A Aventura de um Fotógrafo em La Plata

by Adolfo Bioy Casares

SINOPSE Acabado de chegar à capital La Plata no seu primeiro trabalho, o jovem e inocente fotógrafo Nicolás Almanza é de imediato adotado pela duvidosa família Lombardo. Mas o que pretenderá realmente o velho don Juan? Será ele exatamente o que aparenta ser ou antes a encarnação do próprio Diabo, como previnem, preocupados, os amigos do jovem fotógrafo? E estarão Julia e Griselda, as duas belas filhas de don Juan, a ser sinceras, ao competirem pela sua atenção ou serão apenas cúmplices num plano secreto cujo sentido lhe escapa? E o que dizer do misterioso poder de atração que Almanza parece inesperadamente exercer sobre todas as mulheres de La Plata? Último romance publicado por Bioy Casares, A Aventura de um Fotógrafo em La Plata evidencia de forma derradeira o talento do grande escritor sul-americano para transformar a dúvida e a ambiguidade do real em paisagem misteriosa e equívoca, próxima do sonho ou do pesadelo.

Genres: Fiction, Latin American Literature, Literature, Spanish Literature, Latin American, Contemporary

Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Adolfo Vicente Perfecto Bioy Casares (1914-1999) was born in Buenos Aires, the child of wealthy parents. He began to write in the early Thirties, and his stories appeared in the influential magazine Sur, through which he met his wife, the painter and writer Silvina Ocampo, as well Jorge Luis Borges, who was to become his mentor, friend, and collaborator. In 1940, after writing several novice works, Bioy published the novella The Invention of Morel, the first of his books to satisfy him, and the first in which he hit his characteristic note of uncanny and unexpectedly harrowing humor. Later publications include stories and novels, among them A Plan for Escape, A Dream of Heroes, and Asleep in the Sun. Bioy also collaborated with Borges on an Anthology of Fantastic Literature and a series of satirical sketches written under the pseudonym of H. Bustos Domecq.

Reviews

[Glenn Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

According to ancient Greek philosopher Plato, a goodhearted youngster will be naive and confused when dealing with the evil in other people since the youngster doesn't understand how or why people can act in ways that are hurtful or harmful. In other words, such a youngster projects his or her goodness onto others – seeing others as good people wanting to do good. This description fits Nicolasito Almanza, a young photographer sent to La Plata on a mission by a book publisher to capture many photos of the thriving Argentine city located thirty-six miles south of Buenos Aires.

Argentine author Adolfo Bioy Casares wrote The Adventures of a Photographer in La Plata in 1985 when age seventy-one, the last of his novels translated into English. Included on his list of translated novels are The Invention of Morel, A Plan for Escape, The Dream of Heroes, Diary of the War of the Pig and Asleep in the Sun. It is also worth noting Mr. Casares worked in close collaboration with Jorge Luis Borges and was the husband of the internationally renowned author Silvina Ocampo.

The Adventures of a Photographer in La Plata clicks along briskly, its sixty-three short, crisp chapters compressed in less than one hundred seventy pages. Each chapter functions as a quick photo snap and it is on to the next scene or location.

However, all is not light and camera angles as an element of menace and foreboding injects itself into the tale right from the first pages - Almanza connects with a family also recently arrived in La Plata, old Juan Lombardo and his two attractive, sexually alluring daughters, Griselda and Julia.

No sooner does Almanza join the family at their boarding house than Juan Lombardo takes ill and is in desperate need of a blood transfusion from the young photographer. Once recovered enough to receive visitors in his hospital room, Lombardo confides in Almanza, tells of the bitter dispute with his long lost son Ventura. But now life has rewarded him with a new son, a son who has saved his life with his own blood.

“Outsiders should be careful.” So warns Mr. Gruter, an old man with ruffled hair and an anxious expression who runs the photo laboratory. Also, Almanza’s friend Mascardi, a police investigator, speaks of new kind of foul play where a family establish relationships with a victim in order to perpetrate a swindle or crime. There’s even mention that the entire Lombardo family is the face of the devil.

I mention the above to highlight how Almanza’s adventure in La Plata, from boarding house to boarding house, from café to restaurant, from park to monument, from museum and cathedral, takes on the atmosphere of a series of unsettling dreams one might have while wrestling through a bad night in a lumpy bed.

Yet even a bad dream can have its high points - Almanza gets to have luscious sex first with Griselda and then with Julia. Why not? The young photographer says he has always been lucky. Perhaps luck is understatement – nearly every woman he comes across would like to have intimate relations, sexual or otherwise, with this handsome young visitor.

Evil does indeed appear to be afoot but there is hope our youthful photographer will not be snared in its trap. “I may yet be forced,” he said to himself, repressing a smile, “to admit that all those who have been warning me against the Lombardo family are not so far from the truth. But with all this, really, what can they blame Griselda for? Nothing. And Julia, even less.”

Alas, Almanza must endure days on a strict diet since the check he is awaiting from the book publisher has yet to arrive in the mail. Perhaps his lack of food accounts for certain hallucinations and dream sequences, visions adding yet again another lens through which our hero experiences the peoples and happenings in La Plata.

Quite a turn since all the mirrors and a set of stained-glass windows Almanza repeatedly encounters appear to take on special symbolic meaning. And yet there is one final twist – Julia hands Almanza a kaleidoscope. Did I say each chapter functions as a quick photo shoot? Maybe an equally valid image would be each chapter serves as yet again another rotation of a kaleidoscope.

And to top it off, Adventures of a Photographer in La Plata asks us ultimately to consider what it means for a man of good intentions to arrives in a new city and deal with others who might not have equally good intentions. Is it best for such a man to continually be on guard? If so, what is lost – spontaneity, the possibility of friendship, of love? Questions to keep in mind while reading this engaging, charming short novel.


Almanza spends an unforgettable afternoon with Julia taking photos in one of the parks in La Plata


Almanza could hardly believe the height of the Cathedral in La Plata


This La Plata museum makes for a number of stunning photos.


Adolfo Bioy Casares, 1914-1999

"The old man explained that only in the laboratory could one do justice to the incomparable light of La Plata, to the subtle mist which on certain afternoons envelops the buildings and endows them with a mysterious charm, like the halo on saints." - Adolfo Bioy Casares, The Adventures of a Photographer in La Plata

[Emejota (Juli) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me pareció entretenido, con un buen comienzo. Se lee rápido, los capítulos son cortos y tienen buen ritmo. La historia es narrada a partir de los diálogos, que están muy bien hechos. Prácticamente es puro diálogo.
Es la primera vez que leo a Bioy Casares. Tenía cierto recelo pero me sorprendió. Casi ni se le nota lo gorila.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esta es, sin dudas, la novela más floja que he leído de Bioy Casares. Leí al argentino por primera vez en enero del año pasado. Desde entonces, cada vez que me topé con un título suyo, lo compré o pedí prestado.

Sin embargo, este libro carece de esa genialidad y esa curiosidad que prima en sus historias. Cuesta creer que se trate del mismo autor de «La invención de Morel» o de «El sueño de los héroes».

Relata la historia de un fotógrafo que viaja a La Plata, encomendado por su jefe, para fotografiar los lugares más representativos de la ciudad. Allí vive un viejo amigo, quien lo acompañará durante su travesía.

Desde que Almanza pisa La Plata, empiezan a atravesársele una serie de circunstancias que le van dificultando su trabajo y que lo arrastran a una situación bastante turbia que se dilucida demasiada avanzada la historia, cuando el lector ya está cansado de esperar el «boom».

Menos mal la novela está dividida en breves capítulos que, de una u otra forma, no hacen tan pesada la lectura. Pero definitivamente está lejos de ser una obra que represente el talento de Bioy Casares.

[Hojaplateada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es realmente extraño leer un libro en el que todo suceda en donde viviste toda tu vida (para los porteños, supongo que será mas normal). Creo que es demasiado corto, pero tiene que ver con la obra, todo sucede rapidísimo, es entretenida.

[Andy Weston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicolas Almanza, an aspiring photographer, goes to La Plata on a job and upon arriving, he meets Don Juan Lombardo and his two attractive daughters, Griselda and Julia. At his hotel, Lombardo becomes ill, and mistakes Almanza for his son. Almanza, seeking an opportunity, gives blood to the stricken man, but his friends, particularly the cop Mascardi, warn him that the family is ‘dubious’ and Lombardo even the ‘devil himself’. Almanza remains faithful to his newly adopted family though shares a room at his accommodation with Mascardi. The plot swings to and fro.

It remains something of an amusing puzzle until the final pages, and its thunderous, if inevitable, climax.

It’s not Bioy Casares at his best, but demonstrates his creativity and ability to entertain with a minimalistic tale.

[Elías Casella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Por más absurdo que sea el libro, me la juego a que todos nos podemos haber encontrado en alguna de las situaciones que ocurren y eso lo hace muy entrañable.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I have to see La Plata for myself after this excellent novel by Jorge Luis Borges's friend and co-contributor.

The Adventures of a Photographer in La Plata by Adolfo Bioy Casares is the tale of a photographer who has been sent to La Plata (about an hour east of Buenos Aires) to take photographs for a guidebook to the city. At the outset, he runs into a family from Brandsen that decides not only to adopt him, but co-opt him. The two daughters of the family seduce him, and most of the other women in the story also seem to want to make a play for him.

Meanwhile, his policeman friend and roommate warns him against the family, even implying that the paterfamilias is a regular demon.

The atmosphere throughout is dreamlike, and the city of La Plata ends up feeling like Kafka's Prague.

As for Bioy Casares, I have a growing respect for him the more I read his work. He is probably best known for The Invention of Morel, but I think that Adventures is at least as good.

[Karina Vargas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro es una grata sorpresa para aquellos que, como yo, leyeron primero La invención de Morel, y lo tomaron como reflejo de la escritura de Bioy Casares. Me atrevo a decir que sólo algunos rastros de ese texto largo y tal vez demasiado descriptivo, tendiendo a denso, sobreviven en esta novela corta.
Un hecho tras otro, sin explicar demasiado, detallando lo que le parece importante al autor y no más, así transcurre esta historia. Rápida, pero no tanto como para que uno no pueda apreciarla. Se mantiene el misterio y la intriga, que invitan al lector a continuar, a devorar otra página, otro capítulo, y cuando menos lo esperas, terminas por devorar el libro.

[Ben Winch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't think much of the more famous Invention of Morel, but this is great. A young man in the big city may or may not have entered into a pact with the Devil, who appears as a corpulent old man with two beautiful daughters. Tightly-plotted and dream-like but never gratuitously so, this is like a pop Kafka from the south. Unlike Morel it also shows little trace of the influence of Borges.

[Benjamin Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magical book in a great translation where the language feels totally matched to the book’s moods. It’s a short book, which means little room for the translator to dawdle in description. Those who enjoyed the Master and Margherita will enjoy the playful melancholy that was abundant in Bulgakov’s Novel. It’s something only the best writing can communicate. Couldn’t put it down! Caesares is also a big favorite of Borges, if you don’t trust me.

[Luján Firpo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro que se lee rapidísimo, maneja tiempos veloces. Casi todo es diálogo, mantiene intriga, suspenso y el ritmo de un diario de viaje. El libro tiene como subtexto la post dictadura, los primeros años de democracia, cómo se vivía en ese entonces, la desconfianza, el miedo, y alguna ausencia que no se nombra y se desconoce. Es buenísimo.

[Geronimo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelente libro!

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gostei muito de ler este livro; para mim é sempre agradável ler este autor - transporta-me sempre de novo para a Argentina :-)

[Jaime Andrés Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una novela donde aparentemente no pasa nada, pero de fondo sus personajes están teniendo todo tipo de confrontaciones vitales.

[Indran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well paced, full of curious dialogue and curious scenarios. As the jacket says, it blends the mundane and the metaphysical. I found the whole cast of characters to be thoroughly enjoyable and engaging, sometimes bringing to mind Twin Peaks, as did the overall atmosphere of strange, slightly dark humor and dramatic intrigue.

The part about draining a lake to search in vain for a murder weapon, which only revealed some weird, ugly life forms and other miscellany in the muddy lake bed, had me laughing like crazy. The giant/ape was also so close to Twin Peaks I couldn't believe it. Compared to other works of Casares, this was relatively rooted in reality.

Recurring themes included love and sex, stark differences between how men and women think, money troubles, the lifestyle and mindset of the artist, naivete in the face of swindlers or evil, death, vanity and other sins, and the untrustworthiness of the medical establishment.

Yes, as other reviewers have noted, the main two characters exhibit some chauvinistic qualities or superficiality that you may find off-putting. But personally, I must admit this novel drew me in 100%, down to the last word. It didn't have any grand message, and you could accuse it of being anti climatic or a bit unresolved. I would have to disagree, and my only hesitation for 5 stars is that it may over-hype this or give you the idea that it's a literary masterpiece. It's not, it simply agreed with my sensibilities as a reader and had some X-factor that repeatedly charmed me and made me chuckle with pleasure.

[Agustín · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toda la obra tiene una narrativa bastante unica. Muy directa y poco descriptiva en lls dialogos, es el estilo de Bioy pero puede caer bastante raro a aquellos que estamos acostumbrados a libros actuales.
La historia tiens mucha verosímilitud mezclado con uno que otro momento que no logra saberse bien que es real y que no. Algo que le encanta a todo el mundo, pero que a mi me resulta un tanto inconcluso y hasta poco trabajado.
Creó que realmente si hay una razón para leer este libro, es para visitar o tomarse unas vacaciones en la Plata, simplemente para amantes de los viajes y de los lugares, es lindo y funciona bien.
Ah y el final, creó que es la primera vez que un libro me dejo con la boca abierta al acabar así... puede no resultar impresionante a simple vista. Pero me sentí muy identificado y me meti en la piel del protagonista.

[Carolina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recebi este livro pelo meu aniversário. É a estranha aventura de um fotógrafo que, contratado para tirar umas imagens da cidade de La Plata, se encontra com uma família bizarra. Duas irmãs partilham o seu desejo por ele. E o patriarca misterioso insiste que ele deverá fazer parte de um plano secreto.

Trata-se de um livro curioso pela forma como retrata a cidade, explorando os caminhos secretos e mostrando-nos um pouco de todos os pontos de interesse. É como um passeio calmo pelos jardins e pelas ruas, mas sempre pontuado por uma aura de mistério e encantamento, como se nada do que estivesse a acontecer fosse real.

A sucessão de acontecimentos e personagens parece que não nos leva a lado nenhum, como num sonho. A conclusão também parece um pouco estranha, deixando uma espécie de saudosismo de uma cidade que nunca conhecemos, mas que apenas imaginamos.

Uma leitura curiosa.

[Lamoreaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read for anyone who likes Borges, Kafka, or Bruno Schulz. Is the hero dreaming, or awake? Dead, or alive? The fabric of reality never seemed so tenuous. Among other things, this is a strangely erotic book, although there's scarcely a line of explicit detail.

[Jesse K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed Morel a great deal, but that one seemed more like a Borges/Dick tale. This one seems more like a Casares tale.

[Luz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bioy Casares me enamora desde Dormir al sol.

[Anandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5
El joven Almanza, proveniente de Las Flores, debe ir a la desconocida ciudad de La Plata para realizar su trabajo de fotógrafo. Una vez llegado allí es interrumpido por la misteriosa familia Lozardo, conformada por don Juan y sus dos hijas, Julia y Griselda. Los enredos de amistad, amor, dinero y conveniencias entre todos ellos seguirán los cinco días que nuestro protagonista vivirá en la capital bonaerense.

La salvación de nuestro gremio es el cariño de la gente por su cara

Rápidamente es visto como un hijo para don Juan que, al mismo tiempo, perdió al suyo en extrañas circunstancias que nunca pudo aclarar. Mientras tanto, todos los demás personajes, desde su amigo policía Mascardi que parece ser su sombra durante gran parte del libro hasta las patronas de las pensiones, lo previenen contra esa familia a la que se ve tan apegado en el corto tiempo que comparten.

-Habrás oído, quiero creer, que el alma es inmortal. Aunque entierren tu cuerpo el alma sigue viviendo. Para prepararnos a esa vida soñamos. No busques. No hay otra explicación para los sueños. Son anticipos. Con una diferencia, es claro: tienen despertar.

La Plata y la plata, respectivamente refiriéndose a la ciudad y al dinero, parecen ser los hilos conductores de la historia, condicionando lo que nuestro personaje puede hacer en sus calles. El giro de dinero que espera expectantemente de parte de su patrón es el principal motivo de su estadía.

-No temas. Todo depende de tu voluntad. El sueño de la muerte no tiene por qué ser una pesadilla.
-¿Puede ser una pesadilla?
-¿Qué otra cosa es el infierno?

El amor y el desamor juegan un rol interesante en el joven que, ante su indecisión e inseguridad pasa un importante tiempo entendiéndose. La informalidad es moneda corriente en el libro pero de una forma muy prolija que permite sumergirnos en la historia de una forma cercana y natural más que nada siendo argentina, manejando un sentido del humor que ya parece parte de la marca personal de este autor.

-¿Postre de vigilante? ¿No querías pasar desapercibido?

La imágenes y, particularmente en este libro, la fotografía denotan una parte muy importante del legado de Bioy Casares, encontrándose en una forma diferente pero igual de interesante en "La invención de Morel". Una frase del autor sobre esto: por medio de la cámara, el fotógrafo sustrae del río del tiempo el mundo que lo rodea (...) y consigue perpetuarlo hermosamente y tal cual es como si les robara el alma.

Es fotógrafo el que sabe qué parte del mundo que nos rodea permite una buena fotografía.

[Andrés Cabrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esta es una de esas historias que conmueve por su impecable maestría y técnica narrativa. Aquí, entre diálogos brutalmente cuidados y repletos de certezas apabullantes, Bioy Casares homenajea a La Plata mientras desengrana una conspiración singular, improbable aunque enteramente posible. Porque en las ciudades a veces la vida transcurre en una especie de ensueño, de sonambulismo crónico en el que transitamos por nuestras propias vivencias como fotógrafos de las mismas, ajenos a la película o a las imágenes que se nos presentan bajo el fragor de la carne, "La aventura de un fotógrafo en La Plata" aventura a mostrar cómo, en estos lugares repletos de gente y construcciones de ladrillo, cemento y vidrio que rozan las nubes, soñamos: imaginamos vidas que no vivimos, experiencias que no padecemos, para apaciguar la rutina de un mundo triste.

Porque entre parpadeos va la vida, se pasan calles, se compran cosas en un supermercado o se conoce al que será el amor de la vida; porque todo esto transcurre sin detenimiento, de forma frenética, casi inconsciente, en medio del barullo y el agite de los autos, la vida en la ciudad es, como dijera otro grande argentino, Enrique Symms, una oportunidad para el "riesgo", para dejarse llevar por la aventura sin tesoro plausible, sin alegría evidente, bajo la recompensa de existir, de reconocer en la violencia y ver el cielo para reconocerse en el suelo.

[kimby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed a lot, but I feel like I'm missing something? I need to reread the last half there. I'm struggling to grasp the message ? if there is one. Yeah. I think I'm missing something.

I feel kinda like "i should read this in spanish" but um. (1) it's so hard to motivate myself to read in spanish and (2) i keep failing to check out books in spanish i thought the copy of borges' ficciones that i put on hold from the library was in spanish (because it said "ficciones" ig) but it was in english. i never know if it helps or doesn't help but usually it helps. i'm really into this cwl thing now guys there's no stopping me
also in case you're a certain professor and have found my goodreads because i have mentioned you by name on accident i'm talking a lot about reading in spanish because i'm trying to psych myself up for next semester in which i may or many not take a spanish class not because i'm trying to be annoying.

Also loved the inclusion of normal analog camera stuff like spending hours in the darkroom in the course of a few sentences. it was super fun to read something and be like "I'VE DONE THAT TOO!!!" i miss chelsea's class so bad T_T

[Alex]

This is a story of a photographer who gets a contract to go to La Plata and take pictures of the city. There he meets this family and another bunch of
people and the whole book consists of meetings among him and these people, dialogue and text not going anywhere.

It was a very frustrating read, and this is how I am going to keep it in my mind. After each chapter, I hoped that something big is going to happen in the next one. Then the next one came and everything still
pointless. And so on. Boring dialogue and actually no story.

The 4/5 star commentaries in here are discussing the possibility of a dream world, magical realism. Then there are the comparisions with Kafka and his friend Borges. Maybe the problem lies by me and I wasn't able to find the key to this little book. But I couldn't go on after 130 pages out of 170.

This "comedy of errors" (preface) was not for me. 1 star. Sorry Mr. Casares, I really wanted to enjoy it.

[Ignacio Rodríguez Cravero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Desde que leí "El sueño de los héroes" siempre quise reencontrarme con ese Bioy, supremo, el de la pluma existencial de oro, un escritor excelso y pícaro como ninguno.

Lamentablemente en ninguno pude hacerlo, y menos en esa aventura platense (ciudad en la que vivo y que, como tal situación amerita, me predisponía con mayor expectativa). El libro no arranca mal, los recursos y elementos sobre la mesa están bien dispuestos, los personajes rápidamente asumen su rol y parece que una nube de onirismo BioyCasariano va a bajar brumosa del cielo para dulcemente complicarlo todo. Un personaje medio bobo y crédulo que automáticamente pone un pie en la ciudad es interpelado por personajes que todo el tiempo quieren comérselo crudo y verde.

Pero la historia transcurre torpe, mínima, sin picor, y termina de una manera muy pobre, poco digna. Ni el/los romances, ni la aventura en la ciudad, ni siquiera las referencias a las esquinas de La Plata son buenas.

[Maggie Downing · Rating 2 out of 5]

I first read this when I was a freshman in college as a young photographer and for some reason kept it on my shelf. As a reread I still feel like I’m missing something. The writing is distanced and direct, which is a choice, sure, but the characters are one dimensional as a result. Is the Lombardo family evil? Is Almanza just naive and not seeing things as they are? The problem is I’m not drawn in enough to care. The book could be sexy but instead it feels like a sketch, like the author was not done filling in details and feeling. It ends abruptly and just left me feeling confused.

[Josefina Decoud · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entre 3 y 4 estrellas.
4 por los diálogos y la ligereza de la trama, leí la novela en dos días y la disfruté.
3 porque, hasta el penúltimo capítulo, me costó mucho entender al protagonista, me pareció irritante e inverosímil. Creo que el final es acertado y funciona como eso: la última pincelada para entenderlo.
Está bueno pero es un libro un poco extraño, como otros de Bioy, me dejó una sensación de limbo.
Recomiendo muchísimo más "El sueño de los héroes".

Advertencia: leer el prólogo al final. Es muy lindo pero cuenta cómo termina la novela 😂

[Julian Da Costa Faro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Si sos o conoces La Plata tenes que leerlo. Se me hizo atrapante y llamativo conocer cada uno de los rincones donde transcurren los acontecimientos.
La historia va muy rápido y, como mencionaron en otras reseñas, prácticamente esta contada en base a diálogos. Mantiene la intriga constantemente. Por momentos me cuesta entender algunas decisiones tomadas por el protagonista pero no por eso es una mala historia.

[Rhys · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not so easy finding Bioy Casares books in English. I picked this up in a charity shop last month. It's good, rather sinister and cryptic. The author is always worth reading. The Invention of Morel is the best science fiction novel published in the 1940s, in my view. This novel isn't as good as that one, but it has its moments. I felt the ending was inconclusive, but maybe no other ending was strictly possible.

[Diego Sánchez Pérez · Rating 3 out of 5]

La intriga de este libro me ha mantenido enganchado con esa descripción de ese lugar bello como es La Plata, también ese agregado de esos elementos fantásticos que hay en ello, aunque al igual que La Invención De Morel tiene buena prosa y todo eso pero siempre le ha faltado algo para considerarlo lo máximo en cuanto a lectura.