Simple Games For Stroke Victims

LLOSA AS IS

Ediciones Kutxa, España 1997 y Jaime Campodónico, Lima 1998
Premio al ensayo Ciudad de Irún, 1997, España.


A pesar de vivir fuera del Perú desde 1971, he seguido la carrera literaria de Mario con el inmerecido orgullo de haber estudiado con él en La Salle, luego en el Colegio Militar Leoncio Prado y más tarde en la Universidad de San Marcos. Muchos años después apoyé desde Estados Unidos su candidatura y lamenté enormemente su derrota.
Luego, ya viviendo en España, quedé profundamente impresionado cuando publicó en 1993 -El pez en el agua-, subtitulado -Memorias-. No podía imaginarme que alguien que escribía on the great problems of society, which attacked with passion intolerance, the totalitarian doctrines, in short, which gave the impression of being better than we could use your literary persuasion to shape memories of leaving based spotless crush congeners. One of his victims was the recognized and quiet Peruvian writer Julio Ramón Ribeyro, and this made me angry. Ribeyro saying: "I've never been insulted or persecuted, or attacked, or imprisoned, or banished, and must therefore be a miserable", he died knowing that he had exaggerated. But even more than the attack on Ribeyro, what really stunned me was aware of the inability of Vargas Llosa to understand the Peruvian people, the cholo, the Indian.
I was surprised that Vargas Llosa's book has not received an overwhelming response in Peru. Peruvians were possibly engaged in other tasks of higher priority, such as defending a very deteriorated economy. Vargas Llosa and the Freedom Movement was already history. Short story for an ancient country. In Spain, the interest in Vargas Llosa, while Peru had been left behind: his book satisfied the curiosity about the stages of its life. I did not think, however, that the fish in the water had left indifferent intellectuals in both countries, but I figured, they had more important tasks that to criticize someone who was clothed, justifiably or not, by the media.
By not seeing a response to Vargas Llosa, I met with Ortega y Gasset and I said, "if you do not have better qualifications who is forced to do either, for example me." Briefly
that was the reason that forced me to write this essay, which is not Vargas Llosa the novelist, critic, essayist, because it is beyond dispute: he is still keeping my admiration as a writer. What was intended, through an exercise of "deconstruction" to describe the "man" Vargas Llosa by himself, is through a close reading of their -Memoirs. So do not contradict that testimony has not inimical to disqualify its contents because I try to demonstrate that its "Memory" instead of charge, as is his intention, confess!



PRIZE ESSAY XIX IRÚN CITY 1997:

Before doing in Peru, my original intention was to publish this essay in a English publisher. It was impossible. The publishers sent the manuscript which told me that they liked but that was an unnecessary risk for them daring to publish a critique of a man whose reputation was consolidated in the political and cultural.
Al take the manuscript to a publisher friend, he assured me that if she liked it published no matter how hard it could be my criticism. Days later he told me that he loved and who would publish it. Soon after I phoned to apologize saying that senior management had prohibited. Frustrated, this same editor was a gesture that I thanked him greatly, passionately recommended the test several of his colleagues. This effort had the same result: no one dared disturb Vargas Llosa and / or environment. Another respectable

editor asked me to not bring him back the manuscript because Vargas Llosa had respectable forces and economic commitments that he could not annoy, adding a lengthy explanation about the power of certain literary agencies. Displaying

closed doors of publishers, with little hope I sent the manuscript to the twenty-ninth convocation of the renowned literary contest Irun City, sponsored by the Foundation Kutxa. The jury, totally unknown to me, was composed of respectable intellectuals chaired by the Secretary General of the Association of Authors of Spain, Mr. Andrés Sorel. Shift my surprise that this jury award would grant me the test that included, in addition to monetary compensation (one million pesetas), the publication or

The warm reception, attendance, and presented the award at the Chapter House of the Municipality of the City of Irun, plus the endless wonderful lunch served to the more traditional Basque style, made me forget the hardships that happened this work before publication.


photo award ceremony in the city of Irun


In English precedent sent the manuscript to the famous Peruvian Jaime honest Campodónico editor who published it the following year in Peru without any problem and with the greatest neatness.



Herbert Morote
Madrid, Spain
info@herbertmorote.com