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A Change of Light: and Other Stories
The masterful Argentinian writer includes nineteen stories penned during the last seven years, tales about a couple's adventurous vacation in Africa, a disturbed man's erotic subway games, and other intriguing activities and situations
275 pages, Paperback
First published October 12, 1980
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 28, 2014
3 1/2 stars. My review of the stories, one by one:
"Summer" - Five stars. One of the best short stories I've ever read. SO haunting and unforgettable. Like something out of a nightmare. The basic plot is a horse that appears in a house in the middle of the night. Trippy shit. Almost like an elephant-in-the-room type story.
"In the Name of Bobby" - Four stars. Creepy, almost like a horror movie. Narrated by an aunt, the story follows eight-year-old Bobby, who keeps having nightmares about his mother being cruel to him and is continuously staring at a knife in the kitchen in a highly unsettling way. Well plotted and cleverly narrated.
"Liliana Weeping" - Four stars. A story about a narrator with a terminal illness that he keeps hidden from his wife. A great example of a story that cleverly uses prolepsis (i.e. a futuristic vision).
"A Place Named Kindberg" - Three and a half stars. A middle-aged man picks up a young female hitchhiker and Things Happen until the story ends in a shocking suicide. Would love to read this in Spanish--the word "teddy bear" ("osito de peluche?") is repeated over and over again in a way that becomes hypnotic, haunting.
"Second Time Around" - Three and a half stars. Short and sweet. Cleverly switches between the first person perspective of a bureaucrat and third person limited of a woman. Is this a commentary on the arrests and the political climate of Argentina in the 1970's? I initially read it more as a medical mystery-horror story akin to 'Contagion.' But the final disappearance at the end is haunting and memorable.
"Severo's Phases" - Maybe my second-favorite story after "Summer." A highly uncanny piece and a fascinating commentary on the ways we deal with death. The plot is basically this: the sickly Severo is attended by friends and relatives gathered around his bed, who enact a series of bizarre rituals that are never explained. SO trippy and mind-blowing, and a great example of how a story can intrigue you by following the maxim of "the less said the better."
"Butterball's Night" - Two stars. Didn't feel this one. About a boxing match. Almost felt like a bad action movie. Maybe something clever is going on here that I didn't get.
"Trade Winds" - Four stars. Brilliant. A couple tries to recapture the enthusiasm of their early life via designing an elaborate game in which they assume false identities and pretend not to know each other at the vacation resort. Haunting commentary on the fluidity of identity.
"Manuscript Found in a Pocket" - Two stars. Didn't dig this one too much. The narrator follows an obsessive game in which a relationship can only happen based on the possibility of whether or not he randomly sees a woman again in the Metro. Ugh, I didn't explain that to well, but this was a very Obsessive-Feeling story that was difficult for me to read.
"Apocalypse at Solentiname" - Five stars. The other brilliant classic and the other story along with "Summer" I would assign folks to read in class. Bolaño would love this. Photography, art, war, images, empathy. Great themes.
"Footsteps in the Footprints" - Two stars. Didn't care for this either. A Bolaño-esque story about an academic writing a biography about a famous Argentine poet.
"Encounter Within a Red Circle" - Two stars. Didn't get this AT ALL. Will probably have to read it again. I just read a summary online and apparently it's a vague homage to vampires?? It's dedicated to a painter called Jacobo Borges that I guess I maybe have to research. Yeah, this was too clever for me.
"The Faces of the Medal" - Three stars. A clever story about a couple that switches back and forth between their individual limited third person perspective and a plural perspective that they share. This is what I love about Cortazar--I've seriously NEVER read anything like this before.
"Someone Walking Around" - Two stars. Sort of boring. Maybe I have to read it again and pay better attention. I think this was maybe about disappearances in Latin America, vaguely narrated like a heist movie.
"The Ferry, or Another Trip to Venice" - Two and a half stars. Clever, but SUPER long. A cool example of a story in which one of the characters makes comments on the plot as it develops. Was really troubled by the depiction of a woman enjoying her rape. This is the second Cortázar short story I've read that depicts this (the other was the closing story in "We Love Glenda So Much")...
"There But Where, How" - One star. Didn't care for this one at all. The language made my head spin.
"Throat of a Black Kitten" - Three stars. Interesting concept. Another short story that begins in a metro and deals with hands that seemingly have a life of their own. Almost a horror movie-like climax.
"Summer" - Five stars. One of the best short stories I've ever read. SO haunting and unforgettable. Like something out of a nightmare. The basic plot is a horse that appears in a house in the middle of the night. Trippy shit. Almost like an elephant-in-the-room type story.
"In the Name of Bobby" - Four stars. Creepy, almost like a horror movie. Narrated by an aunt, the story follows eight-year-old Bobby, who keeps having nightmares about his mother being cruel to him and is continuously staring at a knife in the kitchen in a highly unsettling way. Well plotted and cleverly narrated.
"Liliana Weeping" - Four stars. A story about a narrator with a terminal illness that he keeps hidden from his wife. A great example of a story that cleverly uses prolepsis (i.e. a futuristic vision).
"A Place Named Kindberg" - Three and a half stars. A middle-aged man picks up a young female hitchhiker and Things Happen until the story ends in a shocking suicide. Would love to read this in Spanish--the word "teddy bear" ("osito de peluche?") is repeated over and over again in a way that becomes hypnotic, haunting.
"Second Time Around" - Three and a half stars. Short and sweet. Cleverly switches between the first person perspective of a bureaucrat and third person limited of a woman. Is this a commentary on the arrests and the political climate of Argentina in the 1970's? I initially read it more as a medical mystery-horror story akin to 'Contagion.' But the final disappearance at the end is haunting and memorable.
"Severo's Phases" - Maybe my second-favorite story after "Summer." A highly uncanny piece and a fascinating commentary on the ways we deal with death. The plot is basically this: the sickly Severo is attended by friends and relatives gathered around his bed, who enact a series of bizarre rituals that are never explained. SO trippy and mind-blowing, and a great example of how a story can intrigue you by following the maxim of "the less said the better."
"Butterball's Night" - Two stars. Didn't feel this one. About a boxing match. Almost felt like a bad action movie. Maybe something clever is going on here that I didn't get.
"Trade Winds" - Four stars. Brilliant. A couple tries to recapture the enthusiasm of their early life via designing an elaborate game in which they assume false identities and pretend not to know each other at the vacation resort. Haunting commentary on the fluidity of identity.
"Manuscript Found in a Pocket" - Two stars. Didn't dig this one too much. The narrator follows an obsessive game in which a relationship can only happen based on the possibility of whether or not he randomly sees a woman again in the Metro. Ugh, I didn't explain that to well, but this was a very Obsessive-Feeling story that was difficult for me to read.
"Apocalypse at Solentiname" - Five stars. The other brilliant classic and the other story along with "Summer" I would assign folks to read in class. Bolaño would love this. Photography, art, war, images, empathy. Great themes.
"Footsteps in the Footprints" - Two stars. Didn't care for this either. A Bolaño-esque story about an academic writing a biography about a famous Argentine poet.
"Encounter Within a Red Circle" - Two stars. Didn't get this AT ALL. Will probably have to read it again. I just read a summary online and apparently it's a vague homage to vampires?? It's dedicated to a painter called Jacobo Borges that I guess I maybe have to research. Yeah, this was too clever for me.
"The Faces of the Medal" - Three stars. A clever story about a couple that switches back and forth between their individual limited third person perspective and a plural perspective that they share. This is what I love about Cortazar--I've seriously NEVER read anything like this before.
"Someone Walking Around" - Two stars. Sort of boring. Maybe I have to read it again and pay better attention. I think this was maybe about disappearances in Latin America, vaguely narrated like a heist movie.
"The Ferry, or Another Trip to Venice" - Two and a half stars. Clever, but SUPER long. A cool example of a story in which one of the characters makes comments on the plot as it develops. Was really troubled by the depiction of a woman enjoying her rape. This is the second Cortázar short story I've read that depicts this (the other was the closing story in "We Love Glenda So Much")...
"There But Where, How" - One star. Didn't care for this one at all. The language made my head spin.
"Throat of a Black Kitten" - Three stars. Interesting concept. Another short story that begins in a metro and deals with hands that seemingly have a life of their own. Almost a horror movie-like climax.
January 13, 2025
The eight linked stories from the original collection "Octagon" -- all included here -- deserve to be published as their own volume. Otherwise, pick hits from this very strong compilation: "Summer," "In the Name of Bobby," "Severo's Phases," "Manuscript Found in a Pocket," "Apocalypse at Solentiname," "Encounter within a Red Circle," "The Face of the Medal," "The Ferry, or Another Trip to Venice," "A Change of Light," and "The Throat of a Black Kitten."
October 2, 2022
I enjoyed one of Cortázar's stories in an anthology a while ago so I thought I'd give this a try, but gave up after about 40 pages. A lot of the stories are stream of consciousness, with run-on sentences which last half a page, full of non sequiturs. Others seem to be metaphors, but for what was unclear to me.
September 27, 2019
An uneven collection of eighteen short stories, with most of the short stories around ten pages long.
All of these stories were written in the 1970s. I particularly liked:
'Summer' - An eerie, haunting story where a childless couple agree to allow a small girl to stay with them for the night and inexplicably a horse appears inside their house in the middle of the night.
'Liliana Weeping' - The narrator has a terminal illness that he tries to keep hidden from his wife.
'Trade Winds' - A couple goes on a holiday where they arrive at a resort at separate times and have separate rooms, using false names and pretending they don't know one another. Their aim is to spice up their own relationship. The ending is a surprise.
'Footsteps in the Footprints' - An academic writes a biography about a famous Argentine poet. He comes across some letters that provide a different perspective of who the poet was, but is his interpretation of the letters correct?
'The Ferry, or Another Trip to Venice' - Two people, Valentia and Adriano go to Venice on holiday separately, experiencing Venice on their own. They meet on occasions whilst in Venice. Valentia has a dramatic experience with a gondolier named Dino.
Readers who enjoy reading short stories should find the author's stories, at times very original, mysterious and occasionally horrible. Some of the stories are very rewarding reads.
All of these stories were written in the 1970s. I particularly liked:
'Summer' - An eerie, haunting story where a childless couple agree to allow a small girl to stay with them for the night and inexplicably a horse appears inside their house in the middle of the night.
'Liliana Weeping' - The narrator has a terminal illness that he tries to keep hidden from his wife.
'Trade Winds' - A couple goes on a holiday where they arrive at a resort at separate times and have separate rooms, using false names and pretending they don't know one another. Their aim is to spice up their own relationship. The ending is a surprise.
'Footsteps in the Footprints' - An academic writes a biography about a famous Argentine poet. He comes across some letters that provide a different perspective of who the poet was, but is his interpretation of the letters correct?
'The Ferry, or Another Trip to Venice' - Two people, Valentia and Adriano go to Venice on holiday separately, experiencing Venice on their own. They meet on occasions whilst in Venice. Valentia has a dramatic experience with a gondolier named Dino.
Readers who enjoy reading short stories should find the author's stories, at times very original, mysterious and occasionally horrible. Some of the stories are very rewarding reads.
February 25, 2015
Cortazar may have been a literary genius, and even if he wasn't, he was unquestionably a star, known internationally and very popular in artistic circles. This uncohesive collection I would place somewhere in the middle of his work in terms of quality, and it seems to fall around the middle of his writing career too. It contained several good stories, some unsuccessful experiments, and even a couple of mainstream thriller shorts, which came as a surprise.
Reading this helped me get a handle on what his technique was. His narratives seem to ramble a bit, and can be a challenge to read. The point of view can shift in the middle of a long paragraph. He uses some stream of consciousness, and he strings together images, words, and inner thoughts without ever notifying the reader of his intentions. The vagueness helps to create an air of mystery and uncertainty, and in most of the stories, beneath a fairly placid surface there is a suggestion of lurking menace. But he is very much a literary experimenter and not a creator of gothic or conventionally scary stories. His style is elliptical as well - things can shift unexpectedly, and there are often questions hovering unanswered.
Matters of the heart are what seem to concern him the most, and some of the best stories here are sophisticated relationship pieces, often concerning a pickup, and they are not exactly packed with light and laughter. For example, in "The Ferry, or Another Trip to Venice", a third person narrator brings forth the tale of a suave lady going to Venice accompanied by a close friend (who makes comments on the narrative as it develops) and gets involved with both a man of her class and a gondolier. Cortazar is very good at unfolding what are fairly conventional short stories in a way that makes things mysterious and magical, even while there is much pain present. All in all, an interesting book that heightened my understanding of this author. If it was not his best, it was not his worst either.
Reading this helped me get a handle on what his technique was. His narratives seem to ramble a bit, and can be a challenge to read. The point of view can shift in the middle of a long paragraph. He uses some stream of consciousness, and he strings together images, words, and inner thoughts without ever notifying the reader of his intentions. The vagueness helps to create an air of mystery and uncertainty, and in most of the stories, beneath a fairly placid surface there is a suggestion of lurking menace. But he is very much a literary experimenter and not a creator of gothic or conventionally scary stories. His style is elliptical as well - things can shift unexpectedly, and there are often questions hovering unanswered.
Matters of the heart are what seem to concern him the most, and some of the best stories here are sophisticated relationship pieces, often concerning a pickup, and they are not exactly packed with light and laughter. For example, in "The Ferry, or Another Trip to Venice", a third person narrator brings forth the tale of a suave lady going to Venice accompanied by a close friend (who makes comments on the narrative as it develops) and gets involved with both a man of her class and a gondolier. Cortazar is very good at unfolding what are fairly conventional short stories in a way that makes things mysterious and magical, even while there is much pain present. All in all, an interesting book that heightened my understanding of this author. If it was not his best, it was not his worst either.
August 15, 2019
I picked this one up at a secondhand shop having only vaguely heard of the author and thinking the cover was pretty. I think there's a lesson in there somewhere.
The first two stories were interesting, but I otherwise really disliked this collection on the whole. I struggled to get through it. It got to the point where I would pick it up, read a few sentences, and promptly put it back down again because I just didn't care. His style flew over my head a lot of the time, vague in a way that could be intriguing if it actually seemed to suggest something. I just didn't get it. Maybe it's just me.
The first two stories were interesting, but I otherwise really disliked this collection on the whole. I struggled to get through it. It got to the point where I would pick it up, read a few sentences, and promptly put it back down again because I just didn't care. His style flew over my head a lot of the time, vague in a way that could be intriguing if it actually seemed to suggest something. I just didn't get it. Maybe it's just me.
June 27, 2009
Yup, the short stories are better.
May 6, 2015
Nav tāda īsti superklasiska stāsta, bet gandrīz visi ir ļoti augstā līmenī, met cilpas kaut kur augstu virs galvas, bet tā arī nelaižoties lejā, lai ķertos pie rīkles.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews