An Oasis of Horror in a Desert of Boredom: Roberto Bolaño's 2666

by Jonathan Russell Clark

After devouring 2666 by Roberto Bolaño on the New York City subway, Jonathan Russell Clark does what any good literary critic would do—he reads everything by Bolaño he can get his hands on. But the more he learns about the writer’s unlikely life, the less it makes sense. Bolaño cultivated ambiguities and false identities, almost as if he were laying a trap for his future biographers. Clark’s investigation into Bolaño’s magnum opus is a stumble through a labyrinth where fiction and self-mythologizing converge.

Genres: Nonfiction, Literary Criticism

83 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2018

Reviews

[Tobias]

A sharply written examination of 2666, delving into both its themes and its reception upon publication in the US.

[Jack Wolfe]

Some good context for appreciating "2666," but the analysis never really gets further than the novel's original after-note. I sort of wish Clark spent more time in the place where he starts and end his account (ie talking about life in our modern world) because I think, as I mentioned in MY blisteringly analytical review, a fucked up book like "2666" just gains power as the world around it gets more fucked up. The book is about hate and violence and terrible men and horrible crimes that go totally unnoticed and sometimes it feels like we're livin in frickin 2666 now if you know what I mean...

I liked carrying around this little guy in my pocket though!

[Trevor Goldhush]

i didn't really agree with alot of the analysis or critisicm Clark gives. but theres some nice context given for Bolaño's life and the writing of the book.

in the year since I've read 2666, I haven't really seen much discourse surrounding it or seen much of the talk about it. so it was good to get back into the headspace of this one, as dark and hopeless as that headspace may be.

[Matthew Gallaway]

2666 is a novel ten years after reading it that I still think about regularly (especially the fourth part, about the killings), both in terms of its scope/ambition, and its failures, e.g., I hated the fifth part and often felt like the homophobic language was gratuitous. But I digress. This book *about* 2666 is a perfect way to revisit the novel with a sure-footed guide who offers great insight into what the book is about and the author who wrote it. Highly recommended.

[D.F. Lovett]

One of my favorite works of literary criticism I've read. A must-read for fans of 2666.

[Samuel Goff]

After reading Roberto Bolano's epic "2666" like with many great books at the end of it I wanted desperately to discuss it. Well I didn't have that option, so I did the next best thing. I got this book by Jonathan Russell Clark who has taken on the unenviable task of breaking down this vast novel. I think the problem Clark runs into is that 2666 is such a overwhelming and at times unorthodox novel, it can prove to be an effort in futility to try and make sense of the work as a whole. I enjoyed Clark's analysis but felt he was reaching a bit in spots concerning Bolano's supposed motives. A slight criticism though, this was a fun book to read and where Clark succeeded is discussing Bolano's view of himself as a reclusive author and his subsequent placing in literary history. I think 2666 will mean many different things to many different readers. There is no concise answer to the question "What does it all mean?" Probably the best thing in here is Bolano's favorite 16 books of all time. Who wants to start a book club and read all 16 of those!? I'm down.

[Sam Orndorff]

This is a fun little book. His experience reading 2666 resonates with me throughout, but it sometimes veers more into recapping than literary study. Still, there's some great biographical analysis that places Bolaño into context. Clark also does well to critique the towering author for his misogyny, but I think Bolaño had put so much violence against women into his masterpiece because he seems to suggest this is humanity's greatest obstacle -- admiting the harms and challenging them. To me, this is why that section of 2666 reads so distanced. Bolaño was a detective. and Clark is an attentive Watson.

[Ian]

A short punchy précis of 2666 puncturing a few myths on the way ( his heroin addiction and presence in Chile during the Pinochet coup the most notable )

[Chris Herron]

Gay book

[Siya]

I should’ve read the other book before this one my bad

[Robbie Herbst]

Opened up some new vistas. Still searching, though.

[Owen Lewis]

Critical analysis that helped me understand and formalize my opinions on 2666. I enjoyed it a lot but don’t feel equipped to rate this sort of book.