I noticed in today’s Writer’s Almanac that today is the birthday of Junot Diaz. I’ve been reading his stories in The New Yorker for a long time, most recently I enjoyed the one in the science fiction issue which added a touch of fantastic suspense to the usual themes of family, relationships, the diaspora and tragic history of the DR. I learned a lot about this history when I recently listened to The Short and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. The audiobook has its pros and cons, but a distinct advantage is when wonderful accents and foreign language phrases are a part of the narrative. I’ve always loved the liberal sprinkling of (untranslated) Spanish throughout Diaz’ work, but when listening to one of his books, I almost start to feel a glimmer of fluency in the language. In addition, beneath the flippant tone, one gets a grim history lesson about the horrors of the reign of Trujillo and his followers and the scars left on the people of the DR. There is a joyous anger in Diaz as he reveals these monsters for what they were, even as there is sadness because of the trauma that continues down the generations. Diaz has a refreshing, unique style, and his erstwhile narrator is appealing even as he reels along his path of self-destruction. Diaz refers to Yunior as his own “terrible half-brother,” and his writing seems like therapy for himself and his homeland.
Posts Tagged ‘New Yorker’
Happy Birthday, Yunior!
Posted in books, Contemporary, New Yorker, tagged New Yorker on December 31, 2012| Leave a Comment »
- aging books Civil War Food Jobsearch movies Mysteries New Yorker
Recent Comments
Blogroll
Literary Links
Pages
Categories
- Art
- Audiobooks
- Biography
- books
- Bookstores
- Classics
- Contemporary
- Foreign
- History
- Jane Austen
- Jobseeker
- Law
- Literary Links
- movies
- Mysteries
- New Yorker
- Other Blogs
- Patrick O'Brian
- Philosophy
- Plays
- Poetry
- Popular culture
- Project grad school
- Recipes
- Science
- Short stories
- Teaching Company
- The New Yorker
- Tolstoy
- travel
- Uncategorized
- Writing
-
Join 32 other subscribers
Goodreads
Archives
- November 2018
- September 2018
- April 2018
- April 2017
- February 2017
- October 2016
- February 2014
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- June 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- March 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- July 2006
- May 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
- August 2005