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Γκασπάρ Ρουίζ
Ο Γκασπάρ Ρουίζ, ένας ήρωας βγαλμένος μέσα από την λατινοαμερικανική παράδοση, αντιφατικός πολιτικά και κοινωνικά, όπως ανέκαθεν ήταν και παραμένει ολόκληρη η Λατινική Αμερική είναι ο πρωταγωνιστής της ιστορίας μας και αυτό το πρόσωπο που κερδίζει από κάθε άποψη τον αναγνώστη.
Στις αρχές του 19ου αιώνα με ηγέτες τον Σιμόν Μπολιβάρ και τον Χοσέ Μαρτί η Λατινική Αμερική εξεγείρεται ενάντια στην αποικιοκρατική Ισπανία και σταδιακά απελευθερώνεται από τον ισπανικό ζυγό και σχηματίζονται τα κράτη της Κεντρικής και Νοτίου Αμερικής έτσι όπως τα γνωρίζουμε σήμερα. Ο ήρωάς μας, χωρίς να καταλάβει το γιατί, παίρνει μέρος στη σύγκρουση αυτή με όπλα την πρωτόγνωρη δύναμή του και το απίστευτο πάθος του, πότε με το μέρος των Δημοκρατικών και πότε ενάντια σε αυτούς, σε έναν πόλεμο μέχρις εσχάτων και με μόνο οδηγό την απόλυτη "δικαίωσή" του.
Στις αρχές του 19ου αιώνα με ηγέτες τον Σιμόν Μπολιβάρ και τον Χοσέ Μαρτί η Λατινική Αμερική εξεγείρεται ενάντια στην αποικιοκρατική Ισπανία και σταδιακά απελευθερώνεται από τον ισπανικό ζυγό και σχηματίζονται τα κράτη της Κεντρικής και Νοτίου Αμερικής έτσι όπως τα γνωρίζουμε σήμερα. Ο ήρωάς μας, χωρίς να καταλάβει το γιατί, παίρνει μέρος στη σύγκρουση αυτή με όπλα την πρωτόγνωρη δύναμή του και το απίστευτο πάθος του, πότε με το μέρος των Δημοκρατικών και πότε ενάντια σε αυτούς, σε έναν πόλεμο μέχρις εσχάτων και με μόνο οδηγό την απόλυτη "δικαίωσή" του.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1906
15 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Conrad
3,096 books4,857 followersJoseph Conrad was a Polish-British novelist and story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language and, although he did not speak English fluently until his twenties, he became a master prose stylist who brought a non-English sensibility into English literature. He wrote novels and stories, many in nautical settings, that depict crises of human individuality in the midst of what he saw as an indifferent, inscrutable, and amoral world.
Conrad is considered a literary impressionist by some and an early modernist by others, though his works also contain elements of 19th-century realism. His narrative style and anti-heroic characters, as in Lord Jim, for example, have influenced numerous authors. Many dramatic films have been adapted from and inspired by his works. Numerous writers and critics have commented that his fictional works, written largely in the first two decades of the 20th century, seem to have anticipated later world events.
Writing near the peak of the British Empire, Conrad drew on the national experiences of his native Poland—during nearly all his life, parceled out among three occupying empires—and on his own experiences in the French and British merchant navies, to create short stories and novels that reflect aspects of a European-dominated world—including imperialism and colonialism—and that profoundly explore the human psyche.
Conrad is considered a literary impressionist by some and an early modernist by others, though his works also contain elements of 19th-century realism. His narrative style and anti-heroic characters, as in Lord Jim, for example, have influenced numerous authors. Many dramatic films have been adapted from and inspired by his works. Numerous writers and critics have commented that his fictional works, written largely in the first two decades of the 20th century, seem to have anticipated later world events.
Writing near the peak of the British Empire, Conrad drew on the national experiences of his native Poland—during nearly all his life, parceled out among three occupying empires—and on his own experiences in the French and British merchant navies, to create short stories and novels that reflect aspects of a European-dominated world—including imperialism and colonialism—and that profoundly explore the human psyche.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 8, 2019
Όλες οι αντιμαχόμενες πλευρές σ’ έναν πόλεμο έχουν τους δικούς τους ήρωες. Κι απέναντι στις εμβληματικές φυσιογνωμίες των ελευθερωτών Σιμόν Μπολίβαρ και Χοσέ Μαρτίν αντιπαρατάσσει ο Joseph Conrad τον δικό του (μυθιστορηματικό) ήρωα, από την πλευρά των Βασιλικών στρατευμάτων αυτός, ονόματι Γκασπάρ Ρουίζ. Γιος χωρικών, με χαρακτήρα πράο και κορμοστασιά εύρωστη, ο Γκασπάρ Ρουίζ, που η συγκυρία θα τον φέρει αιχμάλωτο των Δημοκρατικών, θα αντιμετωπίσει με σθένος την εις θάνατο καταδίκη του και θα πολεμήσει μέχρις εσχάτων, μόνος εναντίον όλων, όχι από καθήκον πατριωτικό ή από υποταγή στον Βασιλιά, αλλά για την καρδιά της γυναίκας του και τη ζωή του παιδιού του.
Καλαίσθητη έκδοση μιας από τις λιγότερο γνωστές ιστορίες του Joseph Conrad, που, μέσα από την ιστόρηση της περιπέτειας του ηττημένου ήρωα στο ζοφερό περιβάλλον ενός αδελφοκτόνου πολέμου, εξαίρει το μεγαλείο της αυταπάρνησης των αληθινών αγωνιστών και της ευσπλαχνίας των ‘πραγματικών’ ανθρώπων.
«Τον διαβεβαίωσα ότι η ζωή της γυναίκας του ήταν το ίδιο ασφαλής∙ αλλά δεν είπα για ποιο πράγμα ήμουν σίγουρος - ότι δεν θα την ξανάβλεπε ποτέ. Ήθελε πόλεμο μέχρι θανάτου, και ο πόλεμος μπορούσε να τελειώσει μόνο με τον δικό του θάνατο».
Καλαίσθητη έκδοση μιας από τις λιγότερο γνωστές ιστορίες του Joseph Conrad, που, μέσα από την ιστόρηση της περιπέτειας του ηττημένου ήρωα στο ζοφερό περιβάλλον ενός αδελφοκτόνου πολέμου, εξαίρει το μεγαλείο της αυταπάρνησης των αληθινών αγωνιστών και της ευσπλαχνίας των ‘πραγματικών’ ανθρώπων.
July 10, 2020
“‘[…] As a boy I fought for liberty; I’ve always believed in the equality of men; and as to their brotherhood, that, to my mind, is even more certain. Look at the fierce animosity they display in their differences. And what in the world do you know that is more bitterly fierce than brothers’ quarrels?’”
Shortly written after Nostromo (1904), the tale Gaspar Ruiz takes us yet again to the South American continent and dips us into the bloody battles, the betrayals and intrigues of the Chilean war of independence. Gaspar Ruiz, a somewhat simple-minded peasant of remarkable strength, is facing his execution for defection when after joining the Republican army, not so much out of conviction as simply because circumstances led him into this, he is taken prisoner by the Royalists and pressed into their own ranks and later taken prisoner again by the Republicans. He miraculously survives the shooting and is nursed back to health by Erminia, daughter to a Spanish couple who lost everything they had when the Republicans took over their province. Erminia, consumed by hatred of the liberty fighters, knows well how to make use of the gullible young man that falls in love with her, turning him into the tool of her vengeance.
There is a lot that happens in this story, and Conrad cleverly uses both the general Santierra, who tells of his experiences with Ruiz some decades ago, and the omniscient narrator, who seems to be one of the English people is telling his story to, in order to unravel the events, avoiding getting a one-sided angle in the narrative voice. In fact, the omniscient narrator is often quite cynic, for example when he gives us details about the execution:
Gaspar Ruiz shows us the war of South American liberation not so much as a political spectacle but as one of human beings wrestling with their passions: There is Gaspar himself, who simply fumes at the injustice of finding himself branded as a deserter, without a chance to prove his innocence. Had he not planned, after being equipped with a musket and made to march for the Royalists, to flee their ranks whenever the first promising opportunity would offer itself? Admittedly, the reader cannot help thinking that he would just as well have fought for the Spanish loyalists, if it had been they who would have first arrived at his parental ranch because ”[H]is people were in too humble a station to feel much the disadvantage of any form of government.” Later, his whole being is invaded by an unquestioning, overwhelming love for the vindictive, implacable Erminia, and after each feat he accomplishes against the Republicans, he rides up to her in order to get a long-yearned-for acknowledgement of love from her face – it seems as though he were only acting for the sake of this woman. In the final battle, he even allows the cannon to be mounted on his back, risking his spine being broken from the recoil of the gun, because he thinks that there is no other way of liberating his wife and his daughter, who are being held hostages by the enemy. We are not so much witnessing a civil war but a family drama, and this may be the case because, at the end of the day, politics and ideals count for nothing when it comes to the human soul and its passions.
Gaspar Ruiz not only sheds critical light on the arena of politics and soi-disant noble ideals, but also on any kind of morality, as can be seen in the narrator’s comment on proverbs, which runs like this:
Ironically, the story ends in words from the narrator Santierra, which also do the trick of imparting a conveniently prepared lesson, all nicely tucked-up: ”’[…] the strong man who perished through his own strength: the strength of his body, of his simplicity – of his love!’”
Shortly written after Nostromo (1904), the tale Gaspar Ruiz takes us yet again to the South American continent and dips us into the bloody battles, the betrayals and intrigues of the Chilean war of independence. Gaspar Ruiz, a somewhat simple-minded peasant of remarkable strength, is facing his execution for defection when after joining the Republican army, not so much out of conviction as simply because circumstances led him into this, he is taken prisoner by the Royalists and pressed into their own ranks and later taken prisoner again by the Republicans. He miraculously survives the shooting and is nursed back to health by Erminia, daughter to a Spanish couple who lost everything they had when the Republicans took over their province. Erminia, consumed by hatred of the liberty fighters, knows well how to make use of the gullible young man that falls in love with her, turning him into the tool of her vengeance.
There is a lot that happens in this story, and Conrad cleverly uses both the general Santierra, who tells of his experiences with Ruiz some decades ago, and the omniscient narrator, who seems to be one of the English people is telling his story to, in order to unravel the events, avoiding getting a one-sided angle in the narrative voice. In fact, the omniscient narrator is often quite cynic, for example when he gives us details about the execution:
”A red and unclouded sun setting into a purple ocean looked with a fiery stare upon the enormous wall of the Cordilleras, worthy witnesses of his glorious extinction. But it is inconceivable that it should have seen the ant-like men busy with their absurd and insignificant trials of killing and dying for reasons that, apart from being generally childish, were also imperfectly understood. It did light up, however, the backs of the firing party and the faces of the condemned men. […]
The sergeant with a naked sword in his hand strolled away by himself along the heap of the dead. He was a humane man, and watched for any stir or twitch of limb in the merciful idea of plunging the point of his blade into any body giving the slightest sign of life. But none of the bodies afforded him an opportunity for the display of this charitable intention. […]
[Gaspar Ruiz] was lying face down. The sergeant recognized him by his stature, and bing himself a very small man, looked with envy and contempt at the prostration of so much strength.”
Gaspar Ruiz shows us the war of South American liberation not so much as a political spectacle but as one of human beings wrestling with their passions: There is Gaspar himself, who simply fumes at the injustice of finding himself branded as a deserter, without a chance to prove his innocence. Had he not planned, after being equipped with a musket and made to march for the Royalists, to flee their ranks whenever the first promising opportunity would offer itself? Admittedly, the reader cannot help thinking that he would just as well have fought for the Spanish loyalists, if it had been they who would have first arrived at his parental ranch because ”[H]is people were in too humble a station to feel much the disadvantage of any form of government.” Later, his whole being is invaded by an unquestioning, overwhelming love for the vindictive, implacable Erminia, and after each feat he accomplishes against the Republicans, he rides up to her in order to get a long-yearned-for acknowledgement of love from her face – it seems as though he were only acting for the sake of this woman. In the final battle, he even allows the cannon to be mounted on his back, risking his spine being broken from the recoil of the gun, because he thinks that there is no other way of liberating his wife and his daughter, who are being held hostages by the enemy. We are not so much witnessing a civil war but a family drama, and this may be the case because, at the end of the day, politics and ideals count for nothing when it comes to the human soul and its passions.
Gaspar Ruiz not only sheds critical light on the arena of politics and soi-disant noble ideals, but also on any kind of morality, as can be seen in the narrator’s comment on proverbs, which runs like this:
”’Every bullet has its billet,’ runs the proverb. All the merit of proverbs consists in the concise and picturesque expression. In the surprise of our minds is found their persuasiveness. In other words, we are struck and convinced by the shock.
What surprises us is the form, not the substance. Proverbs are art – cheap art. As a general rule they are not true; unless indeed they happen to be mere platitudes, as for instance the proverb, ‘Half a loaf is better than no bread,’ or ‘A miss is as good as a mile.’ Some proverbs are simply imbecile, others are immoral. That one evolved out of the naive heart of the great Russian people, ‘Man discharges the piece, but God carries the bullet,’ is piously atrocious, and at bitter variance with the accepted conception of a compassionate God. It would indeed be an inconsistent occupation for the Guardian of the poor, the innocent, and the helpless, to carry the bullet, for instance, into the heart of a father.”
Ironically, the story ends in words from the narrator Santierra, which also do the trick of imparting a conveniently prepared lesson, all nicely tucked-up: ”’[…] the strong man who perished through his own strength: the strength of his body, of his simplicity – of his love!’”
July 24, 2021
Είναι κάποιοι συγγραφείς που μπορούν μέσα σε ελάχιστες σελίδες να εκφράσουν με τον καλύτερο τρόπο την ψυχοσύνθεση των ηρώων τους. Ο Γκασπάρ Ρουίζ είναι ένας τραγικός ήρωας. Το μόνο τέλος για αυτόν είναι ο θάνατος.
"What killed him, chico?
-His own strength"
"What killed him, chico?
-His own strength"
June 11, 2021
A short, merely hundred-pages long novella by Joseph Conrad can contain such beautiful prose and such absorbing storytelling that most novels about three times of that length would fail in providing to the readers. Even as "Gaspar Ruiz" would considered by most of Conrad's readers as a mere footnote in his career which has such illustrious works as "Heart Of Darkness", "Lord Jim" and "The Secret Agent" to boast of already, that does not mean that it is any inferior in quality and impact to any of these works; in fact, we can all assume quite safely that this stirringly dramatic tale of war, revolution, love, loyalty and betrayal is in itself as masterfully written and compelling as any of these better-known works and, in places, even more profound and skilfully executed than "The Secret Agent" which I last read and admired but also found to be a little under-cooked and emotionally cold (or was that the intention?).
With "Gaspar Ruiz", Conrad again cuts loose from his favoured realm of nautical stories of adventure and self-discovery and instead narrows his gaze expertly into a little episode unfolding in the face of a bigger battle being fought for independence in South America from its Spanish rulers. This is the story of the titular anti-hero, a shrewd, strong-armed man whom we are first introduced to as a deserter held prisoner by the republican soldiers and who escapes his death sentence by his uncanny instinct for survival against all odds. What follows, however, is something even more audacious and enthralling that this perfectly startling opening scene of a literal escape from intended death - a mesmeric, sometimes heroic and poignantly romantic tale of loyalties swaying according to the forces of love and honour and resulting in a stirring drama unfolding in a continent throwing off its cloak of colonialism, ending with a tragic denouement when both love and pride self-destruct magnificently and devastatingly to the chorus of a victorious infantry charge.
And despite all the weighty words that I have employed here in describing the profound themes to be found in this story, Conrad's own sleight of hand is lighter, more agile and even more assured than ever so much that you would be sucked into the superbly orchestrated pace of the story effortlessly and you would read on and on hungrily, anxious for the fate of Ruiz, for the destiny of the Royalist woman whom he fall in love with, for both the fortunes of the already triumphant rebels and for whether Ruiz would ever attain that glory and honour that eludes him right from the beginning. There is, most crucially, a natural flow to the proceedings, a sense of a writer refraining from contriving a situation; there is a devastating catastrophe about halfway into the book that alters the narrative significantly but we don't foresee it coming and Conrad never loses his grasp on the story that follows it immediately.
The prose, since we always talk about the beautiful language when we talk about any of Conrad's stories, is flawless in "Gaspar Ruiz" - all of his signature, eye-widening sense of poetic wonder is to be found here but, most crucially, none of his rolling descriptions ever interrupt the pace and thrust of the narrative and there is a brisk, elegantly cut economy to his words, a sense of lucidity that almost reminded me of his true inspiration, Robert Louis Stevenson and also of one of his scribes, Graham Greene.
There is also enough wisdom, intrigue, moral complexity and emotional weight packed into these hundred or so pages but never for once does "Gaspar Ruiz" feel weighed down by all these considerations; it is first and foremost a thrilling, almost swashbuckling story of courage, romance and tragedy, perhaps as timeless as any of those classic romances that we love to read even today and it is for that alone, even beyond its dense subtext, that anybody will not only enjoy but love this little, almost over-looked gem of a story.
With "Gaspar Ruiz", Conrad again cuts loose from his favoured realm of nautical stories of adventure and self-discovery and instead narrows his gaze expertly into a little episode unfolding in the face of a bigger battle being fought for independence in South America from its Spanish rulers. This is the story of the titular anti-hero, a shrewd, strong-armed man whom we are first introduced to as a deserter held prisoner by the republican soldiers and who escapes his death sentence by his uncanny instinct for survival against all odds. What follows, however, is something even more audacious and enthralling that this perfectly startling opening scene of a literal escape from intended death - a mesmeric, sometimes heroic and poignantly romantic tale of loyalties swaying according to the forces of love and honour and resulting in a stirring drama unfolding in a continent throwing off its cloak of colonialism, ending with a tragic denouement when both love and pride self-destruct magnificently and devastatingly to the chorus of a victorious infantry charge.
And despite all the weighty words that I have employed here in describing the profound themes to be found in this story, Conrad's own sleight of hand is lighter, more agile and even more assured than ever so much that you would be sucked into the superbly orchestrated pace of the story effortlessly and you would read on and on hungrily, anxious for the fate of Ruiz, for the destiny of the Royalist woman whom he fall in love with, for both the fortunes of the already triumphant rebels and for whether Ruiz would ever attain that glory and honour that eludes him right from the beginning. There is, most crucially, a natural flow to the proceedings, a sense of a writer refraining from contriving a situation; there is a devastating catastrophe about halfway into the book that alters the narrative significantly but we don't foresee it coming and Conrad never loses his grasp on the story that follows it immediately.
The prose, since we always talk about the beautiful language when we talk about any of Conrad's stories, is flawless in "Gaspar Ruiz" - all of his signature, eye-widening sense of poetic wonder is to be found here but, most crucially, none of his rolling descriptions ever interrupt the pace and thrust of the narrative and there is a brisk, elegantly cut economy to his words, a sense of lucidity that almost reminded me of his true inspiration, Robert Louis Stevenson and also of one of his scribes, Graham Greene.
There is also enough wisdom, intrigue, moral complexity and emotional weight packed into these hundred or so pages but never for once does "Gaspar Ruiz" feel weighed down by all these considerations; it is first and foremost a thrilling, almost swashbuckling story of courage, romance and tragedy, perhaps as timeless as any of those classic romances that we love to read even today and it is for that alone, even beyond its dense subtext, that anybody will not only enjoy but love this little, almost over-looked gem of a story.
December 6, 2024
Novela corta que narra una vida extraordinaria en la época libertaria de San Martín.
Caida, resurgimiento, apogeo y frenético final de Gaspar Ruiz, un desertor y traicionero para ambos bandos que con su descomunal fuerza y convicción llegó a formar una guerrilla problemática.
Conrad es un cultor de la buena prosa y este relato no es la excepción. Destaca el carácter ambiguo del protagonista.
Un punto bajo no responde al texto si no a la presente edición de la Editorial Astri, con insistentes errores de impresión y ortográficos.
Caida, resurgimiento, apogeo y frenético final de Gaspar Ruiz, un desertor y traicionero para ambos bandos que con su descomunal fuerza y convicción llegó a formar una guerrilla problemática.
Conrad es un cultor de la buena prosa y este relato no es la excepción. Destaca el carácter ambiguo del protagonista.
Un punto bajo no responde al texto si no a la presente edición de la Editorial Astri, con insistentes errores de impresión y ortográficos.
October 27, 2021
This 1905 novella was written closely after the novel Nostromo, which it resembles in several aspects: there is a South American setting, a revolution is brewing, the eponymous protagonist is a strong, helpful young man. It is also similar to Youth, Lord Jim and Heart of Darkness is having an older patriarchal narrator. In this work it is General Santierra rather than Marlow, which is fitting given the Spanish background of all the characters.
I’ve argued in other reviews against the simple-minded interpretation that Conrad was a racist. The relatively sympathetic treatment of the native Indians of the mountains in this work belies such a simplistic outlook. Although his narrator refers to them as ‘heathens’ and ‘savages’ these terms are not used in a pejorative way, but merely as indicators as to which ethnic group he was describing. The natives sincere attempts to assist Gaspar in his struggles to survive are contrasted clearly with the selfish betrayal inflicted upon him by his supposed comrade who was of Spanish descent.
Even more importantly, this work also gives justification for correcting another misinterpretation of Conrad’s writing I’ve often encountered: that he was an apologist for imperialism. Based on the simple fact that his decades at sea were spent during the later years of the nineteenth century, he experienced events occurring during the height of the imperialist scramble to paint the map red, blue, purple or whatever. So, that’s what he wrote about.
But only on the surface: underneath, he was always describing the general human condition and the elemental aspirations and frustrations all beings encounter at all times and in all places. In this work, his description of the struggle between the Republican and Royalist forces shows the rapacity and pig-headedness of both sides, particularly in the manner in which the farm of Dona Erminia is first pillaged and then razed by first one side and then the other. Similarly, the injustice of the order to execute Gaspar is not an error of ideology; it is merely an unfortunate falling out of circumstances which are largely unavoidable given the war which is being fought by two sides neither of whom seem to know much about what they are fighting for or even care that much about it. Gaspar’s actions to get water for his fellow prisoners are a testament to the basic humanity which Conrad felt existed underneath all the blather of this or that form or government or national power. Gaspar’s subsequently being buffeted from side to side in the struggle furthers this view of the individual as acted-upon more than actor in his life story.
Finally, I believe Conrad was a proto-existentialist. He was a contemporary of Friedrich Nietzsche, and in several of his works comes close to the latter’s ‘God is Dead’ analysis of man’s lack of essential meaning in the universe. While his love for Dona Erminia and her almost masculine desire for vengeance has a lot to do with it, Gaspar’s eventual acceptance of membership of the Royalist side in the war is followed immediately by the news that Lima had fallen to the Republicans and that Spain was withdrawing from the entire continent. One can imagine Conrad’s ironic grin as he penned the lines showing the stolid, silent look on his hero’s face as he realized this ignoble end of his endeavours. His personal betrayal, anguish, frustration and eventual self sacrifice follow in short order.
Conrad’s travels and observations allowed him to think long and hard about human aspirations and personal destinies. In the eighty or ninety pages of this novella, he expressed the quite pessimistic view he had developed about both of these. And I think he was right.
Highly recommended.
I’ve argued in other reviews against the simple-minded interpretation that Conrad was a racist. The relatively sympathetic treatment of the native Indians of the mountains in this work belies such a simplistic outlook. Although his narrator refers to them as ‘heathens’ and ‘savages’ these terms are not used in a pejorative way, but merely as indicators as to which ethnic group he was describing. The natives sincere attempts to assist Gaspar in his struggles to survive are contrasted clearly with the selfish betrayal inflicted upon him by his supposed comrade who was of Spanish descent.
Even more importantly, this work also gives justification for correcting another misinterpretation of Conrad’s writing I’ve often encountered: that he was an apologist for imperialism. Based on the simple fact that his decades at sea were spent during the later years of the nineteenth century, he experienced events occurring during the height of the imperialist scramble to paint the map red, blue, purple or whatever. So, that’s what he wrote about.
But only on the surface: underneath, he was always describing the general human condition and the elemental aspirations and frustrations all beings encounter at all times and in all places. In this work, his description of the struggle between the Republican and Royalist forces shows the rapacity and pig-headedness of both sides, particularly in the manner in which the farm of Dona Erminia is first pillaged and then razed by first one side and then the other. Similarly, the injustice of the order to execute Gaspar is not an error of ideology; it is merely an unfortunate falling out of circumstances which are largely unavoidable given the war which is being fought by two sides neither of whom seem to know much about what they are fighting for or even care that much about it. Gaspar’s actions to get water for his fellow prisoners are a testament to the basic humanity which Conrad felt existed underneath all the blather of this or that form or government or national power. Gaspar’s subsequently being buffeted from side to side in the struggle furthers this view of the individual as acted-upon more than actor in his life story.
Finally, I believe Conrad was a proto-existentialist. He was a contemporary of Friedrich Nietzsche, and in several of his works comes close to the latter’s ‘God is Dead’ analysis of man’s lack of essential meaning in the universe. While his love for Dona Erminia and her almost masculine desire for vengeance has a lot to do with it, Gaspar’s eventual acceptance of membership of the Royalist side in the war is followed immediately by the news that Lima had fallen to the Republicans and that Spain was withdrawing from the entire continent. One can imagine Conrad’s ironic grin as he penned the lines showing the stolid, silent look on his hero’s face as he realized this ignoble end of his endeavours. His personal betrayal, anguish, frustration and eventual self sacrifice follow in short order.
Conrad’s travels and observations allowed him to think long and hard about human aspirations and personal destinies. In the eighty or ninety pages of this novella, he expressed the quite pessimistic view he had developed about both of these. And I think he was right.
Highly recommended.
March 13, 2013
I found the novella very approachable and genuine. Conrad had not only a good flair for the characters but presented a good parable of loyalty and betrayal from root to fruit.
May 20, 2023
Hay escritores aceptables, buenos, muy buenos, y luego está Joseph Conrad. Es muy difícil encontrar una historia del polaco que no tenga algo, que no tenga sustancia, es casi imposible. En "Gaspar Ruiz" una novela corta que no llega a cien páginas, Conrad nos brinda una lección sobre la psicología de los personajes, las contradicciones, las circunstancias históricas, la brutalidad de la guerra y sobre todo hace lo que más valoro, que es salirse de cualquier elemento nacionalista, ideológico o patriotero para demostrar que el maniqueísmo en literatura es basura, que se puede contar historias de otra forma, a través de los ojos de las personas que sufren los caprichos y egoísmos de los que mandan.
Ambientada en el Chile que vive la cruenta Guerra de la Independencia entre realistas y patriotas, la novela sigue los pasos de un hombre que es arrastrado por el destino siendo acusado o ensalzado por un bando o por otro según interese, hasta su desenlace final donde lo que importa es su gente, su familia.
Una pequeña joya esta obrita, y aunque muy poco conocida dentro de la bibliografía de Conrad merece mucho la pena. Quizás el hecho de no tener un ambiente marino, y además abordar un área hispanoamericana -a pesar que "Nostromo" también lo hacía-hace que los críticos anglosajones la tengan arrinconada. Es en todo caso una especie de "Martín Fierro" chileno que recomiendo vivamente.
Ambientada en el Chile que vive la cruenta Guerra de la Independencia entre realistas y patriotas, la novela sigue los pasos de un hombre que es arrastrado por el destino siendo acusado o ensalzado por un bando o por otro según interese, hasta su desenlace final donde lo que importa es su gente, su familia.
Una pequeña joya esta obrita, y aunque muy poco conocida dentro de la bibliografía de Conrad merece mucho la pena. Quizás el hecho de no tener un ambiente marino, y además abordar un área hispanoamericana -a pesar que "Nostromo" también lo hacía-hace que los críticos anglosajones la tengan arrinconada. Es en todo caso una especie de "Martín Fierro" chileno que recomiendo vivamente.
May 15, 2022
This is a story that focuses on a soldier in a war set in South America. I'll admit I know very little about the historical context of this story (actually...nothing. I did not know that some countries in South America fought their own revolutionary war to gain freedom from Spain. But now I do!).
Gaspar was an interesting character. I really enjoyed the scene early on in the story where Gaspar bends open the bars to the cell where he and the other prisoners and kept, and instead of escaping, he's like, "Cool, y'all can pass that water in now."
While the setting and history were interesting and Gaspar was an entertaining character, I did find my attention wandering at a few points during this story. If I were comparing it to the other works in Conrad's oeuvre that I've already read, I'd say Heart of Darkness and Youth are far superior stories. This is just a middle-of-the-road okay-ish story.
Gaspar was an interesting character. I really enjoyed the scene early on in the story where Gaspar bends open the bars to the cell where he and the other prisoners and kept, and instead of escaping, he's like, "Cool, y'all can pass that water in now."
While the setting and history were interesting and Gaspar was an entertaining character, I did find my attention wandering at a few points during this story. If I were comparing it to the other works in Conrad's oeuvre that I've already read, I'd say Heart of Darkness and Youth are far superior stories. This is just a middle-of-the-road okay-ish story.
June 13, 2018
Gazpar Ruiz se centra en una víctima casual de la guerra de Independencia de Chile contra la Corona española. A Gaspar, un soldado de a pié, lo juzgan injustamente como desertor contra toda evidencia. Poco más puedo decir sin añadir spoilers, ya que la novela es más bien corta y la trama se desarrolla en sólo tres partes.
El libro en si se me queda un poco corto (y un tanto parcial y un pelín misógeno, pero eso es cosa de la época). Ya puestos, prefiero el Corazón de las Tinieblas; me parece más fluido. Sin embargo, las ilustraciones compensan de sobra el contenido y el maquetado es impecable.
El libro en si se me queda un poco corto (y un tanto parcial y un pelín misógeno, pero eso es cosa de la época). Ya puestos, prefiero el Corazón de las Tinieblas; me parece más fluido. Sin embargo, las ilustraciones compensan de sobra el contenido y el maquetado es impecable.
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September 28, 2024This is the English text which I have for reference... I read the book first in a Spanish edition with beautiful illustrations by Inma Serrano.
The story isbrilliant, following the fortunes of a man caught up in a civil war in which he had no position nor interest, but captured by first one side, then the other he becomes involved... indifferent to the fortunes of either side, but still wanting to express his humanity.
How the protagonist moves on from that ... is for you to read.
Some tense scenes, a degree of suspense and some vivid descriptions of some of the uggliest kinds of psychological inhumanity.
The story isbrilliant, following the fortunes of a man caught up in a civil war in which he had no position nor interest, but captured by first one side, then the other he becomes involved... indifferent to the fortunes of either side, but still wanting to express his humanity.
How the protagonist moves on from that ... is for you to read.
Some tense scenes, a degree of suspense and some vivid descriptions of some of the uggliest kinds of psychological inhumanity.
May 3, 2021
The first Conrad I ever ead and the scenes of Gaspar with the gun mounted on his back in the mountain pass were etched indelibly on my mind by the brilliance of Conrad's words, while I often bemoan my inability to recall plot details from many of the countless books I have read and taught.
February 24, 2022
I think my enjoyment of this book was tempered by my lack of knowledge of the details of the history it describes. So I was at time confused about who was fighting whom, but the story of his life was nonetheless intriguing.
July 12, 2017
Good short story. Reminded me of Werner Herzog's film Cobra Verde.
December 6, 2024
JOSEPH GODRAD
April 4, 2021
I'm really starting to appreciate Conrad. This isn't one of my favorites, even more recent favorites but was a good tale and was told well. Gaspar Ruiz is certainly a man of conviction and fortitude. I wasn't one hundred percent sure of the timing, seems like it was a tale being told well after the fact by the General who had come in contact with Gaspar during the war. Not sure who he is recounting the story to. Its definitely worth the 50 pages or so. I just read this a second time in 2021 and don't see why I was so down on it before. He is such a tragic figure.
May 4, 2013
I very much loved the development of Ruiz as a character. An ACT exercise I use in class featured an excerpt from this story. I found it so intriguing; I had to read the novella. Conrad does marvelous work here.
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