Siete lunas y siete serpientes

by Demetrio Aguilera Malta, Carlos E. Abad (Editor)

Demetrio Aguilera-Malta (Guayaquil, 1909 - Mexico D.F., 1981) conoció de cerca en su infancia la naturaleza circundante, las costumbres, creencias y usos lingüísticos locales de la provincia guayense donde se crió. En su juventud se forjó su conciencia social, y junto a su amor por los libros destacó un joven de alta sensibilidad artística interesado en las artes plásticas. Poeta, cuentista, articulista, dramaturgo, novelista, fue profesor en diversas universidades americanas y embajador de Ecuador en México. Hombre bueno y generoso sufrió por el proletariado humillado, se dolió por aquellos que eran temidos y odiados por el solo hecho de ser humildes, iluminó en sus novelas la problemática del abuso del poder económico y político. «Siete lunas y siete serpientes» fue una obra de larga gestación. Durante casi dos décadas el autor acumuló material e ideas para esta novela, para construir una saga realista y mágica de la costa ecuatoriana, cuyo motivo central es la sempiterna y universal lucha del Bien contra el Mal.

Genres: Fiction, Magical Realism, 20th Century, Latin American, Latin American Literature, Spanish Literature, Fantasy

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Ecuadorian writer, director, painter, and diplomat. He was a member of the Guayaquil Group of the 1930s, who used social realism in their writings. He used magical realism in his masterpiece Siete lunas y siete serpientes (1970), which was translated into English as Seven Serpents and Seven Moons by Gregory Rabassa in 1979.

Reviews

[Nathan "N.R." Gaddis]

Seven Serpents and Seven Moons is an early (1970) exemplar of the genre Magic(al) Realism. And also an example, my opinion, of genre writing ; much like how you might dig the picaresque (I do!) and yet some read simply as picaresque without snapping into a magical transportation. The novel’s good, but it doesn’t exactly soar. A bit didactic and allegorical ; a pretty clear portrait of the political vicissitudes of 20th century Latin American politics ; which is none too rosy. There’s a very direct portrayal, for instance, of the privatization of water ; something which is literally at the forefront of the neo-liberal (US) policy toward the South ;; to say nothing whatsoever of the privatization of oil and other natural resources which in a sane world would belong to the People (Norway has/had a philosopher overseeing their oil reserves).

It’s a BURIED book and is translated by Gregory Rabassa ; two facts which alone should recommend it for those times when something light and yet lovely is required.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those Latin American works that reeks of magical realism from start to finish. I had never before heard of Ecuadorian author Demetrio Aguilera Malta before. Now, after reading Seven Serpents and Seven Moons, I see him as a powerful literary figure that I had somehow missed.

It takes a while for the story to get going, but it soon turns into an allegory of South American culture and politics. Characters include not only the devil, but a crucified Christ who sometimes steps off the cross to make a point. There is also a witch doctor, two Catholic priests, a seemingly evil character named Colonel Candelario Mariscal who tends to slaughter his enemies yet is somehow forgiven at the end, and a whole slew of memorable characters besides.

I think Seven Serpents should be reissued. The edition I read is a half-century-old paperback from Avon Books that is coming apart. (But now that I've taped the binding, I hope it lasts.)

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was written in 1970 in Mexico by Ecuadorian Malta. It is written in authentic `magical-realism' style a la `100 Years of Solitude'. It is based in a fictional Latin-American town Santoronton, on the banks of a river and small island `Bahumba'; it's not clear when or which country this really is, though Zinc roofs suggest it is at least mid-1900s.

Santoronton is ostensively a normal rural town well populated by the usual suspects of such places: Colonel Candelerion (crocodile) the villainous rapist/murderer leader, witch doctor Bulu-Bulu (monkey) with daughter Dominga, Catholic Father Candido (with personal live wooden Jesus), families including the Quindales with daughters Chepa (a ghost) and Clotilde (bat), Dr Juvenico, secondary baddy bandit Chalena (toad). The town however has the story but also the magic to overlap events and personal animal similes (as indicated in brackets). The `real' animals appear to participate in the story.

The basic arc of the story is that the Colonel lusts after Chepa, he murders the family and rapes both daughters: Chepa (marries quickly but dies soon after) comes back to haunt him, what can he do?. The town is the centre of devil (`X-tail') activity with Chalena, who sold his soul?, controlling the water supply and ends up owning the town and people. The town rely on their religion Candido loses his church in a fire and the burned Crucifix comes alive; another Father comes to build a concrete church and falls in with the baddies. Candelerion is Candido's godson (if not son?). Clotide starts to entice men and castrate them, what can doctor Juvenico do to help her? Dominga needs a man to protect her from the tin-tins.

You might have been looking for another `100 Years' style of book - this is that book. The story is engaging and enthralling; add in the author's clear magical style which works very well because it's always there but not in an overpowering way - one can simply read the story as magical or preferably (form my point of view) clever analogy that expands events i.e. does the Colonel really turn into a crocodile and kill people so easily? .

Assuming you're into Latin American books you will not regret finding and reading this book.

[Elisa Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magical realism--a very favorite genre for me--and this is my favorite. The lovely writing comes through the translation, and the story is fun, dark, and grotesque. If you like Marquez or Allende, read this book. Aguilera-Malta is a master; I wish more of his works were in available in English, but this book is good enough to make me want to really master Spanish.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the talking wooden crucifix to the boy who is told to hold a plant in his palm until it grows to become a part of him, Aguilera-Malta takes the reader on a magical mystery tour of the bizarre town of Santorontón. If you were enthralled by Garcia Marquez's '1oo Years of Solitude,' you will probably enjoy this novel.

[Rachel Drenning · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best magical realism novels ever. I don't know how this book is not more well known. Magical, horrific at times, hilarious, with a unique storyline. One thing I did prefer about this story to MOST Latin American magical realism stories, is it wasn't as political. Highly, highly recommend.

[Kurt Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really hard to describe. It is a surreal, hallucinogenic, strange, quirky, kinky magic realism story; more magic than real, and not European magic with incantations, potions or wands. Not really a fever dream, but something bizarre none-the-less. It just oozes magic realism; a real heavy-weight champion in that category.

After reading it, I am surprised at how few ratings and reviews this has. It deserves more attention. If out of print, it should be reissued.

First, let's talk about the elephant in the room. This book will not be for everybody (if you are triggered about Anything, this book is not for you). For example, the opening chapter has a pair of magical creatures called Tin-Tins fighting for the role to complete some undescribed ritual with an undescribed purpose that involves a sexual conquest of the wizard's daughter... except their weapons are their own oversized pen1ses used to club each other into submission. I am not sure the author's intent for beginning the book this way, other than to note that the ritual is the origin of the book's title.

So, yes, here is a wizard, sometimes called a witch doctor (which is probably more apt), but I do not think we actually see him do anything, and we never know where he gets his power from, be it good or evil. Some of the 'magical' power seems to come from the divine: God and Jesus, or contrarily from deals with Old Longtail, aka The One We Know aka Mandinga (never directly mentioned to be Satan, the devil, or demons). Christianity and morality are underlying themes, as well as oppression.

Take a long look at that cover of the Avon/Bard edition; that's what the book is about, or at least a partial list of the main characters.

Before I start, my favorite character is Burnt Jesus. A life-sized Jesus mailed to a crucifix that gets scorched in a church fire, that is reminiscent of Woody from _Toy Story_ in which only (mostly) Father Candido sees animated.

" _All and everything colored sex. Crocodile-sex. Jaguar-sex. Monkey-sex. Tin-Tin Sex. Tree-sex. A rain of sex. Falling down on her. From everywhere._ "

Yes, and that quote is on page 69 (I kid you not). Of course, her 'lover' is an animagus, so he can change into all of those things (maybe not rain, but... it wouldn't surprise me). There is also a Toad-Man and a Monkey-Man. Lots of weird things occur or are seen; it's just a new reality in this jungle scene.

About the writing: apart from the magic realism, there are some long stretches (a few pages) of walls of texts of stream-of-conscious writing, all with a magic-realism flavor, which I found unique. The progression of the book is non-linear, if that matters to you. Some things are not described until later (or at all); you are rather just expected to swing over to the fantastic belief; just go with it.

As another reviewer says, the story is good, but it does not "soar". The magic realism DOES soar. 4.5/5 stars.

[John Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

At its heart, "Seven Serpents and Seven Moons" by Demetrio Aguilera-Malta, is a story about a provincial town in Ecuador, a setting central to plot and character that seemed initially reminiscent of Thomas Hardy's Wessex. The story is about good and evil and faith, how the powerful take advantage of the less powerful and the measures the common people will take to defend themselves, exercise their rights.
the story quickly spirals into a fantasy myth level. Aguilera-Malta was cited by Gabriel Garcia Marquez as an influence, so Aguilera-Malta has been referred to as the Grandfather of Magic realism.
what is truly fantastic in this book is how the natural world of Ecuador is vividly present and develops in richness as the book progresses: humans shift realities and morph into various wild animals, and the vegetation of Ecaudor inhabits every scene.
there are experiments with alliteration and repeated phrases that further evoke the sense of running water, wind shifting palm fronds, bird call and bird chatter.
a unique unusual read.

[Geoffrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is very frustrating for me. There are some great magical-realist concepts here, and a number of indelible scenes; at first, I was absolutely loving it. But getting to the end, I realized: rarely if ever have I read a book that's so much less than the sum of its parts. Nothing amounts to anything, conflicts and situations are set up that then fizzle out into nothing, and none of the potentially intriguing characters get their due. I am seriously bummed out that I'm giving it two stars; after the first hundred pages or so, I was thinking four or five for sure. But that's just the way it has to be.

[Matiuska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obra cumbre de la literatura. Las metáforas, las alteraciones, la poesía, las descripciones improbables....es como un viaje mágico cuidado hasta el más mínimo detalle. Debería estudiarse en la secundaria o el bachillerato

[Keith Caldwell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful.

[Natalia Sánchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encantó. Y estoy muy feliz de eso porque llevaba años queriendo leerlo y cuando al fin lo tuve en mis manos me daba algo de miedo justo porque ya ni me acordaba por qué quería leerlo en un principio, pero sabía que había ahí ciertas expectativas aún cuando intento no entrar así a los libros.
Para mi deleite, me agradó el libro de cabo a rabo. Me tomé mi tiempo leyéndolo y en toda esa temporada pensé mucho en él, vuelve y vuelve a mis pensamientos y esa ya es una señal muy buena. Me hizo reír bastante, y me hacía reaccionar en general en voz alta.

Es una historia de realismo mágico sobre la pelea entre el bien y el mal en un pueblito llamado Santorontón. Y en seguida reconoces qué personajes representan el bien y cuáles el mal, sin embargo, no se siente como un libro simplificado donde los malvados son malvados y ya y los buenos son buenos y ya. Entonces me gustó eso.

Demetrio Aguilera Malta narra de una manera muy curiosa. Un montón de puntos, frases cortas. Te pinta las imágenes y los sucesos con sonidos, con juegos de palabras. Y es gracioso.

No es complicado de leer, nada más sí hay que hacer seguimiento de personajes, tener claro quién es quién. E igualmente tener en cuenta que hay saltos en el tiempo. Está la historia principal que avanza de manera cronológica, pero también hay varias historias de trasfondo de diferentes personajes, entonces al inicio de los capítulos hay que identificar en dónde estás parado.

Estoy muy contenta de tener un pedazo de literatura ecuatoriana tan buena y que me haya gustado tanto.

[María Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

La prosa de Aguilera Malta es juguetona, sensual y con un humor muy fino. Me reí varias veces leyendo este libro. Tiene partes preciosas en las que juega con el español, sin dificultad, sin cacofonía y con mucho ritmo. Además, una novela más vigente que nunca porque pone en escena una modernidad que acapara tierras, privatiza y vuelve mercancía la naturaleza de América Latina. Todo a través de la disputa ética que entra en crisis por la misma secularidad que implica la modernización. En la línea de Juan Rulfo y Rosario Castellanos, en esta novela hay situaciones que esconden cosmologías no occidentales como las de los cimarrones y la quechua, que le dan una dimensión colonial al espacio rural.

¡Un libro que merece ser desenterrado!

[Fredd · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love anything with crazy monkeys...