Cortázar, Julio (Vol. 2) - Cortázar, Julio 1914–
Cortázar, Julio 1914–
A Belgian-born Argentine writer, now living in Paris, Cortázar favors novels and stories bordering on fantasy, zaniness, and madness, after the manner of Borges and Kafka. His best-known work is Hopscotch. (See also Contemporary Authors, Vols. 21-22.)
Cortázar is the evidence we needed that there is a powerful mutant strain in [Latin American] literature. It leads toward a mystic borderline. "Where frontiers end, roads vanish," says Octavio Paz. And so it is with Cortázar. He works toward the outer limits of experience, thumbing his nose at the world. He is a brilliant wit, and a tireless innovator, who has given us a lot to ponder. The tendency in certain circles has been to accuse him of a lack of seriousness, probably with some justification, at least to the extent that he insists on pulling chairs out from under us all. Certainly there is an element of the practical joker in him. But it lives in close...
[The entire page is 4079 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
