Macedonio Fernandez

I'm reading a book by a guy named Macedonio Fernandez, called "The Museum of Eterna's Novel (The First Good Novel)."

I'd love to actually get the entire thing read. But it's been slow going for me thus far. I'm only up to page 52 (out of 238) and that after a few days picking it up and putting it down.

I love the concept and some of the sly observations he makes. I can resonate with some of the sly observations he makes about novels and characters, since I've thought of a few of those myself, not just with books but with movies and songs.

He has some things to say about the characters in a book and their existence or non-existence. Like a traveler who shows up and travels on, what kind of existence he has.

I'm no Fernandez expert, having just heard of him a few days ago. But he was from South America and was influential to other more famous guys down there. Somehow he became well known and now, being completely dead, is gaining in reputation. To the point that a guy like me would hear of him and be reading and resonating and all the rest.

The little I know about his book so far -- and forgive me if I'm announcing a completely new doctrine apart from his, although that would be better from my point of view -- reminds me of what I think of every time I hear the Beatles' "Day Tripper" song. To me it's like a little world that exists all by itself -- the riff is probably the key here -- then in a couple minutes it's gone, yet it exists as its own little compact self somewhere in the eternal stream.

The book, the title given above, has a novel in it somewhere, which I haven't gotten to yet but I've glimpsed. Before we get to it, a surface reading seems to suggest, we have 50 or so tangential or intrinsic prologues to make it through. Some of these are extremely delightful. And the ones that aren't delightful, I was just tired while reading them.

It was written many years ago before he died, but the English publication is only recent, having been translated in recent days. The translator deciphered it from a handwritten manuscript that was virtually indecipherable, but thankfully it was also nicely written out by Fernandez' lover, which had to help.