish priest of the Socorro Church. The idea was hers.
LADISLAO GUTIERREZ. Minister of God. Age twenty-five. Nephew of the governor of Tucuman. He could not sleep after placing the Host on the tongue of that woman kneeling by the light of candles. Ended by dropping missal and cassock, setting loose a stampede of little angels and campanile pigeons.
ADOLFO O'GORMAN. Begins each meal reciting the ten commandments, from the head of a long mahogany table. From a chaste woman, he has engendered a priest son, a policeman son, and a fugitive daughter. An exemplary father, he is the first to ask exemplary punishment for "the horrendous scandal" which shames his family. In a letter to Juan Manuel de Rosas, he pleads for a firm hand "against the most atrocious and unheard-of act in the country."
FELIPE ELORTONDO Y PALACIO. Secretary of the Curia. Also writes to Rosas asking the capture of the lovers and their inflexible punishment, to prevent similar crimes in the future. Explains in his letter that he had nothing to do with the appointment of the priest Gutierrez, which was an affair of the bishop.
JUAN MANUEL DE ROSAS. Orders the lover hunted down. His messengers gallop from Buenos Aires. They carry a leaflet describing the fugitives. Camila: "white, black eyes, pleasant expression; tall, slim body, well distributed." Ladislao: "dark, thin, full beard and curly hair." Justice will be done, Rosas promises, "to satisfy religion and the laws and to prevent the consequent demoralization, libertinage, and disorder." The whole country is on guard.
Also participating:
THE OPPOSITION PRESS. From Montevideo, Valparaiso, and La Paz, Rosas's enemies invoke public morality. The daily newspaper El Mercurio Chileno tells its readers: "To such an extreme has come the horrible corruption of the customs under the alarming tyranny of the 'River Plata Caligula,' that impious and sacrilegious priests of Buenos Aires elope with the daughters of the best society, without the infamous satrap adopting any measure against these monstrous immoralities."
THE HORSES. They take the lovers to the north across open country, avoiding cities. Ladislao's had a golden hide and long legs. Camila's is grayish, fat, and bobtailed. They sleep, like their riders, outdoors. They do not tire.
BAGGAGE. His: a woolen poncho, some clothes, a couple of penknives and a pair of pistols, a pouch, a silk tie, and a glass inkpot. Hers: a silk shawl, several dresses, four linen petticoats, a fan, a pair of gloves, a comb, and a gold wedding ring, broken.
The Lovers (II)
They are two by an error that the night corrects.
1848: Holy Places
The Lovers (III)
In the summer they elope. They spend the autumn at the port of Goya, on the shores of the Parana. There they go by other names. In the winter they are discovered, betrayed, and caught.
They are taken south in separate carts. The wheels leave scars on the road.
They are shut up in separate dungeons in the Holy Places prison.
If they beg pardon, they will be pardoned. Camila, pregnant, does not repent. Nor does Ladislao. Irons are fixed on their feet. A priest sprinkles the shackles with holy water.
They are shot in the patio, with their eyes blindfolded.
*******************************************************************************
1848, 166 years ago. And it just happened again now, right before your eyes. That's Memory of Fire. And let us not forget its translator--Cedric Belfrage. He, too, deserves a standing ovation because whether he just gave us Galeano in English or improved on him, he deserves our eternal gratitude--
"Born in London in 1904, Cedric Belfrage came to the U.S. in 1925 and began writing about movies in Hollywood. He was a cofounder of the 'National Guardian' in 1948 and its editor until 1955, when a brush with McCarthy led to his deportation. He wrote ten books and novels published in this country, including 'Away from it All'; 'Abide with Me'; 'My Master Columbus'; and 'The American Inquisition, 1945 -1960.' He lived with his wife, Mary, in Cuernavaca, Mexico, until his death in 1990."
Volume One, "Genesis," I had praised to high heavens. I wish I could do more here, imagine a place higher than the heavens, invent new superlatives, convince everyone that although I might have already seen similar styles in volume one, each episode of history Galeano presents here, in living colors, is as infuriating, harrowing and heart-breakingly tender as when it happened many, many long forgotten years ago.
I have many favorites here, as in volume one, but I'll pick the longest story here told in three mini-chapters. And you'll be surprised that the longest could be that short yet, with utmost economy of words, this Uruguayan still manages to tell history magically---
**********************************************************************************
1848: Buenos Aires
The Lovers (1)
Dramatis Personae:
CAMILA O'GORMAN. Born in Buenos Aires, in a house with three patios, twenty years ago. Educated in the odor of sanctity, to be successively virgin, wife, and mother in the strait and narrow path that leads to conjugal peace, the offices of the needle, evenings at the piano, and the rosary told with black mantilla on head. She has eloped with the parish priest of the Socorro Church. The idea was hers.
LADISLAO GUTIERREZ. Minister of God. Age twenty-five. Nephew of the governor of Tucuman. He could not sleep after placing the Host on the tongue of that woman kneeling by the light of candles. Ended by dropping missal and cassock, setting loose a stampede of little angels and campanile pigeons.
ADOLFO O'GORMAN. Begins each meal reciting the ten commandments, from the head of a long mahogany table. From a chaste woman, he has engendered a priest son, a policeman son, and a fugitive daughter. An exemplary father, he is the first to ask exemplary punishment for "the horrendous scandal" which shames his family. In a letter to Juan Manuel de Rosas, he pleads for a firm hand "against the most atrocious and unheard-of act in the country."
FELIPE ELORTONDO Y PALACIO. Secretary of the Curia. Also writes to Rosas asking the capture of the lovers and their inflexible punishment, to prevent similar crimes in the future. Explains in his letter that he had nothing to do with the appointment of the priest Gutierrez, which was an affair of the bishop.
JUAN MANUEL DE ROSAS. Orders the lover hunted down. His messengers gallop from Buenos Aires. They carry a leaflet describing the fugitives. Camila: "white, black eyes, pleasant expression; tall, slim body, well distributed." Ladislao: "dark, thin, full beard and curly hair." Justice will be done, Rosas promises, "to satisfy religion and the laws and to prevent the consequent demoralization, libertinage, and disorder." The whole country is on guard.
Also participating:
THE OPPOSITION PRESS. From Montevideo, Valparaiso, and La Paz, Rosas's enemies invoke public morality. The daily newspaper El Mercurio Chileno tells its readers: "To such an extreme has come the horrible corruption of the customs under the alarming tyranny of the 'River Plata Caligula,' that impious and sacrilegious priests of Buenos Aires elope with the daughters of the best society, without the infamous satrap adopting any measure against these monstrous immoralities."
THE HORSES. They take the lovers to the north across open country, avoiding cities. Ladislao's had a golden hide and long legs. Camila's is grayish, fat, and bobtailed. They sleep, like their riders, outdoors. They do not tire.
BAGGAGE. His: a woolen poncho, some clothes, a couple of penknives and a pair of pistols, a pouch, a silk tie, and a glass inkpot. Hers: a silk shawl, several dresses, four linen petticoats, a fan, a pair of gloves, a comb, and a gold wedding ring, broken.
The Lovers (II)
They are two by an error that the night corrects.
1848: Holy Places
The Lovers (III)
In the summer they elope. They spend the autumn at the port of Goya, on the shores of the Parana. There they go by other names. In the winter they are discovered, betrayed, and caught.
They are taken south in separate carts. The wheels leave scars on the road.
They are shut up in separate dungeons in the Holy Places prison.
If they beg pardon, they will be pardoned. Camila, pregnant, does not repent. Nor does Ladislao. Irons are fixed on their feet. A priest sprinkles the shackles with holy water.
They are shot in the patio, with their eyes blindfolded.
*******************************************************************************
1848, 166 years ago. And it just happened again now, right before your eyes. That's Memory of Fire. And let us not forget its translator--Cedric Belfrage. He, too, deserves a standing ovation because whether he just gave us Galeano in English or improved on him, he deserves our eternal gratitude--
"Born in London in 1904, Cedric Belfrage came to the U.S. in 1925 and began writing about movies in Hollywood. He was a cofounder of the 'National Guardian' in 1948 and its editor until 1955, when a brush with McCarthy led to his deportation. He wrote ten books and novels published in this country, including 'Away from it All'; 'Abide with Me'; 'My Master Columbus'; and 'The American Inquisition, 1945 -1960.' He lived with his wife, Mary, in Cuernavaca, Mexico, until his death in 1990."
April 24, 2020
ينتهي الكتاب الأول من الثلاثية عند خاتمة القرن السابع عشر، ليكمل غاليانو ملحمته في الكتاب الثاني خلال القرنين الثامن عشر والتاسع عشر.
أحببت هذا الجزء أكثر من سابقه، ووجدت فيه روح غاليانو المتمردة والساخرة التي عرفتها قبلاً، النصوص هنا بمعظمها تحكي عن حركات التحرير والثورات ضد الاستعمار الأوربي، نضالهم واستبسالهم، وما مورس عليهم من تعذيب ووحشية.. سيرة مشتعلة لأرواح لا تستكين، كُتبت بالدمع والدم ومِزق اللحم.
أحببت هذا الجزء أكثر من سابقه، ووجدت فيه روح غاليانو المتمردة والساخرة التي عرفتها قبلاً، النصوص هنا بمعظمها تحكي عن حركات التحرير والثورات ضد الاستعمار الأوربي، نضالهم واستبسالهم، وما مورس عليهم من تعذيب ووحشية.. سيرة مشتعلة لأرواح لا تستكين، كُتبت بالدمع والدم ومِزق اللحم.
February 12, 2018
Delicioso, erudito, inteligente e infunde um senso de justiça tolamente esquecido nos dias de hoje. Uma história das Américas sob um ponto de vista que ninguém valoriza. Ou melhor escrevendo, quase ninguém. Junte-se. Para alguns pode parecer a descrição de um mundo inexistente, para outros pode parecer a descrição do seu dia-a-dia. Se são apenas sonhos também pouco importa. A leitura será sempre decisiva.
June 24, 2017
ادواردو غاليانو عبارة عن جوهرة مخفية عن العالم عموما
والعالم العربي خصوصا
ادهشتني قصصه القصيرة واشعاره
لم يسبق لي ان ينتابني الشعور بروعة هذا الادب الرفيع.. بدأت اسميه اسطورة الادب الرفيع من امريكا الجنوبية!
لمن يبحث عن الادب الثائر فليقرأ لإدواردو ويستمتع بروعة ادبه
والعالم العربي خصوصا
ادهشتني قصصه القصيرة واشعاره
لم يسبق لي ان ينتابني الشعور بروعة هذا الادب الرفيع.. بدأت اسميه اسطورة الادب الرفيع من امريكا الجنوبية!
لمن يبحث عن الادب الثائر فليقرأ لإدواردو ويستمتع بروعة ادبه
December 16, 2016
4.5/5
1776: PhiladelphiaThis second installment of Memory of Fire suffers a tad from middle sibling syndrome, a medley of almost-there-but-not-quite-successful flourishes which has recourse neither to the hubris of the start nor the cataclysm of the finish. In less pompous terms, there's also the matter of my knowledge of the history of 18th-19th century (Latin) America being less than lackluster, which is really fucking sad considering how much I can recall of the past of countries oceans away. Still: if there has ever been anything like this trifecta, I haven't heard of it. Rather than sigh in relief at the idea of no plagiarism in sight, I would much prefer if alternative histories of this caliber of fearless knowledge and creative ferocity had proliferated enough to have birthed a genre all of their own. Works such as Almanac of the Dead and Daughters of Africa and Medical Apartheid have bits and pieces of the whole, but when taking into account how much of this 361-citation compendium has facts sounding like fiction and a high percentage of roots that haven't yet been translated into English, this is as close as a non-fluent in Spanish person can get to stepping into another world through poetry and prose.
The United States
The thirteen colonies are hungry for the West. Many pioneers dream of taking off over the mountains, with rifle, ax, and a handful of corn as baggage; but the British crown has drawn the frontier on the crests of the Appalachians and reserved the lands beyond for Indians. The thirteen colonies are hungry for a world.
1855
The Far West
Space exists for time to defeat, and time for progress to sacrifice on its altars.
1703: LisbonWhat little history I recognized came mostly from whenever Euro or Neo-Euro United States intruded via colonial taxation and military infestation into the timeline. The time when the border of Mexico crossed over Texas, the days when Marx accepted the wooing of his daughter by Paul Lafargue, "great-grandson of a Haitian mulatta and an Indian from Jamaica", Sitting Bull (today is his death day, y'know) and Billy the Kid and Calamity Jane making what proved comfortably familiar entrances and exits in a sea of high learning curve Latin history. As such, I did more story-listening than reference-getting, which when considering the sheer number of stirring revolutions and socialism spawnings that birthed long before the year I had been trained to believe in (I had heard the name of Simón Bolívar, but hadn't known of his teacher Simón Rodríguez and his gender roles abolishing and thought enhancing pedagogical ways) went better than might be expected. Thanks to my bookish trail thus far, I recognized at least one Latin American bound writer of color without any need for Anglocentric sparknotes, but I can always do better.
Portugal will pay with Brazilian gold for English cloth. With gold from Brazil, another country's colony, England will give its industrial development a tremendous push forward.
1897: Rio de JaneiroConstitutions say one thing, flesh and blood says another. Indigenous people throw their weight with one traitor after another, even those who share the blood passing them by if they can manage to pass for anything other than the fuel for fodder. Titles and whiteness are always for sale, which is why, centuries later, you can't claim the Taino Nation or any other number of indigenous people as your own based simply on the fact that your blood proves what you and your ancestors spilled blood to deny. Black people are slaves, Chinese people are slaves, but only one can kill the other and come close to the ultimate prize of being 'white'. The prophets are shot in the head, the respectful scientists die in obscurity as befits a bloodless discovery, the heroes are drawn and quartered, and what we have of women are either the saintly martyrs, the goddess incarnated, and the person behind the door who said nothing when she was used and says nothing now while her user pounds at her door, begging and pleading for sanctuary as the country he razed to the ground rises to raze him back.
Machado de Assís
He is the great Latin American novelist of this century. His books lovingly and humorously unmask the high society of drones that he, son of a mulatto father, has conquered and knows better than anyone. [He] tears off the fancy wrapping, false frames of false windows with a European view, and winks at the reader as he strips the mud wall.
1733: San Mateao HuitzilopochoTo sleep; perchance, to dream.
The Strength of Things
Those stones promise nothing, but they prevent forgetting.
1839: Copán
A Sacred City is Sold for Fifty Dollars
and the buyer is John Lloyd Stephens, United States ambassador to Central America. It is the Maya city of Copán, in Honduras, invaded by jungle on the bank of a river.
In Copán the gods have turned to stone, and into stone also the men whom the gods chose or chastised. In Copán, more than a thousand years ago, lived the wise astronomers who discovered the secrets of the morning star and measured the solar year with a precision never equaled.
Time has mutilated, but not conquered, the temples of lovely friezes and carved stairs. The divinities still look out from the altars, playing hide-and-seek among the plumage of masks. jaguar and snake still open their fangs on steles rising from the underbrush, and men and gods breathe from these stones, silent but never dumb.
February 15, 2017
Moments of extreme beauty throughout this epic retelling of the history of the Americas. Galeano writes vignettes gleaned from hundreds of historical accounts -- the book itself is a gaping, mouthwatering portal to the vast bibliography in its final pages.
Galeano treats history as poetry and, while this is non-fiction, Memoria del Fuego is written with the grace and astonishing insight of the best poetry. Galeano takes a concert of the Guaraní Indians, brought to Buenos Aires by the Jesuits to sing, and juxtaposes it with the gutting of wild horses by gauchos, horses swimming on the pampas like flying fish, spreading their contagion of liberty to the domestic herds -- the Guaraní, of course, like wild horses, helped sparked the Enlightenment and the Age of Revolution.
Galeano was an icon of the far left. Like a lot of hard-left stuff, Memory of Fire is pretty shot through with the Black Legend. If Galeano were the Americas' only historiographer, it would be hard to find anything redeeming here about European settlers, who did nothing but rape the land and oppress its people. The book is fiercely anti-clerical, resoundingly anti-Catholic, staunchly anti-imperialist, solidly anti-U.S., and permeated with all the dubious pieties of identity politics. It's a superficial book, a sweeping polemic.
And yet for all that, it's astoundingly gorgeous -- part narrative of magic and myth, part jeremiad, part subtle evocation of everything from the origin of Montevideo's coffee houses on the embattled frontier to the tragedy of Benjamin Franklin's sister, shackled with children, a woman who never enjoyed the lovely pleasure of floating naked in water under a summer sky with a kite floating above her, for the simple reason that she was a woman.
Simplistic by turns, complex in others. Brutal. Enfuriating. Entrancing. And irrestisible.
Doubly so in Spanish.
Galeano treats history as poetry and, while this is non-fiction, Memoria del Fuego is written with the grace and astonishing insight of the best poetry. Galeano takes a concert of the Guaraní Indians, brought to Buenos Aires by the Jesuits to sing, and juxtaposes it with the gutting of wild horses by gauchos, horses swimming on the pampas like flying fish, spreading their contagion of liberty to the domestic herds -- the Guaraní, of course, like wild horses, helped sparked the Enlightenment and the Age of Revolution.
Galeano was an icon of the far left. Like a lot of hard-left stuff, Memory of Fire is pretty shot through with the Black Legend. If Galeano were the Americas' only historiographer, it would be hard to find anything redeeming here about European settlers, who did nothing but rape the land and oppress its people. The book is fiercely anti-clerical, resoundingly anti-Catholic, staunchly anti-imperialist, solidly anti-U.S., and permeated with all the dubious pieties of identity politics. It's a superficial book, a sweeping polemic.
And yet for all that, it's astoundingly gorgeous -- part narrative of magic and myth, part jeremiad, part subtle evocation of everything from the origin of Montevideo's coffee houses on the embattled frontier to the tragedy of Benjamin Franklin's sister, shackled with children, a woman who never enjoyed the lovely pleasure of floating naked in water under a summer sky with a kite floating above her, for the simple reason that she was a woman.
Simplistic by turns, complex in others. Brutal. Enfuriating. Entrancing. And irrestisible.
Doubly so in Spanish.
March 17, 2024
With every book in this series, I carry more weight of beautiful Latin American histories on my shoulders: Now I think of how Tupac Amaru II's son died of a broken heart, and how Simon Bolivar's childhood teacher sacrificed his own happiness to bring joy to others. Galeano somehow uses words to make me feel closely connected to people who lived centuries before me.
April 30, 2015
1785: Guanajuato
Silver Portrait
Using the language of fluttering fans, ladies chat in the leafy gardens. Somebody pees against the wall of the church and on one side of the plaza two beggars, sitting in the sun, pick at each other's lice. Beneath the stone archway a distinguished doctor in a huge cloak talks of the Rights of Man, and a monk moves down the lane muttering eternal condemnations against the drunks, whores, and rowdies who cross in front of him. Not far from the city, collectors hunt Indians with lassos.
Guanajuato has long since dethroned Potosi. The world queen of silver is hungry for labor. The workers, free wage earners, don't see a coin in all their lives, but are prisoners of debt. Their children will inherit the debts and also the fear of pain in prison and hunger, and of the old gods and the new.
1785: Lisbon
The Colonial Function
The Portuguese crown orders Brazil's textile workshops closed down; in the future they must only produce rustic clothing for slaves. In the name of the Queen, Minister Melo e Castro issues the orders. the minister observes that in most of the captaincies of Brazil have been set up, and are spreading ever more wildly, various factories and manufactories of cloth with differing qualities, including even gold and silver braid. These, he says, are pernicious transgressions. If they continue, the result will be that all the utilities and wealth of these most important colonies will end up as the patrimony of their inhabitants. Brazil being such a fertile land, so abundant in fruits, said inhabitants will become totally independent of their dominant Metropolis: consequently it is indispensably necessary to abolish said factories and manufactories.
Above are two vignettes from Faces and Masks. The material that is not italicized in the selection is italicized in the original text to show that it comes from historical documents that Eduardo Hughes Galeano has used as his sources. If you have not discovered Galeano, I recommend you do it soon. He takes what might have been dry in history books, and brings it poignantly to life. His Memory of Fire trilogy chronicles the Americas from the native creation myths through the 20th century, turning snippets of historical record from hundreds of disparate sources into a moving episodic narrative. I learned little about South and Central American history in school, and I am happy to have been taught by this master. Galeano is no fan of the colonizers and enslavers who had little time for human rights, but he is a sympathetic advocate of the voices in the wilderness who fought for education, cultural preservation, and equity in the history of the new world. Last year I read and loved Genesis, and I just finished Faces and Masks, which brings the narrative of the New World to the year 1900. I await the final volume, Century of the Wind, which I will read next year, both eagerly and with trepidation, as I know that the 20th century in the Americas has been no less brutal than the preceding centuries. Still I want to visit this era with Galeano as a wise and eloquent guide, to learn what is dangerous to leave forgotten.
Silver Portrait
Using the language of fluttering fans, ladies chat in the leafy gardens. Somebody pees against the wall of the church and on one side of the plaza two beggars, sitting in the sun, pick at each other's lice. Beneath the stone archway a distinguished doctor in a huge cloak talks of the Rights of Man, and a monk moves down the lane muttering eternal condemnations against the drunks, whores, and rowdies who cross in front of him. Not far from the city, collectors hunt Indians with lassos.
Guanajuato has long since dethroned Potosi. The world queen of silver is hungry for labor. The workers, free wage earners, don't see a coin in all their lives, but are prisoners of debt. Their children will inherit the debts and also the fear of pain in prison and hunger, and of the old gods and the new.
1785: Lisbon
The Colonial Function
The Portuguese crown orders Brazil's textile workshops closed down; in the future they must only produce rustic clothing for slaves. In the name of the Queen, Minister Melo e Castro issues the orders. the minister observes that in most of the captaincies of Brazil have been set up, and are spreading ever more wildly, various factories and manufactories of cloth with differing qualities, including even gold and silver braid. These, he says, are pernicious transgressions. If they continue, the result will be that all the utilities and wealth of these most important colonies will end up as the patrimony of their inhabitants. Brazil being such a fertile land, so abundant in fruits, said inhabitants will become totally independent of their dominant Metropolis: consequently it is indispensably necessary to abolish said factories and manufactories.
Above are two vignettes from Faces and Masks. The material that is not italicized in the selection is italicized in the original text to show that it comes from historical documents that Eduardo Hughes Galeano has used as his sources. If you have not discovered Galeano, I recommend you do it soon. He takes what might have been dry in history books, and brings it poignantly to life. His Memory of Fire trilogy chronicles the Americas from the native creation myths through the 20th century, turning snippets of historical record from hundreds of disparate sources into a moving episodic narrative. I learned little about South and Central American history in school, and I am happy to have been taught by this master. Galeano is no fan of the colonizers and enslavers who had little time for human rights, but he is a sympathetic advocate of the voices in the wilderness who fought for education, cultural preservation, and equity in the history of the new world. Last year I read and loved Genesis, and I just finished Faces and Masks, which brings the narrative of the New World to the year 1900. I await the final volume, Century of the Wind, which I will read next year, both eagerly and with trepidation, as I know that the 20th century in the Americas has been no less brutal than the preceding centuries. Still I want to visit this era with Galeano as a wise and eloquent guide, to learn what is dangerous to leave forgotten.
February 1, 2018
a brutal reportage of the 'conquest' of the Americas by savages (white settlers, missionaries, explorers, and glory seekers)... told in his inimical style, with passion and facts intermingled with polemics about politics and race and social justice, this book continues the trilogy admirably, bringing to the forefront how the treatment of indigenous peoples by 'civilized man' puts the lie to Western Civ narratives Americans are spoonfed by their schools, their media, and their politicians... but it shows that resilience is part and parcel of the oppressed, and overcoming adversity wills out...
December 25, 2015
يقدم غاليانو في هذا الجزء من سلسلة ذاكرة النار "التي لا تنطفىء" تاريخ التحرير في امريكا اللاتينية في حمأة القرنين الثامن عشر و التاسع عشر،مقدما وصفا لمآثر قادة التحرير خوسيه ارتيغاس و سيمون بوليفار و توباك امارو "الذي لا يموت ابدا" و نبي الشعر و الثورة خوسيه مارتي.
لقد غيرت القارة الاسياد في النهاية!
لقد غيرت القارة الاسياد في النهاية!
September 28, 2022
Segundo tomo y la cosa se pone cada vez mejor.
Poético en su sencillez, sencillo en su grandeza, demoledor en su brevedad.
Estas viñetas laten y sangran y vibran y tienen vida propia y manos que te agarran del cuello y te dejan sin aliento.
Poético en su sencillez, sencillo en su grandeza, demoledor en su brevedad.
Estas viñetas laten y sangran y vibran y tienen vida propia y manos que te agarran del cuello y te dejan sin aliento.
May 4, 2015
وكنا ننتزع أنفسنا من الريح بأظافرنا.... خوان رولفو
هدأ الغدير وعلى ضفافه استلقى التمساح معرضا جذعه المدرع لأشعة الشمس، وبينما كانت عيناه تبحثان عن فريسة تقافزت القردة مهتاجة في الغابة، سُمعت أصوات الكعوب الراكضة على ممشى الأوراق فشُلت الغابة وحين دوى صوت الطلقة الأولى فرت بأكملها. لقد انتشر وباء الحرية بين عبيد المستعمرات الذين أُحضروا ضمن السفن وبين الهنود الذين يرون أنه من السخف طاعة إنسان أخر فهم ينتخبون من لا يملك إمتيازا للزعامة ويطيحون بمن يطمع بها. يطيعون الأحلام لأنهم يؤمنون بأن الروح تتحدث كل ليلة من خلالها...فمن يثنيهم عن سبيل الحرية إن هي زارتهم ليلا ؟. يقطع الهولنديون وتر قدم العبد الهارب لأول مرة ثم القدم كلها بعد المحاولة الثانية، تسرق النساء حبوب الذرة والحنطة والأرز ويخبئنها في تسريحة شعرهن الضخمة...يهربن حاملات معهن الحياة إلى الأرض الحرة أما اللواتي يُقبض عليهن فيحتضرن وأعينهن مثبتة نحو السماء من دون أن يرف لهن جفن وكأنهن يُبصرن طريقا للحرية فوق رؤوسهن مباشرة.
تقترب سفن المراقبة من جزر خوان فرنانديز ومن بين محيط النيران يقترب قارب تصعد منه كتلة ترتجف من الحمى إلى ظهر السفينة. سيلكيرك… اسكتلندي نجا من الغرق قبالة ساحل فلباريزو قبل أربعة أعوام، تعلم فن الصيد وأضاء عالمه بزيت الفقمة، بنى كوخا على تلة ثم أحضرت له بقايا عاصفة هنديا علمه أسرار النباتات. بعد عشرة أعوام سيُبعث سيلكيرك باسم كروزو وسيضاف أربعة وعشرين عاما إلى الأعوام التي قضاها في الجزيرة، سيتحمل كل الإختبارات القاسية والعزلة، الخوف والجنون وسيعود مروض الطبيعة إلى إنجلترا بطلا. يصل زعيم الفوج الإنجليزي غرب جامايكا عارضا السلام والحرية وملكية الأراضي على الزعيم كدخوي الذي تشبعت مسام جلده بغبار جامايكا مقابل حصوله على المساعدة في معاقبة تمردات العبيد وإعادة الهاربين الباحثين عن ملاذ. انحنى كدخوي للكولونيل الذي حول لجام فرسه شرقا ليسقط عنها بعد أن دُس له السم في كأس الرم.
أعلن هنود المايا الإستقلال ونصب كاسيك نفسه ملكا عليهم وأعلن نهاية حقبة العبودية والجلد وتقبيل يد السيد. أُسر كاسيك وحُكم عليه بأن يُحطم بقضبان الحديد حيا ثم رموا بأشلائه في النار. خُتمت الطقوس بتصفيق مطول تخلله الهمس بأن العبيد سيدسون زجاجا مطحونا في خبز الأسياد. إنقض الجنود فجرا على قرية العبيد الأحرار وأٌجبر الطباخين داخل المستعمرات على أن يتذوقوا عينة من كل طبق أمام أعين الأسياد.
فقد الكهل ذاكرته، حك رأسه بطرف قلمه وأعلن التاريخ أن عبيد البرازيل كانوا خنوعين، مستسلمين بل وحتى سعداء. استهدف عصر التنوير مؤسسة الإسترقاق فالعبودية تناقض الطبيعة (ديدرو) وهي وحدها العبودية لا الطبيعة التي تصنع العبد (ديوبانت دي نيمور). لطالما أشعرت العبودية الإنسان بالعار (جان جاك روسو) طالما لم يصل إلى أوروبا برميل سكر واحد لم يتضرج بدم العبيد (هلفيتيوس)، بينما أعتقد وزير المستعمرات أن من مصلحة النظام الجيد ألا تضعف حالة الذل الفطرية في قلب العبد لأنها تُسهم باستقرار السلام في المستعمرات. لم تعر إنجلترا إنتباها يُذكر لمستعمراتها الثلاث عشر الواقعة على الساحل الأطلسي لأميركا الشمالية لأن الأخيرة لم تكن تمتلك ذهبا وفضة أو قصب سكر. حطمت المستعمرات القيود، رفعت علمها الخاص وكتب جيفرسون وثيقة ولادة الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية. وصل فرانكلين فرنسا طالبا المساعدة ضد القوات الإنجليزية التي حاصرت فيلادلفيا وأصبحت الحرب في سبيل الإستقلال طويلة ومؤلمة.
ألف خافيير كتابا فجر به الوعي التاريخي والقومي للسكان الأصليين وبعد قرنين من جز عنق آخر ملوك الآنكي اكتملت الأسطورة التي ولدت من موته...يعود الرأس إلى الجسد ويهاجم آمارو الذي وُلد من جديد...يدخل آمارو الثاني بوتوسي مخلصا الهنود والسود، شُنق الأسياد وحُرم الملوك في ليما وبوينس آيرس من النوم. توقف آمارو عند أبواب المدينة المقدسة كوزكو لكيلا يقتل الهنود الذين يدافعون عن برجها الأسباني لكنه دخلها لاحقا مثقلا بالسلاسل بعد أن باعه صديق. رفض أرتيغاس الصفقة التي عقدتها بوينس أيرس مع نائب الملك لتعيد الأرض للأسبان فهاجر شمالا منطويا تحت لوائه شعب بائس من أسياد الحرف وقطاع الطرق والأطباء والفارين...أحرق الهنود أكواخهم وانضموا للركب فخلت الأورغوي من أولئك الذين أرادوا وطنا. لم تستطع الموانئ الجنوبية أن تنتصر على جيشه غير أن الموت أخذ نصف شعبه وعندما صل آرتيغاس إلى ضفاف نهر بارلنا ترافقه حفنة من الهنود أرسل أفضلهم بما تبقى من ماله صوب سجون البرازيل واتجه منفيا إلى باراغوي…. وفي أعقابه علا صوت الغابة;
أنت...دون أن تدير رأسك...أتدفن نفسك في المنفى ؟...لا تودع أرضك فهي لن تصدق بأنك ستغادرها من أجل سبب جيد...لقد أضحى الريف رمادا وهي تتوسل الهواء...إرحل إن شئت فهي باقية… وكلما ظنها المغفلون بكماء أو جذباء ستثبت بأنها أرض ولود بالرجال.
هدأ الغدير وعلى ضفافه استلقى التمساح معرضا جذعه المدرع لأشعة الشمس، وبينما كانت عيناه تبحثان عن فريسة تقافزت القردة مهتاجة في الغابة، سُمعت أصوات الكعوب الراكضة على ممشى الأوراق فشُلت الغابة وحين دوى صوت الطلقة الأولى فرت بأكملها. لقد انتشر وباء الحرية بين عبيد المستعمرات الذين أُحضروا ضمن السفن وبين الهنود الذين يرون أنه من السخف طاعة إنسان أخر فهم ينتخبون من لا يملك إمتيازا للزعامة ويطيحون بمن يطمع بها. يطيعون الأحلام لأنهم يؤمنون بأن الروح تتحدث كل ليلة من خلالها...فمن يثنيهم عن سبيل الحرية إن هي زارتهم ليلا ؟. يقطع الهولنديون وتر قدم العبد الهارب لأول مرة ثم القدم كلها بعد المحاولة الثانية، تسرق النساء حبوب الذرة والحنطة والأرز ويخبئنها في تسريحة شعرهن الضخمة...يهربن حاملات معهن الحياة إلى الأرض الحرة أما اللواتي يُقبض عليهن فيحتضرن وأعينهن مثبتة نحو السماء من دون أن يرف لهن جفن وكأنهن يُبصرن طريقا للحرية فوق رؤوسهن مباشرة.
تقترب سفن المراقبة من جزر خوان فرنانديز ومن بين محيط النيران يقترب قارب تصعد منه كتلة ترتجف من الحمى إلى ظهر السفينة. سيلكيرك… اسكتلندي نجا من الغرق قبالة ساحل فلباريزو قبل أربعة أعوام، تعلم فن الصيد وأضاء عالمه بزيت الفقمة، بنى كوخا على تلة ثم أحضرت له بقايا عاصفة هنديا علمه أسرار النباتات. بعد عشرة أعوام سيُبعث سيلكيرك باسم كروزو وسيضاف أربعة وعشرين عاما إلى الأعوام التي قضاها في الجزيرة، سيتحمل كل الإختبارات القاسية والعزلة، الخوف والجنون وسيعود مروض الطبيعة إلى إنجلترا بطلا. يصل زعيم الفوج الإنجليزي غرب جامايكا عارضا السلام والحرية وملكية الأراضي على الزعيم كدخوي الذي تشبعت مسام جلده بغبار جامايكا مقابل حصوله على المساعدة في معاقبة تمردات العبيد وإعادة الهاربين الباحثين عن ملاذ. انحنى كدخوي للكولونيل الذي حول لجام فرسه شرقا ليسقط عنها بعد أن دُس له السم في كأس الرم.
أعلن هنود المايا الإستقلال ونصب كاسيك نفسه ملكا عليهم وأعلن نهاية حقبة العبودية والجلد وتقبيل يد السيد. أُسر كاسيك وحُكم عليه بأن يُحطم بقضبان الحديد حيا ثم رموا بأشلائه في النار. خُتمت الطقوس بتصفيق مطول تخلله الهمس بأن العبيد سيدسون زجاجا مطحونا في خبز الأسياد. إنقض الجنود فجرا على قرية العبيد الأحرار وأٌجبر الطباخين داخل المستعمرات على أن يتذوقوا عينة من كل طبق أمام أعين الأسياد.
فقد الكهل ذاكرته، حك رأسه بطرف قلمه وأعلن التاريخ أن عبيد البرازيل كانوا خنوعين، مستسلمين بل وحتى سعداء. استهدف عصر التنوير مؤسسة الإسترقاق فالعبودية تناقض الطبيعة (ديدرو) وهي وحدها العبودية لا الطبيعة التي تصنع العبد (ديوبانت دي نيمور). لطالما أشعرت العبودية الإنسان بالعار (جان جاك روسو) طالما لم يصل إلى أوروبا برميل سكر واحد لم يتضرج بدم العبيد (هلفيتيوس)، بينما أعتقد وزير المستعمرات أن من مصلحة النظام الجيد ألا تضعف حالة الذل الفطرية في قلب العبد لأنها تُسهم باستقرار السلام في المستعمرات. لم تعر إنجلترا إنتباها يُذكر لمستعمراتها الثلاث عشر الواقعة على الساحل الأطلسي لأميركا الشمالية لأن الأخيرة لم تكن تمتلك ذهبا وفضة أو قصب سكر. حطمت المستعمرات القيود، رفعت علمها الخاص وكتب جيفرسون وثيقة ولادة الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية. وصل فرانكلين فرنسا طالبا المساعدة ضد القوات الإنجليزية التي حاصرت فيلادلفيا وأصبحت الحرب في سبيل الإستقلال طويلة ومؤلمة.
ألف خافيير كتابا فجر به الوعي التاريخي والقومي للسكان الأصليين وبعد قرنين من جز عنق آخر ملوك الآنكي اكتملت الأسطورة التي ولدت من موته...يعود الرأس إلى الجسد ويهاجم آمارو الذي وُلد من جديد...يدخل آمارو الثاني بوتوسي مخلصا الهنود والسود، شُنق الأسياد وحُرم الملوك في ليما وبوينس آيرس من النوم. توقف آمارو عند أبواب المدينة المقدسة كوزكو لكيلا يقتل الهنود الذين يدافعون عن برجها الأسباني لكنه دخلها لاحقا مثقلا بالسلاسل بعد أن باعه صديق. رفض أرتيغاس الصفقة التي عقدتها بوينس أيرس مع نائب الملك لتعيد الأرض للأسبان فهاجر شمالا منطويا تحت لوائه شعب بائس من أسياد الحرف وقطاع الطرق والأطباء والفارين...أحرق الهنود أكواخهم وانضموا للركب فخلت الأورغوي من أولئك الذين أرادوا وطنا. لم تستطع الموانئ الجنوبية أن تنتصر على جيشه غير أن الموت أخذ نصف شعبه وعندما صل آرتيغاس إلى ضفاف نهر بارلنا ترافقه حفنة من الهنود أرسل أفضلهم بما تبقى من ماله صوب سجون البرازيل واتجه منفيا إلى باراغوي…. وفي أعقابه علا صوت الغابة;
أنت...دون أن تدير رأسك...أتدفن نفسك في المنفى ؟...لا تودع أرضك فهي لن تصدق بأنك ستغادرها من أجل سبب جيد...لقد أضحى الريف رمادا وهي تتوسل الهواء...إرحل إن شئت فهي باقية… وكلما ظنها المغفلون بكماء أو جذباء ستثبت بأنها أرض ولود بالرجال.
October 30, 2023
"Vivid and inspired, 'Faces and Masques' is a unique fictional account of Latin America, of a New World in the making. Here are the voices of Simon Bolivar and Benito Juarez, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt, echoes of an Inca defeat at Cuzco and the fall of Davey Crocket at El Alamo, piracy in the Sieerra Nevada and the pioneering gold prospectors of California. Here is a paegent of cowboys and gauchos, Coca-Cola and blue jeans, Buffalo Bill and Sitting Bull, soccer and the tango, rubber, tin, gold and all those who lusted for control of the raw materials and lives the New World had to offer. Eduardo Galeano's spicy blend of fiction, character and political irony brings to life the Americas of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries with breath taking imaginative power." (From the back cover of the 1987 paperback edition from UK publisher Minerva).
I adore this and many other of Galeano's books - I owe it this book my discovery of the author - that I hadn't read 'The Open Veins of Latin America' years before will always be standing rebuke to any pretensions to radicalism. Not that 'Faces and Masques' or any of the other volumes in the trilogy should be thought of as 'political' though they are definitely polemical. It is astounding the amount of fascinating ways he has of looking at the past and finding within new truths, revelations and stories.
I really don't want to get bogged down in discussing, let alone describing, the specifics of what he has to say or how he says it. Both are wonderfully unique - this is a unique book in a unique trilogy in a style that is entirely Galeano's own. If you have any interest in that vast chunk of the world known rather inaccurately as Latin America then you must read this and the other books in the trilogy. If you have no interest in Latin America you still have to read it because you don't realise what you are missing. If you are worried about 'magic realism' there is none in this book. If you want magic there is still plenty here, but not the cliche you may be used to.
I adore this and many other of Galeano's books - I owe it this book my discovery of the author - that I hadn't read 'The Open Veins of Latin America' years before will always be standing rebuke to any pretensions to radicalism. Not that 'Faces and Masques' or any of the other volumes in the trilogy should be thought of as 'political' though they are definitely polemical. It is astounding the amount of fascinating ways he has of looking at the past and finding within new truths, revelations and stories.
I really don't want to get bogged down in discussing, let alone describing, the specifics of what he has to say or how he says it. Both are wonderfully unique - this is a unique book in a unique trilogy in a style that is entirely Galeano's own. If you have any interest in that vast chunk of the world known rather inaccurately as Latin America then you must read this and the other books in the trilogy. If you have no interest in Latin America you still have to read it because you don't realise what you are missing. If you are worried about 'magic realism' there is none in this book. If you want magic there is still plenty here, but not the cliche you may be used to.
December 9, 2011
Were it not shot through with humor, this would be a book of unbearable grief and fury. E.g. the short piece called "Fiction in the Colonial Era (1785: Mexico City)":
There are also moments of beauty, as in "They Carry Life in Their Hair":
The viceroy of Mexico, Matias de Galvez, signs a new edict in favor of Indian workers. The Indians are to receive fair wages, good food, and medical attention; and they will have two rest hours at noon, and be able to change employers whenever they like. (69)
There are also moments of beauty, as in "They Carry Life in Their Hair":
For all the blacks that get crucified or hung from iron hooks stuck through their ribs, escapes from Surinam's four hundred coastal plantations never stop. Deep in the jungle a black lion adorns the yellow flag of the runaways. For lack of bullets, their guns fire little stones or bone buttons; but the impenetrable thickets are their best ally against the Dutch colonists.
Before escaping, the female slaves steal grains of rice, corn, and wheat, seeds of bean and squash. Their enormous hairdos serve as granaries. When they reach the refuges in the jungle, the women shake their heads and thus fertilize the free land. (8)
June 11, 2017
Continues from where it left off - 1700 to be precise, and takes you through 200 yrs of American history, the history of N and S America.
The Europeans have arrived and continue their plunder. Minor and major uprisings arise everywhere, some put down, some successful. Countries become independent, but borders keep getting reshaped, as greed, trade, meddling keep countries at war.
Interesting how once the European powers realised they could no longer hold these lands with their armies, the moved out and achieved pretty much the same with 'trade'. Also interesting how despite 'independence', the ideas that breathed life into the American lands - of living with nature, communal holdings - died horrid deaths. Also how, despite Independence, the Indians who originally lived continued to be slaves.
Like with all colonised countries, 'Independence' only meant a severing of ties with the locally rich from the old country, nothing as such for those that lived before the Europeans came in. In many ways, the Asian countries fared a lot better. But the scars of colonisation run deep and are likely to be permanent.
The Europeans have arrived and continue their plunder. Minor and major uprisings arise everywhere, some put down, some successful. Countries become independent, but borders keep getting reshaped, as greed, trade, meddling keep countries at war.
Interesting how once the European powers realised they could no longer hold these lands with their armies, the moved out and achieved pretty much the same with 'trade'. Also interesting how despite 'independence', the ideas that breathed life into the American lands - of living with nature, communal holdings - died horrid deaths. Also how, despite Independence, the Indians who originally lived continued to be slaves.
Like with all colonised countries, 'Independence' only meant a severing of ties with the locally rich from the old country, nothing as such for those that lived before the Europeans came in. In many ways, the Asian countries fared a lot better. But the scars of colonisation run deep and are likely to be permanent.
February 10, 2017
يتابع غاليانو ما بدأه في الجزء الأول من سرد لتاريخ أمريكا اللاتينية بنصوص حافلة بالحياة ومليئة بجميع أنواع المشاعر الإنسانية؛ القهر، والألم، والجشع، والفخر وغيرها يتابع رسم ملحمته بكثير من الاختلاف الذي يجعل هذا النص واحدا من أكثر النصوص التاريخية فرادة .. ومرة أخرى لا بد من الإشارة إلى أن الترجمة عبقرية لا تقل جمالا عن جمال النص لأنها نقلت بأمانة كبيرة جدا جو النص الأصلي والمشاعر التي اعتملت فيه والعذوبة الكامنة فيه التي تجعل حتى من الفقرات النثرية شعرا لذيذا رائقا .. هذا الكتاب من أجمل وأصدق الكتب التاريخية التي يمكن أن يقرأها الشخص وبالتأكيد لن يكون الجزء الثالث مختلفا عن الجزئين الأول والثاني..لن تنهض الأمم إلا إذا وجد بين ظهرانيها مؤخرون ببراعة وذكاء غاليانو ومترجمون باتقاد وروعة أسامة إسبر
November 8, 2014
"The blue tiger will smash the world.
Another land, without evil, without death, will be born from the destruction of this one. This land wants it. It asks to die, asks to be born, this old and offended land. It is weary and blind from so much weeping behind closed eyelids. On the point of death it strides the days, garbage heap of time, and at night it inspires pity from the stars. Soon the First Father will hear the world's supplications, land wanting to be another, and then the blue tiger who sleeps beneath his hammock will jump. "
Another land, without evil, without death, will be born from the destruction of this one. This land wants it. It asks to die, asks to be born, this old and offended land. It is weary and blind from so much weeping behind closed eyelids. On the point of death it strides the days, garbage heap of time, and at night it inspires pity from the stars. Soon the First Father will hear the world's supplications, land wanting to be another, and then the blue tiger who sleeps beneath his hammock will jump. "
January 26, 2008
i first found this series on my parents' shelves when i was younger, i would read parts of them. it's either this one or the first one that has my favorite quote.
"they were two by an error that night corrects"
i have since come to doubt that quote as beautiful as it is. maybe they were two for a reason and night fucked up, although it was a beautiful fuckup for awhile. but i'm young and who knows, and i'll always miss him.
"they were two by an error that night corrects"
i have since come to doubt that quote as beautiful as it is. maybe they were two for a reason and night fucked up, although it was a beautiful fuckup for awhile. but i'm young and who knows, and i'll always miss him.
January 3, 2010
This book by Eduardo Galeano in peotic langauage and short flash fiction like pieces covers the history of especially South America from around 1800 to 1900. It is a book most definitely worth reading if you want to find out about what happened during this time of colonization and conquests but told in a style that will mesmerize and haunt and linger long after you read the book.
December 11, 2019
ستنهض العصا و الحجر من أجل الصراع... ستعض الكلاب أسيادها ... أولئك الذين استعاروا العروش يجب أن يتقيأوا ما ابتلعوه. كان حلو المذاق و طيباً جداً ما ابتلعوه لكنهم سوف يتقيأونه.
سيغادر المغتصبون إلى حدود المياه... عندئذ لن يكون هناك مفترسون للإنسان... حين ينتهي الجشع، ستحرر وجه الأرض و ستتحرر يداها و ستتحرر قدماها.
سيغادر المغتصبون إلى حدود المياه... عندئذ لن يكون هناك مفترسون للإنسان... حين ينتهي الجشع، ستحرر وجه الأرض و ستتحرر يداها و ستتحرر قدماها.
November 22, 2012
Part two of a trilogy...
Literary genius...
Galeano takes historical "bits and bites" and reminds us of the past of Latin America and America during years of 1700 to 1900, encouraging review and research of the vast number of historical events he touches on.
Literary genius...
Galeano takes historical "bits and bites" and reminds us of the past of Latin America and America during years of 1700 to 1900, encouraging review and research of the vast number of historical events he touches on.
July 19, 2015
Hermoso libro. Lo disfruté mucho más ahora que ya tuve un año de lit. iberoamerica del siglo XVIII y XIX que antes. Me gustó muchísimo más que el primer libro. Pero rabié muchísimo, muchísimo con todos los eventos históricos. Rabié de la misma forma con el curso de literatura, igual.
October 31, 2016
Talking about New World with rhymes, poems, aphorisms. In this book, Galeano talks about discourse of power play that restructure all Latin America. The biggest impact is the loss of indigenous identity.
December 31, 2016
كتاب جميل. لقد استمتعت كثيرًا بمعرفة أحداث وقعت أمريكا الإيبيرية القرن الثامن عشر والتاسع عشر. أحببت هذا الكتاب أكثر من الكتاب الأول. غاليانو الرائع.
Read
April 9, 2017مع العزيز غاليانو..نقرأ الجزء الثاني من ثلاثيته
March 11, 2019
Hay que leer y hay que doler
January 16, 2023
1892
San José de Costa Rica
Profecía de un joven poeta de Nicaragua, llamado Rubén Darío:
El siglo que viene verá la mayor de las revoluciones que han ensangrentado la
tierra. ¿El pez grande se come al chico? Sea; pero pronto tendremos el desquite. El
pauperismo reina, y el trabajador lleva sobre sus hombros la montaña de una
maldición. Nada vale ya sino el oro miserable. La gente desheredada es el rebaño eterno para el eterno matadero...
No habrá fuerza que pueda contener el torrente de la fatal venganza. Habrá
que cantar una nueva Marsellesa que, como los clarines de
Jericó, destruya la morada de los infames... El cielo verá con temerosa alegría, entre el estruendo de
la catástrofe redentora, el castigo de los altivos malhechores, la venganza suprema y terrible de la miseria borracha.
"La voraz parentela, príncipes y princesas de la nueva nobleza de Francia, ha
cumplido su deber. Es verdad que se ha negado a venir la madre, Letizia, que está
en palacio murmurando rencores, pero Napoleón ordenará a David, artista oficial,
que otorgue a Letizia lugar prominente en el cuadro que relatará estos fastos a la
posteridad.
Los invitados desbordan la catedral de Notre-Dame. Entre ellos, un joven
venezolano estira el pescuezo para no perder detalle. A los veinte años, Simón
Bolívar asiste, alucinado, al nacimiento de la monarquía napoleónica: No soy más
que un brillante del puño de la espada de Bonaparte...
En estos días, en un salón dorado de París, Bolívar ha conocido a Alexander
von Humboldt. El sabio aventurero, recién llegado de América, le ha dicho:
—Creo que su país está maduro para la independencia, pero no veo al hombre
que pueda..."
-Las ideas de Simón Rodríguez:
«Para enseñar a pensar»
Hacen pasar al autor por loco. Déjesele trasmitir sus locuras a los padres que
están por nacer.
Se ha de educar a todo el mundo sin distinción de razas ni colores. No nos
alucinemos: sin educación popular, no habrá verdadera sociedad.
Instruir no es educar. Enseñen, y tendrán quien sepa; eduquen, y tendrán
quien haga.
Mandar recitar de memoria lo que no se entiende, es hacer papagayos. No se
mande, en ningún caso, hacer a un niño nada que no tenga su «porque» al pie.
Acostumbrado el niño a ver siempre la razón respaldando las órdenes que recibe, la
echa de menos cuando no la ve, y pregunta por ella diciendo: «¿Por qué?».
Enseñen a los niños a ser preguntones, para que, pidiendo el porqué de lo que se
les manda hacer, se acostumbren a obedecer a la razón: no a la autoridad, como
los limitados, ni a la costumbre como los estúpidos.
En las escuelas deben estudiar juntos los niños y las niñas. Primero, porque
así desde niños los hombres aprenden a respetar a las mujeres; y segundo, porque
las mujeres aprenden a no tener miedo a los hombres.
Los varones deben aprender los tres oficios principales: albañilería, carpintería
y herrería, porque con tierras, maderas y metales se hacen las cosas más
necesarias. Se ha de dar instrucción y oficio a las mujeres, para que no se
prostituyan por necesidad, ni hagan del matrimonio una especulación para asegurar
su subsistencia.
Al que no sabe, cualquiera lo engaña. Al que no tiene, cualquiera lo compra.
San José de Costa Rica
Profecía de un joven poeta de Nicaragua, llamado Rubén Darío:
El siglo que viene verá la mayor de las revoluciones que han ensangrentado la
tierra. ¿El pez grande se come al chico? Sea; pero pronto tendremos el desquite. El
pauperismo reina, y el trabajador lleva sobre sus hombros la montaña de una
maldición. Nada vale ya sino el oro miserable. La gente desheredada es el rebaño eterno para el eterno matadero...
No habrá fuerza que pueda contener el torrente de la fatal venganza. Habrá
que cantar una nueva Marsellesa que, como los clarines de
Jericó, destruya la morada de los infames... El cielo verá con temerosa alegría, entre el estruendo de
la catástrofe redentora, el castigo de los altivos malhechores, la venganza suprema y terrible de la miseria borracha.
"La voraz parentela, príncipes y princesas de la nueva nobleza de Francia, ha
cumplido su deber. Es verdad que se ha negado a venir la madre, Letizia, que está
en palacio murmurando rencores, pero Napoleón ordenará a David, artista oficial,
que otorgue a Letizia lugar prominente en el cuadro que relatará estos fastos a la
posteridad.
Los invitados desbordan la catedral de Notre-Dame. Entre ellos, un joven
venezolano estira el pescuezo para no perder detalle. A los veinte años, Simón
Bolívar asiste, alucinado, al nacimiento de la monarquía napoleónica: No soy más
que un brillante del puño de la espada de Bonaparte...
En estos días, en un salón dorado de París, Bolívar ha conocido a Alexander
von Humboldt. El sabio aventurero, recién llegado de América, le ha dicho:
—Creo que su país está maduro para la independencia, pero no veo al hombre
que pueda..."
-Las ideas de Simón Rodríguez:
«Para enseñar a pensar»
Hacen pasar al autor por loco. Déjesele trasmitir sus locuras a los padres que
están por nacer.
Se ha de educar a todo el mundo sin distinción de razas ni colores. No nos
alucinemos: sin educación popular, no habrá verdadera sociedad.
Instruir no es educar. Enseñen, y tendrán quien sepa; eduquen, y tendrán
quien haga.
Mandar recitar de memoria lo que no se entiende, es hacer papagayos. No se
mande, en ningún caso, hacer a un niño nada que no tenga su «porque» al pie.
Acostumbrado el niño a ver siempre la razón respaldando las órdenes que recibe, la
echa de menos cuando no la ve, y pregunta por ella diciendo: «¿Por qué?».
Enseñen a los niños a ser preguntones, para que, pidiendo el porqué de lo que se
les manda hacer, se acostumbren a obedecer a la razón: no a la autoridad, como
los limitados, ni a la costumbre como los estúpidos.
En las escuelas deben estudiar juntos los niños y las niñas. Primero, porque
así desde niños los hombres aprenden a respetar a las mujeres; y segundo, porque
las mujeres aprenden a no tener miedo a los hombres.
Los varones deben aprender los tres oficios principales: albañilería, carpintería
y herrería, porque con tierras, maderas y metales se hacen las cosas más
necesarias. Se ha de dar instrucción y oficio a las mujeres, para que no se
prostituyan por necesidad, ni hagan del matrimonio una especulación para asegurar
su subsistencia.
Al que no sabe, cualquiera lo engaña. Al que no tiene, cualquiera lo compra.
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