Mario Levrero
LEAVE EVERYTHING IN MY HANDS
Trojan Horse, 2007
121 pages, 11.90 €
by MATTHEW PEACE
The work of Mario Levrero (Montevideo, 1940-2002), like Kafka, is imbued with the spirit of his age, which is ours. Leave everything in my hands, for example, Levrero realizes the austere and lonely work of the writer, not always recognized, that is forced to give nearly the work of years to have something to put in their mouth: "I have pockets empty - says to her editor -. I need something right now. Give me a thousand dollar advance and stay with rights. " The blazing speed narrative of events makes the novel (which at first appears to have the most important issue publication of the writer's work failed, the narrator) walk the path of research. In the end, undone by the same writer failure, and we do not know his name, agrees to investigate the whereabouts of the author of a book - no title and no return address, written under a pseudonym - because in Montevideo 'does not exist authorship, and the writer is obliged to do anything, except - of course - write, if you want to continue to survive. " In fact, far from what the narrator expected, the novel has not only been forgotten by the editors, "the Fat" and "old" but to read detective work must agree that: travel to Hardship and locate a certain John Doe, alleged author of a "masterpiece, probably the most written on this ground."
In a brief recent essay, the literary critic Ignacio Echevarría spoke Levrero's work as "the search for the salvation of the Spirit, but not as in Musil, where a search in the space" modern world ", but rather the space of rare personality, extravagant and difficult Levrero own. In a sense Echeverria is right to say that the Uruguayan author "has no qualms in displaying himself as a man, he did, completely devoid of attributes appropriate to get into the modern world, which, moreover, ignores sovereign, is shipped as a ruthless, radical and hilarious insight. " After reading all Onetti - and understand that the work of Mario Levrero is adding more to be added to a particular route, that of despair in a stifling and closed space, and it is not without peculiar contributions later Uruguayan literature the author of La vida breve o shipyard - I've noticed that the spirit of all in my hands Let moves between two types of spirit: the modern world and Levrero itself. Both writers, Onetti and Levrero, share in their literature, in his writing, the austere and lonely work of the writer, not always recognized, and crippling difficulty to find our way in the modern world.
Let everything in my hands is written in simple and vigorous style, as it is said that the novel written by Juan Perez. For this reason - sometimes - the reader confused both works, approach and intersect: in two is told what they see, feel and see the very subject of the book - as in a trial - a protagonist who is "more contemplative"; in them question the role of writer as witness to a society ignorant and empty in both the final recognition seems to have its reason for being in their chosen profession. The work of John Smith talks about the successive precipitation into the void of the institutions, values, economics and, above all, culture, in one place, Hardship - parable of the world - where no one reads and of course where one writes. Some data: Leave everything to me also is written with the same fear of handing over his novel with no return address and a pseudonym, "brought the envelope sender. The postmark was for a small inner city Hardship call (and I say in passing, I changed all the names and nicknames of people, places and countries, not to injure anyone) and the novel was signed by Juan Pérez (...) John Doe is a pseudonym. "
Finally, for criticism, Levrero work is unclassifiable, anomalous, as the protagonist, "good, but ...", a work that moves between the detective story, essay and novel ontological. Leave everything to me is beautiful, meaningful and important. The novel by Mario (Jorge) Levrero (Varlotta) not only makes us a good time, but also provides the key to understanding some of the wild spirit of our times and the "hardship" for which the writer must go if you want see his work published.
