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La palabra del mudo #1-4
The Word of the Speechless: Selected Stories
Available in English for the first time, a collection of deeply humane stories depicting marginalized populations by one of the greatest South American writers of the 20th century.
The Peruvian writer Julio Ramón Ribeyro is one of the masters of the short story and a major contributor to the great flourishing of Latin American literature that followed the Second World War. In a letter to an editor, Ribeyro said about his stories, "in most of [them] those who are deprived of words in life find expression—the marginalized, the forgotten, those condemned to an existence without harmony and without voice. I have restored to them the breath they've been denied, and I've allowed them to modulate their own longings, outbursts, and distress." This is work of deep humanity, imbued with a disorienting lyricism that is Ribeyro's alone. The Word of the Speechless, edited and translated by Katherine Silver, introduces readers to an indispensable and unforgettable voice of Latin American fiction.
The Peruvian writer Julio Ramón Ribeyro is one of the masters of the short story and a major contributor to the great flourishing of Latin American literature that followed the Second World War. In a letter to an editor, Ribeyro said about his stories, "in most of [them] those who are deprived of words in life find expression—the marginalized, the forgotten, those condemned to an existence without harmony and without voice. I have restored to them the breath they've been denied, and I've allowed them to modulate their own longings, outbursts, and distress." This is work of deep humanity, imbued with a disorienting lyricism that is Ribeyro's alone. The Word of the Speechless, edited and translated by Katherine Silver, introduces readers to an indispensable and unforgettable voice of Latin American fiction.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
170 people are currently reading
2085 people want to read
About the author
Julio Ramón Ribeyro
105 books283 followersJulio Ramón Ribeyro Zúñiga was a Peruvian writer best known for his short stories. He was also successful in other genres: novel, essay, theater, diary and aphorism. In the year of his death, he was awarded the Premio Juan Rulfo de literatura latinoamericana y del Caribe. His work has been translated into numerous languages, including English.
The characters in his stories, often autobiographical and usually written in simple but ironic language, tend to end up with their hopes cruelly dashed. But despite its apparent pessimism, Ribeyro's work is often comic, its humor springing from both the author's sense of irony and the accidents that befall his protagonists. The collective work of his short stories is published under the title La palabra del mudo (The Word of the Mute).
Ribeyro studied literature and law in Universidad Católica in Lima. In 1960 he immigrated to Paris where he worked as a journalist in France Presse and then as cultural advisor and ambassador to UNESCO. He was an avid smoker, as described in his short story ¨Sólo para fumadores¨ (Smokers Only) and he died as a result of his addiction.
The characters in his stories, often autobiographical and usually written in simple but ironic language, tend to end up with their hopes cruelly dashed. But despite its apparent pessimism, Ribeyro's work is often comic, its humor springing from both the author's sense of irony and the accidents that befall his protagonists. The collective work of his short stories is published under the title La palabra del mudo (The Word of the Mute).
Ribeyro studied literature and law in Universidad Católica in Lima. In 1960 he immigrated to Paris where he worked as a journalist in France Presse and then as cultural advisor and ambassador to UNESCO. He was an avid smoker, as described in his short story ¨Sólo para fumadores¨ (Smokers Only) and he died as a result of his addiction.
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February 24, 2022
‘What is life? A little flame at the tip of a candle, exposed to a strong wind.’
Peruvian writer Julio Ramón Ribeyro (1929-1994) was a masterful short story writer with a sly wit and comically pessimistic flair. Despite a lengthy legacy and notoriety, his stories have only recently been made available to the English speaking world through Katherine Silver’s wonderful translation and collected in The Word of the Speechless from NYRB. A sampler plate of stories selected from 10 story collections spanning 1955-1992, The Word of the Speechless offers a delightful look at Ribeyro’s range as he noticeably matures as a writer. Not that this discounts the earlier stories, which are quite playful and witty, but the later half of the stories blossom with a marvelous depth of texture and subtle nuance that really outshines the former stories. Ribyero delivers a unique and fun perception, focusing on failures, shortcomings and disagreements with his characters to reveal with a wink a sardonic humanity inside us all.
The cast of characters across these stories is quite diverse, everything from those living in destitution to stuffy aristocrats. However, most of these characters seem on the fringes of either society or their own lives, frantic and verging on despair. In a letter to his editor, Ribyero explains:
These stories would feel dark or morbid in lesser hands, but Ribyero offers a delightful charm that keeps them upbeat and fairly humorous. Earlier stories may draw comparisons with Jorge Luis Borges or the more experimental works of Julio Cortázar for their ironic situations and clever twists. A man follows a trail of blood to discover it leads to his own body, another in search of his ‘double’, travels around the world only to discover upon returning that his own double had been renting his apartment in his absence. Stories from his middle period have a quality to them akin of Roberto Bolaño or Dutch writer Nescio--particularly The First Snow--in that they reach towards something but leave the reader just before the precipice of any revelation. His final period of work, however, may be his strongest.
Ribyero was a bit of an enigmatic figure in his own life. While best known for his short stories, he also penned novels and plays and was a UNESCO ambassador. He lived most of his life in Europe but his heart remained in Peru, where most of his fiction takes place. Mario Vargas Llosa, a friend of Ribyero’s who celebrated his short stories, criticized Ribyero in an essay for not having any political convictions or consistency, which he attributed to trying to remain apolitical due to his UNESCO appointment. Ribyero himself avoided taking much stock in political ideology, best characterized in the comedic story The Insignia, which features a man rising quickly in the ranks of a secret political society without ever understanding what they even believe in or stand for.
I came to this collection upon seeing the introduction was by Alejandro Zambra (whom I HIGHLY recommend as well). Zambra, it seems, takes some inspiration from Ribyero, particularly the story For Smokers Only. The story, at 30pgs making it one of the longest in the collection, verges towards autobiography as a history of life with smoking and other famous authors for whom smoking was part of their identity. Zambra’s own I Smoked Very Well seems to follow in Ribyero’s footsteps, continuing the legacy of smoking in this canon of authors Ribyero weaves together. This story is a must read for anyone who enjoyed Zeno's Conscience or is a fan of the biliophile narratives of Enrique Vila-Matas.
While this is a joy, it is a tad unfortunate that the collection is so sparse and does not contain a larger selection of stories. Particularly since it will leave the reader hungry for more and, alas, there are not more currently translated. Hopefully this sampler will lead to grants for translations of his full collections or of his two novels, as Ribyero is a bright shining voice in Latin American fiction and resonates well in a modern audience. Playful, witty and charmingly depraved, this is a worthwhile collection and insight into a fantastic writer.
4 / 5
Peruvian writer Julio Ramón Ribeyro (1929-1994) was a masterful short story writer with a sly wit and comically pessimistic flair. Despite a lengthy legacy and notoriety, his stories have only recently been made available to the English speaking world through Katherine Silver’s wonderful translation and collected in The Word of the Speechless from NYRB. A sampler plate of stories selected from 10 story collections spanning 1955-1992, The Word of the Speechless offers a delightful look at Ribeyro’s range as he noticeably matures as a writer. Not that this discounts the earlier stories, which are quite playful and witty, but the later half of the stories blossom with a marvelous depth of texture and subtle nuance that really outshines the former stories. Ribyero delivers a unique and fun perception, focusing on failures, shortcomings and disagreements with his characters to reveal with a wink a sardonic humanity inside us all.
The cast of characters across these stories is quite diverse, everything from those living in destitution to stuffy aristocrats. However, most of these characters seem on the fringes of either society or their own lives, frantic and verging on despair. In a letter to his editor, Ribyero explains:
’in most of my stories, those who are deprived of words in life find expression--the marginalized, the forgotten, those condemned to an existence without harmony and without voice. I have restored to them the breath they’ve been denied, and I’ve allowed them to modulate their own longings, outburst, and distress.’
These stories would feel dark or morbid in lesser hands, but Ribyero offers a delightful charm that keeps them upbeat and fairly humorous. Earlier stories may draw comparisons with Jorge Luis Borges or the more experimental works of Julio Cortázar for their ironic situations and clever twists. A man follows a trail of blood to discover it leads to his own body, another in search of his ‘double’, travels around the world only to discover upon returning that his own double had been renting his apartment in his absence. Stories from his middle period have a quality to them akin of Roberto Bolaño or Dutch writer Nescio--particularly The First Snow--in that they reach towards something but leave the reader just before the precipice of any revelation. His final period of work, however, may be his strongest.
Ribyero was a bit of an enigmatic figure in his own life. While best known for his short stories, he also penned novels and plays and was a UNESCO ambassador. He lived most of his life in Europe but his heart remained in Peru, where most of his fiction takes place. Mario Vargas Llosa, a friend of Ribyero’s who celebrated his short stories, criticized Ribyero in an essay for not having any political convictions or consistency, which he attributed to trying to remain apolitical due to his UNESCO appointment. Ribyero himself avoided taking much stock in political ideology, best characterized in the comedic story The Insignia, which features a man rising quickly in the ranks of a secret political society without ever understanding what they even believe in or stand for.
I came to this collection upon seeing the introduction was by Alejandro Zambra (whom I HIGHLY recommend as well). Zambra, it seems, takes some inspiration from Ribyero, particularly the story For Smokers Only. The story, at 30pgs making it one of the longest in the collection, verges towards autobiography as a history of life with smoking and other famous authors for whom smoking was part of their identity. Zambra’s own I Smoked Very Well seems to follow in Ribyero’s footsteps, continuing the legacy of smoking in this canon of authors Ribyero weaves together. This story is a must read for anyone who enjoyed Zeno's Conscience or is a fan of the biliophile narratives of Enrique Vila-Matas.
While this is a joy, it is a tad unfortunate that the collection is so sparse and does not contain a larger selection of stories. Particularly since it will leave the reader hungry for more and, alas, there are not more currently translated. Hopefully this sampler will lead to grants for translations of his full collections or of his two novels, as Ribyero is a bright shining voice in Latin American fiction and resonates well in a modern audience. Playful, witty and charmingly depraved, this is a worthwhile collection and insight into a fantastic writer.
4 / 5
July 26, 2018
Breve nota avergonzada
Dos años me acompañaron estos cuentos. Dos años exactos, de veintiséis de julio a veintiséis de julio. Hoy leí el último cuento, en inédito "Surf". Hoy cerré el libro y, aunque sé que reencontraré a Ribeyro muchísimas veces en mi vida, no pude evitar el desamparo de concluir algo que intuimos ha determinado un momento de nuestra existencia.
Me gustaría hablar de la evolución de Ribeyro como cuentista (una de las más interesantes que he leído), o de la pulcritud de su estilo, o de esos cuentos raros en su obra donde juega con la forma hasta hacer añicos los conceptos de cuento y de relato. Me gustaría tener los ánimos para contarles, detalladamente, todo lo que esta lectura ha significado.
Pero no tengo las fuerzas ahora, y confieso esa derrota porque dejar simplemente las cinco estrellas (cómo he hecho con otros libros terminados hace poco, cuya grandeza no empaña mi mudez) me parecía mezquino ante una lectura que, en los últimos dos años, me ha enseñado a respirar cuando mi único aprendizaje era la asfixia.
Leed a Ribeyro. Leed estos cuentos. Aquí hay magia, y esa es la parte de la ecuación sin la cual el resto no tiene sentido. Leedlo.
Dos años me acompañaron estos cuentos. Dos años exactos, de veintiséis de julio a veintiséis de julio. Hoy leí el último cuento, en inédito "Surf". Hoy cerré el libro y, aunque sé que reencontraré a Ribeyro muchísimas veces en mi vida, no pude evitar el desamparo de concluir algo que intuimos ha determinado un momento de nuestra existencia.
Me gustaría hablar de la evolución de Ribeyro como cuentista (una de las más interesantes que he leído), o de la pulcritud de su estilo, o de esos cuentos raros en su obra donde juega con la forma hasta hacer añicos los conceptos de cuento y de relato. Me gustaría tener los ánimos para contarles, detalladamente, todo lo que esta lectura ha significado.
Pero no tengo las fuerzas ahora, y confieso esa derrota porque dejar simplemente las cinco estrellas (cómo he hecho con otros libros terminados hace poco, cuya grandeza no empaña mi mudez) me parecía mezquino ante una lectura que, en los últimos dos años, me ha enseñado a respirar cuando mi único aprendizaje era la asfixia.
Leed a Ribeyro. Leed estos cuentos. Aquí hay magia, y esa es la parte de la ecuación sin la cual el resto no tiene sentido. Leedlo.
March 6, 2020
First time I've heard about Ribeyro was in Aljendro's Zambra's collections of the essays Not to Read . He admired him for his acerbic humour, the honesty of his stories and the brevity of his style amongst other things. I've started to search for his work translated in English and found almost none. Handily, NYRB has issued a collection of his short stories the last year and I had a chance to grab it.
Julio Ramon Ribeyro was a Peruvian writer and a diplomat who leaved the majority of his life in Europe. However, many of his stories are set in his native country. He was saying about himself: "My life is not original, much less exemplary. It's just one of many lives of middle-class writers born in a Latin American country in the twentieth century." Zambra is more categorical: "Ribeyro writes to live, not to demonstrate that he has lived."
This short story collection is barely a taster. It contains the stories throughout all his career from 1954 to 1994 when he died. One can follow the evolution of his as a writer. His style is changing quite radically from small surreal mysteries in a style of Edgar Poe or maybe early Cortazar through the realistic phase towards more autobiographic stories which we call auto-fiction now. And though his early work has left me unmoved, I loved the middle and later stage.
There are 17 short stories in the book. I would briefly mention a few which stayed with me after I finished the collection.
"At the foot of the cliff" is set out in the community of the poor fisherman and disposed people somewhere in Peru. It is told by the old man who managed to make his home under the cliff next to the sea. Later, the other people joined him there on the narrow piece of land looking into the ocean. But of course this vulnerable equilibrium is not going to last. I remember the voice of narrator in this story - fatalistic, but full of wisdom at the same time.
"Silvio in El Rosendal" is about a man who found himself being a facienda's owner. He is grasping with the practical things how to manage his land, but at the same time, he is trying to solve a perceived puzzle made out of flowers in front of his house; the puzzle which might reveal to him the sense of his life. It is a kind of a brief Latin American Oblomov I guess, but with a twist at the end.
"For Smokers only" is probably his most famous story. It is written in the 70s and talks about his love for cigarettes and his not very successful fight with tobacco addiction. The theme might sound very didactic, but it is far from it. It is very poignant and full of references to fellow writers-smokers.
Ribeyro said "A true work must start from the oblivion or destruction (transformation) of the writer's very self. The great writer is not one who truthfully, in detail and intensely, describes his existence, but one who becomes the filter, the weave, through which reality passes and is transfigured". Not all of the stories in this collection are equally successful. But it is evident how passionately he is trying to follow this principle, how brave he is in his experiments with different things and how rewarding it eventually becomes.
Zambra says that his diaries are fantastic. It seems this genre has flourished between the Latin American writers in the second half of the 20th century. It so happens that I've read Ricardo Piglia's Diaries as well as the ones by Witold Gombrowicz who is the Polish writer but wrote them while he lived in Argentina. Both of them were memorable and profound reads. It is a shame that Ribeyro's ones are not translated as well as the majority of his short stories. I hope it will change one day.
Julio Ramon Ribeyro was a Peruvian writer and a diplomat who leaved the majority of his life in Europe. However, many of his stories are set in his native country. He was saying about himself: "My life is not original, much less exemplary. It's just one of many lives of middle-class writers born in a Latin American country in the twentieth century." Zambra is more categorical: "Ribeyro writes to live, not to demonstrate that he has lived."
This short story collection is barely a taster. It contains the stories throughout all his career from 1954 to 1994 when he died. One can follow the evolution of his as a writer. His style is changing quite radically from small surreal mysteries in a style of Edgar Poe or maybe early Cortazar through the realistic phase towards more autobiographic stories which we call auto-fiction now. And though his early work has left me unmoved, I loved the middle and later stage.
There are 17 short stories in the book. I would briefly mention a few which stayed with me after I finished the collection.
"At the foot of the cliff" is set out in the community of the poor fisherman and disposed people somewhere in Peru. It is told by the old man who managed to make his home under the cliff next to the sea. Later, the other people joined him there on the narrow piece of land looking into the ocean. But of course this vulnerable equilibrium is not going to last. I remember the voice of narrator in this story - fatalistic, but full of wisdom at the same time.
"Silvio in El Rosendal" is about a man who found himself being a facienda's owner. He is grasping with the practical things how to manage his land, but at the same time, he is trying to solve a perceived puzzle made out of flowers in front of his house; the puzzle which might reveal to him the sense of his life. It is a kind of a brief Latin American Oblomov I guess, but with a twist at the end.
"For Smokers only" is probably his most famous story. It is written in the 70s and talks about his love for cigarettes and his not very successful fight with tobacco addiction. The theme might sound very didactic, but it is far from it. It is very poignant and full of references to fellow writers-smokers.
Ribeyro said "A true work must start from the oblivion or destruction (transformation) of the writer's very self. The great writer is not one who truthfully, in detail and intensely, describes his existence, but one who becomes the filter, the weave, through which reality passes and is transfigured". Not all of the stories in this collection are equally successful. But it is evident how passionately he is trying to follow this principle, how brave he is in his experiments with different things and how rewarding it eventually becomes.
Zambra says that his diaries are fantastic. It seems this genre has flourished between the Latin American writers in the second half of the 20th century. It so happens that I've read Ricardo Piglia's Diaries as well as the ones by Witold Gombrowicz who is the Polish writer but wrote them while he lived in Argentina. Both of them were memorable and profound reads. It is a shame that Ribeyro's ones are not translated as well as the majority of his short stories. I hope it will change one day.
October 16, 2017
Julio Ramón Ribeyro é um autor para guardar e para ler tudo o que dele encontrar.
Estava tentada a dizer se não terei um sétimo sentido que, intuitivamente, me leva a encontrar verdadeiros tesouros literários mas, lembrei-me das porcarias que, às vezes, carrego para casa, por isso é melhor calar-me...
Não me recordo de ter escrito tanto sobre um livro. Comecei por resumir, comentar e "estrelar" cada um dos treze contos. Os resumos não valem nada, quando comparados com a riqueza de texto e personagens; os comentários não reflectem, minimamente, o prazer que senti a ler cada conto; as estrelas são inúteis, porque a todos dei cinco, excepto a alguns que daria mais, mas não se pode...
Primeiro, quero destacar dois contos que, para mim, são verdadeiras obras-primas; um pela comédia, outro pelo drama:
Só para fumadores - um conto autobiográfico, narrado com um fabuloso sentido de humor, privilégio de quem tem uma grande capacidade de rir de si mesmo e das suas "misérias". Admirável! Particularmente para mim que sou uma futura ex-fumadora...
Silvio no Roseiral - um conto soberbo. São cerca de cinquenta páginas, com uma carga emotiva e caracterização/humanização da personagem que raramente encontro em livros de mais de quinhentas páginas. Vejo Silvio como símbolo da procura, pelo ser humano, de um sentido para a vida; dos seus/nossos sonhos, conquistas, desencantos, desilusões. Um romance, ouso chamar-lhe assim, fabuloso.
Os restantes onze contos são profundas, embora pequenas, histórias de solidão, de inocência, de cobardia, de morte, de amor também...umas tristes, outras divertidas, mas todas mágicas e belas.
Para quem tiver paciência, aqui fica um esboço de resumo dos onze:
O livro em branco - uma história estranha sobre um livro não escrito que trará a ruína a quem o possuir.
Explicações a um agente de polícia - é um monólogo hilariante e alucinado de um homem embriagado.
Página de um diário - A morte vista pelos olhos de uma criança com a estranheza e alguma indiferença peculiar da inocência. Apesar do drama inerente é difícil não soltar algumas gargalhadas.
O professor substituto - um homem a quem é dada uma boa oportunidade de emprego, a qual é deitada a perder pela falta de auto-confiança.
Uma aventura nocturna - uma história triste sobre um homem solitário - quase um vagabundo - que numa noite tem um vislumbre de esperança de encontrar um pouco de amor. Com este não ri...
Riddere o pisa-papéis - um objecto que rompe o tempo e o espaço. Uma história mágica e misteriosa.
Espumante na cave - um relato sobre um funcionário público que quer comemorar com os colegas os vinte cinco anos de serviço. Faz lembrar aquela máxima: "No trabalho não se faz amigos."
O armário, os velhos e a morte - ...e as crianças...
O pó do saber - uma história sobre uma biblioteca perdida e encontrada demasiado tarde...
A solução - um escritor (casado), numa reunião de amigos discute a ideia de um conto que está a escrever: um marido, cuja mulher tem quatro amantes e que procura a melhor solução para o problema. São enumeradas nove soluções e aplicada a décima...
Tia Clementina - um retrato de uma mulher que encontra o amor tardiamente.
Estava tentada a dizer se não terei um sétimo sentido que, intuitivamente, me leva a encontrar verdadeiros tesouros literários mas, lembrei-me das porcarias que, às vezes, carrego para casa, por isso é melhor calar-me...
Não me recordo de ter escrito tanto sobre um livro. Comecei por resumir, comentar e "estrelar" cada um dos treze contos. Os resumos não valem nada, quando comparados com a riqueza de texto e personagens; os comentários não reflectem, minimamente, o prazer que senti a ler cada conto; as estrelas são inúteis, porque a todos dei cinco, excepto a alguns que daria mais, mas não se pode...
Primeiro, quero destacar dois contos que, para mim, são verdadeiras obras-primas; um pela comédia, outro pelo drama:
Só para fumadores - um conto autobiográfico, narrado com um fabuloso sentido de humor, privilégio de quem tem uma grande capacidade de rir de si mesmo e das suas "misérias". Admirável! Particularmente para mim que sou uma futura ex-fumadora...
Silvio no Roseiral - um conto soberbo. São cerca de cinquenta páginas, com uma carga emotiva e caracterização/humanização da personagem que raramente encontro em livros de mais de quinhentas páginas. Vejo Silvio como símbolo da procura, pelo ser humano, de um sentido para a vida; dos seus/nossos sonhos, conquistas, desencantos, desilusões. Um romance, ouso chamar-lhe assim, fabuloso.
Os restantes onze contos são profundas, embora pequenas, histórias de solidão, de inocência, de cobardia, de morte, de amor também...umas tristes, outras divertidas, mas todas mágicas e belas.
Para quem tiver paciência, aqui fica um esboço de resumo dos onze:
O livro em branco - uma história estranha sobre um livro não escrito que trará a ruína a quem o possuir.
Explicações a um agente de polícia - é um monólogo hilariante e alucinado de um homem embriagado.
Página de um diário - A morte vista pelos olhos de uma criança com a estranheza e alguma indiferença peculiar da inocência. Apesar do drama inerente é difícil não soltar algumas gargalhadas.
O professor substituto - um homem a quem é dada uma boa oportunidade de emprego, a qual é deitada a perder pela falta de auto-confiança.
Uma aventura nocturna - uma história triste sobre um homem solitário - quase um vagabundo - que numa noite tem um vislumbre de esperança de encontrar um pouco de amor. Com este não ri...
Riddere o pisa-papéis - um objecto que rompe o tempo e o espaço. Uma história mágica e misteriosa.
Espumante na cave - um relato sobre um funcionário público que quer comemorar com os colegas os vinte cinco anos de serviço. Faz lembrar aquela máxima: "No trabalho não se faz amigos."
O armário, os velhos e a morte - ...e as crianças...
O pó do saber - uma história sobre uma biblioteca perdida e encontrada demasiado tarde...
A solução - um escritor (casado), numa reunião de amigos discute a ideia de um conto que está a escrever: um marido, cuja mulher tem quatro amantes e que procura a melhor solução para o problema. São enumeradas nove soluções e aplicada a décima...
Tia Clementina - um retrato de uma mulher que encontra o amor tardiamente.
October 11, 2020
Me lo fui pichicateando desde que lo conocí: un cuento al día, casi todos en voz alta. Es magistral, qué bruto. Hay de todo: clases de técnica, de forma, personajes inolvidables, relatos, evocaciones, cuento estilo americano, meta-hiper-narrativa, ensayo, autoficción, humor, ecos de terror y hasta borgiano, no exagero, de todo. Es increíble, increíble en verdad.
Solamente un par de cuentos me fastidió, pero en el gran compendio ni se nota. No sé qué voy a hacer a partir de mañana.
Solamente un par de cuentos me fastidió, pero en el gran compendio ni se nota. No sé qué voy a hacer a partir de mañana.
November 1, 2019
the word of the speechless collects 19 short stories from over 40 years of julio ramón ribeyro's writing career (spanning 10 different collections). with a scant amount of the late peruvian author's work available in english translation, this nyrb release (with an introduction by alejandro zambra) is quite nearly a must-have. with nary a weak story to be found within, the word of the speechless offers a satisfying glimpse into ribeyro's impressive range and storytelling gifts. while many of the characters within ribeyro's stories are prosaic, downtrodden, and commonplace (no magical realism in these pages), there's empathy and benevolence (and even reverence) to be found in their tales of disappointment, heartbreak, resignation, and woe, perhaps redolent of mario benedetti. humor and pathos, romance and violence, ribeyro's short fiction seems to contain a world in miniature, with triumphs and tribulations and all of life's inexorable questions.
the word of the speechless's finest entries are "a nocturnal adventure," "at the foot of the cliff," "nothing to be done, monsieur baruch," "silvio in el rosedal," "for smokers only," "the solution," and "nuit caprense cirius illuminata" — but every single story is well worthwhile.
*translated from the spanish by katherine silver (castellanos moya, onetti, adán, giralt torrente, poniatowska, sada, bernal, et al.)
**4.5 stars
the word of the speechless's finest entries are "a nocturnal adventure," "at the foot of the cliff," "nothing to be done, monsieur baruch," "silvio in el rosedal," "for smokers only," "the solution," and "nuit caprense cirius illuminata" — but every single story is well worthwhile.
and everything, moreover, was possible. monsieur baruch stood up, but in reality he continued lying down. he shouted, but he only bared his teeth. he lifted one arm, but he managed only to open his hand. that's why three days later, when the policemen knocked down the door, we found him stretched out, looking at us, and if not for the black puddle and the flies we would have thought that he was performing a pantomime, waiting for us there on the floor, his arm outstretched, anticipating our greeting.
*translated from the spanish by katherine silver (castellanos moya, onetti, adán, giralt torrente, poniatowska, sada, bernal, et al.)
**4.5 stars
October 30, 2025
Qué tamaño de narrador. Hace muchos años me leí alguna novela suya entre otras tantas latinoamericanas y lo de Ribeyro me pasó desapercibido. Es que no había notado su elegancia, el poder de su castellano, la sutileza con la que escoge escenarios y personajes y las precisas palabras de estos humanos olvidados, que si hablan es porque la literatura así lo pide, porque de otro modo permanecerían “mudos” como lo quiso Julio Ramón en su corazón y como él lo fuera en vida.
Al primer cuento, de este pequeño pero hondo vistazo a su narrativa, lo quise un intento de Rulfo y al segundo uno de Borges y en el tercero sucedió que vi a Julio Ramón tan dentro de mi cabeza que ya no me creí leyéndolo sino pensándolo, o, mejor, sintiéndolo…y era como si sus palabras las escribiese yo mismo. Ya para el último cuento, Ribeyro se volvió el autor inconfundible, genial, educado de la estatura de Quiroga y miembro indiscutible de esos otros peruanos míticos: Vallejo, Varela, Vargas Llosa.
Al primer cuento, de este pequeño pero hondo vistazo a su narrativa, lo quise un intento de Rulfo y al segundo uno de Borges y en el tercero sucedió que vi a Julio Ramón tan dentro de mi cabeza que ya no me creí leyéndolo sino pensándolo, o, mejor, sintiéndolo…y era como si sus palabras las escribiese yo mismo. Ya para el último cuento, Ribeyro se volvió el autor inconfundible, genial, educado de la estatura de Quiroga y miembro indiscutible de esos otros peruanos míticos: Vallejo, Varela, Vargas Llosa.
May 29, 2015
Julio Ramón Ribeyro (1929 – 1994)
Adoro contos…
“A Palavra ao Mudo” é a minha estreia literária com o escritor e jornalista peruano Julio Ramón Ribeyro (1929 – 1994) e que “estreia”.
Treze contos que reflectem as vivências e os fascínios de Julio Ramón Ribeyro, por homens e mulheres, personagens, que são dominadas pelos “sonhos”, onde por vezes a ilusão se converte em derrota, em múltiplas dicotomias, a frustração, a alienação, a perplexidade, a timidez, a humilhação, a incompreensão, os desesperados, os excluídos “do festim da vida”; registos ficcionais e autobiográficos, quase sempre em ambiente urbano, numa prosa genuína, simples e intensa, com uma escrita genial e irónica, com frases magistralmente construídas, com diversificadas interpretações, que motivam uma leitura atenta e “várias” releituras, destaco: “O livro em branco”, “Página de um diário”, “Ridder e o pisa-papéis”, “O armário, os velhos e a morte”, "A solução" e de "Sílvio no Roseiral" nem é bom escrever, o que quer que seja… uma verdadeira obra-prima…
Numa frase Julio Ramón Ribeyro define o seu sentido da vida e que uma das razões por que escrevia era para “continuar a existir, uma vez morto, ainda sob a forma de um livro, como uma voz que alguém se dará ao trabalho de escutar. Em cada leitor futuro, voltamos a nascer.”
December 8, 2021
collected from his many books of short stories. funny. tart, self effacing, and interesting. where's he been all my life?
thanks nyrb for bringing out these translations by Katherine silver
thanks nyrb for bringing out these translations by Katherine silver
January 18, 2018
Lo ame....sencillamente lo ame. Dudaba mucho al leer este libro, pues me he dado cuenta que, penosamente, leo mas autores extranjeros que peruanos. Mas este libro es buenazo! Ribeyro logra una comunión única con los "mudos". Creo esto lo alcanza a niveles superlativos, tal vez porque en el fondo se sentía como ellos, el también era un "mudo" en esa clase social a la que debía pertenecer.
Ribeyro es un sociólogo increíble! El nos muestra esa Lima antipostal, la que no deseamos ver...
Los mejores: "Solo para fumadores" (jajajajajaja. A lo que lleva el vicio!) "Al pie del acantilado", "Los gallinazos sin plumas", "Tristes querellas en la vieja quinta" (amerita llevarse al teatro).
Ribeyro es un sociólogo increíble! El nos muestra esa Lima antipostal, la que no deseamos ver...
Los mejores: "Solo para fumadores" (jajajajajaja. A lo que lleva el vicio!) "Al pie del acantilado", "Los gallinazos sin plumas", "Tristes querellas en la vieja quinta" (amerita llevarse al teatro).
September 21, 2022
Excelente antología de cuentos de JRR . Sin duda el mejor cuentista peruano ( y también uno de los grandes de Latinoamerica) comparado con Ricardo Palma pero en otro momento histórico. Sus cuentos son brillantes, intensos, conmovedores y atrapan el tufillo de lo vivido por él mismo. Sin duda la muestra en letras de un grande. Hay pocas cosas que me arrepiento en esta vida y una de ellas es no haber leido a este grande hace ya varios años. Me quedan otros libros por leer ya no cuentos sino ahora sus novelas.
Libro super recomendado
¡Disfruten la lectura!
Libro super recomendado
¡Disfruten la lectura!
August 3, 2023
Es una antología muy pequeña, en la que los cuentos son chuscos, pero para mi gusto, demasiado comunes. En el preámbulo de la introducción, el autor aprovecha para desarrollar en un decálogo su poética del cuento, y ahí ya me pareció que su concepción era demasiado estricta y tradicional. No se salen de la norma. Eso sí, conmueven, en especial los protagonizados por niños, pero prefiero al Ribeyro de las digresiones –aquí prohibidas–, de sus escuetas 'Prosas apátridas'.
August 18, 2025
A este pequeño libro le tengo un especial cariño porque leímos unos 2 - 3 cuentos en secundaria con uno de los mejores profesores que tuve en toda mi vida
Mi top tres favoritos:
1. Solo para fumadores
2. Silvio en el rosedal
3. Alienación
Mi top tres favoritos:
1. Solo para fumadores
2. Silvio en el rosedal
3. Alienación
September 1, 2022
Μια μικρή γεύση από έναν από τους σημαντικότερους διηγηματογράφους της Λατινικής Αμερικής- ειδικά του Περού. Μικρή, διότι είναι συλλογή από την ευρύτερη συλλογή διηγημάτων που εξέδωσε. Γράφτηκαν τις δεκαετίες του '50, '60 και '70 και μας δίνουν μια εικόνα κυρίως μελαγχολική για τον περουβιάνικο λαό, παρότι το λεπτό χιούμορ και νότες αισιοδοξίας δεν λείπουν.
Ο Ριμπέυρο μιλάει για την μιζέρια των δημοσίων υπαλλήλων και τη δουλική νοοτροπία τους, την μικροαστική συμπεριφορά (που ταπεινώνεται από τους αστούς και ταπεινώνει τους εργάτες), τα ρουσφέτια, τα όνειρα που συντρίβονται, την αμορφωσιά, την αυθαιρεσία των ισχυρών και την απατεωνιά τους, την απουσία δομών αλληλεγγύης, τον θάνατο που είναι ένα συμβάν στην οικογενειακή ζωή όχι τόσο τραγικό όσο εκλαμβάνεται στις ευημερούσες κοινωνίες. Αλλά και των ατομικό αγώνα για πρόοδο, ακόμα κι αν αυτή είναι παρεξηγημένη πολλές φορές. Αλλά και τις αχτίδες ανθρωπιάς που σαν να λέει ότι ο άνθρωπος είναι καλός• δεν τον αφήνουν να είναι.
Θυμίζει κάπου κάπου το στυλ του Αζίζ Νεσίν. Ο Ριμπέυρο χρησιμοποιεί διάφορες φόρμες, πχ ένα διήγημά του είναι γραμμένο με αυτόματη γραφή. Κάποια είναι συντομότατα και άλλα απλώνονται σε πάνω από είκοσι σελίδες.Άλλα αλληγορικά και άλλα ρεαλιστικά. Πολύ αξιόλογο βιβλίο.
Ο Ριμπέυρο μιλάει για την μιζέρια των δημοσίων υπαλλήλων και τη δουλική νοοτροπία τους, την μικροαστική συμπεριφορά (που ταπεινώνεται από τους αστούς και ταπεινώνει τους εργάτες), τα ρουσφέτια, τα όνειρα που συντρίβονται, την αμορφωσιά, την αυθαιρεσία των ισχυρών και την απατεωνιά τους, την απουσία δομών αλληλεγγύης, τον θάνατο που είναι ένα συμβάν στην οικογενειακή ζωή όχι τόσο τραγικό όσο εκλαμβάνεται στις ευημερούσες κοινωνίες. Αλλά και των ατομικό αγώνα για πρόοδο, ακόμα κι αν αυτή είναι παρεξηγημένη πολλές φορές. Αλλά και τις αχτίδες ανθρωπιάς που σαν να λέει ότι ο άνθρωπος είναι καλός• δεν τον αφήνουν να είναι.
Θυμίζει κάπου κάπου το στυλ του Αζίζ Νεσίν. Ο Ριμπέυρο χρησιμοποιεί διάφορες φόρμες, πχ ένα διήγημά του είναι γραμμένο με αυτόματη γραφή. Κάποια είναι συντομότατα και άλλα απλώνονται σε πάνω από είκοσι σελίδες.Άλλα αλληγορικά και άλλα ρεαλιστικά. Πολύ αξιόλογο βιβλίο.
August 3, 2022
Vaya cuentista. Su talento solo equivale al ignominioso olvido al que ha sido sometido con los años. Ribeyro es un cuentista de 5 o más estrellas, con algunos relatos realmente brillantes y que deberían haber acompañado mucho más al Boom latinoamericano de Vargas, Gabo y Cortázar.
Cuando más se apoderaba la apatía veraniega de mí, llegó este librito a salvarlo todo.
Trataré de conseguirme todos sus cuentos, ya que este solo contiene una parte.
Sobra decir que lo recomiendo muchísimo.
Cuando más se apoderaba la apatía veraniega de mí, llegó este librito a salvarlo todo.
Trataré de conseguirme todos sus cuentos, ya que este solo contiene una parte.
Sobra decir que lo recomiendo muchísimo.
October 2, 2023
Los cuentos de Ribeyro son sórdidos, grises, neblinosos.
El sol sólo se aparece por instantes y es casi siempre un espejismo y una señal inequívoca de algo funesto. Los personajes migran al compás de la suciedad, la enfermedad y el desamparo.
La narrativa es fácil de digerir, las historias también. La angustia que generan por momentos sus cuentos, no lo es.
Conocía poco a Ribeyro y este libro me ha confirmado que fue un escritor tremendo. Me reconcilia con el fracaso, con la derrota, con todo lo que implica ser latinoamericano.
"¿Por qué La palabra del mudo? Porque en la mayoría de mis cuentos se expresan aquellos que están privados de la palabra, los marginados, los olvidados, los condenados a una existencia sin sintonía y sin voz. Yo les he restituido este hálito negado y les he permitido modular sus anhelos, sus arrebatos y sus angustias".
"Quienes me conocen saben que soy hombre parco, de pocas palabras, que sigue creyendo, con el apoyo de viejos autores, en las virtudes del silencio. El mudo en consecuencia, además de los personajes marginales de mis cuentos, soy yo mismo. Y eso quizá porque, desde otra perspectiva, yo sea también un marginal".
"Nosotros somos como la higuerilla, como esa planta salvaje que brota y se multiplica en los lugares más amargos y escarpados. Véanla como crece en el arenal, sobre el canto rodado, en las acequias sin riego, en el desmonte, alrededor de los muladares. Ella no pide favores a nadie, pide tan sólo un pedazo de espacio para sobrevivir."
El sol sólo se aparece por instantes y es casi siempre un espejismo y una señal inequívoca de algo funesto. Los personajes migran al compás de la suciedad, la enfermedad y el desamparo.
La narrativa es fácil de digerir, las historias también. La angustia que generan por momentos sus cuentos, no lo es.
Conocía poco a Ribeyro y este libro me ha confirmado que fue un escritor tremendo. Me reconcilia con el fracaso, con la derrota, con todo lo que implica ser latinoamericano.
"¿Por qué La palabra del mudo? Porque en la mayoría de mis cuentos se expresan aquellos que están privados de la palabra, los marginados, los olvidados, los condenados a una existencia sin sintonía y sin voz. Yo les he restituido este hálito negado y les he permitido modular sus anhelos, sus arrebatos y sus angustias".
"Quienes me conocen saben que soy hombre parco, de pocas palabras, que sigue creyendo, con el apoyo de viejos autores, en las virtudes del silencio. El mudo en consecuencia, además de los personajes marginales de mis cuentos, soy yo mismo. Y eso quizá porque, desde otra perspectiva, yo sea también un marginal".
"Nosotros somos como la higuerilla, como esa planta salvaje que brota y se multiplica en los lugares más amargos y escarpados. Véanla como crece en el arenal, sobre el canto rodado, en las acequias sin riego, en el desmonte, alrededor de los muladares. Ella no pide favores a nadie, pide tan sólo un pedazo de espacio para sobrevivir."
September 8, 2021
Ya entendí lo de Ribeyro siendo Ribeyro.
Las atmósferas que en sus cuentos crea, recrea, arma y desarma, yuxtapone y compone, desde el simple hecho más vacuo y monótono de cualquier superfluo día hasta una conjugación edificante de circunstancias.
-Clásico y exacto “Los gallinazos sin plumas”.
-Excelente para empezar con Ribeyro “La insignia”.
-Escuetamente misterioso “Doblaje”.
-Empático casi con cualquiera “La molicie”.
-Fantásticamente poderoso y de estructura interesante “Fénix”.
-Psicológica, verídica y realmente notable “Alienación”.
Me quedo con más de Ribeyro
de lo que pongo aquí.
Las atmósferas que en sus cuentos crea, recrea, arma y desarma, yuxtapone y compone, desde el simple hecho más vacuo y monótono de cualquier superfluo día hasta una conjugación edificante de circunstancias.
-Clásico y exacto “Los gallinazos sin plumas”.
-Excelente para empezar con Ribeyro “La insignia”.
-Escuetamente misterioso “Doblaje”.
-Empático casi con cualquiera “La molicie”.
-Fantásticamente poderoso y de estructura interesante “Fénix”.
-Psicológica, verídica y realmente notable “Alienación”.
Me quedo con más de Ribeyro
de lo que pongo aquí.
October 16, 2019
Honestamente, solo leí una versión resumen en el colegio *emoji del monito tapándose la cara* PERO RECUERDO QUE ME GUSTÓ MUCHO y planeo leer el libro (los libros? hay 1 y 2, no?) en algún momento. Sobre todo me gustó Doblaje y La Insignia.
July 8, 2020
I’d never heard of Ribeyro before, but I have to say I’m impressed. It’s my understanding that Ribeyro is not considered at the level of the region’s undisputed greats because his writing is completely straightforward, no magic realism, nothing fancy. I wish readers would not think that way. Straightforward writing is fine, and in fact, a complete crash-and-burn is less likely if an author tries something that doesn’t quite work. I suppose it’s a matter of taste, a variation on the risk-reward theme.
Rarely in a collection do I like each and every story, but I did here. We’re dealing with disappointment, one way or another. In each story, the theme was presented differently and vividly. And I genuinely felt for the protagonists.; no whininess here.
I do have an issue with the compiling of this collection, which is on the editor and not Ribeyro (these stories are actually pulled from several different previously published collections). At a certain point, as I passed the halfway point, I started to roll my eyes as I progressed through the stories. Here it comes, I though, just “wait for it” (just like they write on those funny doofus videos all over social media).
This is not the first time I reacted this way to a short story collection I read end to end for a book club. I’m beginning to wonder about how good an idea it is to ever read a short story collection this way. Short stories are often written and published on their own and pulled into collections later on (not always, but often). I’d love to see editors being much more thoughtful about the possibility a collection will be read all the way through (which is typical of book clubs, of which there are many and others who read that way). I don’t think that thought process was present here.
Rarely in a collection do I like each and every story, but I did here. We’re dealing with disappointment, one way or another. In each story, the theme was presented differently and vividly. And I genuinely felt for the protagonists.; no whininess here.
I do have an issue with the compiling of this collection, which is on the editor and not Ribeyro (these stories are actually pulled from several different previously published collections). At a certain point, as I passed the halfway point, I started to roll my eyes as I progressed through the stories. Here it comes, I though, just “wait for it” (just like they write on those funny doofus videos all over social media).
This is not the first time I reacted this way to a short story collection I read end to end for a book club. I’m beginning to wonder about how good an idea it is to ever read a short story collection this way. Short stories are often written and published on their own and pulled into collections later on (not always, but often). I’d love to see editors being much more thoughtful about the possibility a collection will be read all the way through (which is typical of book clubs, of which there are many and others who read that way). I don’t think that thought process was present here.
December 21, 2023
En una carta que Ribeyro escribió (París, 1973), decía:
«¿Por qué 𝘓𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘮𝘶𝘥𝘰? Porque en la mayoría de mis cuentos se expresan aquellos que en la vida están privados de la palabra, los marginados, los olvidados, los condenados a una existencia sin sintonía ni voz».
Ribeyro es un prodigio del formato cuento. Un narrador tragicómico a ratos, oscuro otros, agudo, sagaz y revelador siempre. Estilo directo y conciso, utilizado para cocinar paso a paso la receta secreta que emplea en cada uno de sus relatos.
Muy habilidoso para culminar sus cuentos, poniendo la guinda al pastel de una forma brillante.
«¿Por qué 𝘓𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘮𝘶𝘥𝘰? Porque en la mayoría de mis cuentos se expresan aquellos que en la vida están privados de la palabra, los marginados, los olvidados, los condenados a una existencia sin sintonía ni voz».
Ribeyro es un prodigio del formato cuento. Un narrador tragicómico a ratos, oscuro otros, agudo, sagaz y revelador siempre. Estilo directo y conciso, utilizado para cocinar paso a paso la receta secreta que emplea en cada uno de sus relatos.
Muy habilidoso para culminar sus cuentos, poniendo la guinda al pastel de una forma brillante.
May 13, 2023
Una colección de cuentos muy únicos - a veces muy duros, otras veces con mucha humor y ironía. Ribeyro tiene una marca, o un estilo común en más que la mayoría de sus cuentos. Pero aunque tiene esa marca, hay espacio para muchas sorpresas - hay mucha diversidad entre sus cuentos.
Un tema recurrente fue las ilusiones de grandeza y la decepción. Pero algunos fue tan chistosos y otros tan tristes que fue una sensación de conexión en vez de repetición.
El primero cuento y el último fueron durísimos. Antes de leer el primero, tuve que pausar, y me preocupaba no poder terminarlo. Pero hay episodios de comedia en el medio de los cuentos duros. El último me impactó muchísimo - hablé con mi club de libros sobre todos los cuentos, pero especialmente el último.
Un tema recurrente fue las ilusiones de grandeza y la decepción. Pero algunos fue tan chistosos y otros tan tristes que fue una sensación de conexión en vez de repetición.
El primero cuento y el último fueron durísimos. Antes de leer el primero, tuve que pausar, y me preocupaba no poder terminarlo. Pero hay episodios de comedia en el medio de los cuentos duros. El último me impactó muchísimo - hablé con mi club de libros sobre todos los cuentos, pero especialmente el último.
August 30, 2020
Pensar en Lima, ya sea en la de antaño o la de ahora, es un ejercicio sombrío, se debe imaginar un cielo gris, un color triste, no es la penumbra del negro, ni la tranquilidad del blanco, hablamos del gris, de lo tortuoso, lo sufrible.
La desigual Lima, la cruel Lima, aquella ciudad que no conoce metáfora distinta a ella misma, aplaca visiones desertoras, las unifica y devora, sus habitantes la observamos con resignación, a veces con miedo, pero siempre con la seguridad de que es un monstruo triste.
La palabra del mudo es quizás uno de los ejercicios más emblemáticos para ilustrar la esencia de Lima, el gris, sus cuentos exponen seres disminuidos, circunstancias sofocantes, miradas llenas de una desesperanza que no llega a ser lamento, pero que desborda de la misma forma.
Esta es la palabra del mudo, de los habitantes de esta Lima que los atrapa entre sus nubes y fauces, que les muestra un color monótono, asfixiante, que los obliga a recolectar basura para alimentar un cerdo e incluso abrir un miserable espumante en el sótano.
Este cuentario constituye un registro ficticio y sentido sobre lo que es vivir en Lima, sobre los sentimiento y sueños de todos aquellos resignados a la voluntad lúgubre de un monstruo que sólo comparte con ellos una parte de su lomo.
La desigual Lima, la cruel Lima, aquella ciudad que no conoce metáfora distinta a ella misma, aplaca visiones desertoras, las unifica y devora, sus habitantes la observamos con resignación, a veces con miedo, pero siempre con la seguridad de que es un monstruo triste.
La palabra del mudo es quizás uno de los ejercicios más emblemáticos para ilustrar la esencia de Lima, el gris, sus cuentos exponen seres disminuidos, circunstancias sofocantes, miradas llenas de una desesperanza que no llega a ser lamento, pero que desborda de la misma forma.
Esta es la palabra del mudo, de los habitantes de esta Lima que los atrapa entre sus nubes y fauces, que les muestra un color monótono, asfixiante, que los obliga a recolectar basura para alimentar un cerdo e incluso abrir un miserable espumante en el sótano.
Este cuentario constituye un registro ficticio y sentido sobre lo que es vivir en Lima, sobre los sentimiento y sueños de todos aquellos resignados a la voluntad lúgubre de un monstruo que sólo comparte con ellos una parte de su lomo.
July 5, 2019
Soberbio ! Para mi, el mejor escritor peruano junto con Vargas Llosa. Cada cuento es un canto a la buena literatura y la manera de escribir una historia. Leanlo y disfrutenlo.
September 11, 2024
Una interesante selección de los numerosos cuentos de Julio Ramón Ribeyro. Como se señala en la introducción, la mayor parte de estos cuentos tiene como protagonistas a completos marginados en ambientes desprovistos de lo básico o a desafortunados de clase baja que buscan vivir su humilde sueño.
En su mayoría, son cuentos breves de alrededor de 10 páginas, salvo uno más extenso que triplica esa media. El lenguaje está muy bien elegido, el sentido de la narración es claro y las historias pueden ser más acertadas en unos pasajes que en otros, pero en suma es un volumen de cuentos que cumple con holgura y que lleva fácilmente de una idea a otra distinta.
A destacar de esta colección, por criterio personal:
- Los gallinazos sin plumas: el primer cuento y seguramente el mejor del libro presenta a dos desdichados jóvenes que viven bajo la atosigante tiranía de un viejo, quien les obliga a buscar diariamente comida para cebar a su cerdo.
- La insignia: encontrarse casualmente con este símbolo cambia la vida de un hombre, introduciéndole en una misteriosa organización.
- El banquete: un hombre prepara una gran fiesta en su casa invitando a los mandatarios de cuya voluntad espera un alto cargo.
- Una aventura nocturna: Arístides, un hombre al que la vida no corresponde, cae por casualidad en un bar en el cual una camarera se interesa bastante por él.
- Al pie del acantilado: el relato más largo del volumen comprende la historia de un padre que empieza a construir un sencillo hogar en una agreste costa y desarrolla todas las derivadas que tendrá ese asentamiento.
En su mayoría, son cuentos breves de alrededor de 10 páginas, salvo uno más extenso que triplica esa media. El lenguaje está muy bien elegido, el sentido de la narración es claro y las historias pueden ser más acertadas en unos pasajes que en otros, pero en suma es un volumen de cuentos que cumple con holgura y que lleva fácilmente de una idea a otra distinta.
A destacar de esta colección, por criterio personal:
- Los gallinazos sin plumas: el primer cuento y seguramente el mejor del libro presenta a dos desdichados jóvenes que viven bajo la atosigante tiranía de un viejo, quien les obliga a buscar diariamente comida para cebar a su cerdo.
- La insignia: encontrarse casualmente con este símbolo cambia la vida de un hombre, introduciéndole en una misteriosa organización.
- El banquete: un hombre prepara una gran fiesta en su casa invitando a los mandatarios de cuya voluntad espera un alto cargo.
- Una aventura nocturna: Arístides, un hombre al que la vida no corresponde, cae por casualidad en un bar en el cual una camarera se interesa bastante por él.
- Al pie del acantilado: el relato más largo del volumen comprende la historia de un padre que empieza a construir un sencillo hogar en una agreste costa y desarrolla todas las derivadas que tendrá ese asentamiento.
September 4, 2024
La palabra del mudo. ¿Por qué este título? Porque en la mayoría de mis cuentos se expresan aquellos que en la vida están privados de la palabra. Los marginados, los olvidados, los condenados a una existencia sin sintonía y sin voz. Yo les he restituido este hálito negado y les he permitido modular sus anhelos, sus arrebatos y sus angustias.
Con un estilo sencillo y una mirada profunda de lo cotidiano, Julio Ramón Ribeyro consigue entretener, conmover, intrigar y sorprender al lector ("si todo ello junto, mejor" como escribió en su decálogo para cuentistas).
Lo que me fascina de Ribeyro es su habilidad para construir personajes y situaciones con los que es fácil empatizar, pero que también te llevan a reflexionar de manera profunda sobre la soledad y la insignificancia del individuo que se enfrenta a una sociedad impávida y cruel. Cada cuento es una ventana a una vida de seres comunes que comparten contradicciones, ilusiones perdidas y pequeñas resistencias cotidianas.
Mis cuentos favoritos de la colección son "Los gallinazos sin plumas", "Una aventura nocturna", "Los cautivos", "El polvo del saber", "Solo para fumadores" y "El sargento Canchuca". Historias que, sin duda, permanecerán un tiempo en mi memoria y que, cuando sean irremediablemente olvidadas, seguirán habitando en alguna parte de mi subconsciente. A fin de cuentas, somos lo que leemos, ¿no crees?
October 16, 2025
Algunos cuentos insuperables y algunos otros no tan fuertes. Sin embargo, los cuentos que funcionan son memorables, hablan de la realidad de vivir en una metrópolis y ser parte de los pobres/excluidos/diferentes. La voz del autor es muy fuerte y tiene mensajes muy especiales.
April 8, 2020
4.5 stars
December 17, 2023
contos bonitos para aquecer a alma
April 30, 2018
I had only read "Aniquilación" from this book, so my review will be about this short story only.
"Aniquilación" is a great short story. It represents very well the thoughts and feeling of the society during that time. Sharing this story with the guys from my book club was so interesting, we just had been read another book that was about the intolerance, and we could compare both of them.
"Aniquilación" is a great short story. It represents very well the thoughts and feeling of the society during that time. Sharing this story with the guys from my book club was so interesting, we just had been read another book that was about the intolerance, and we could compare both of them.
September 3, 2022
Ribeyro es uno de los mejores cuentistas de Latinoamérica. Recomiendo mucho este libro.
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