Neon South

by Marko Pogačar, Mirza Purić (Translation)

Neon South is an off-the-beaten-path Latin American travel narrative that unfolds like a novel, shadowing locals all too aware of how outside influences, from colonialism to globalism, have changed their lives.

From the drug cartel-controlled squares of Mexico to Venezuelan jungles where the outside world threatens traditions, Marko Pogacar absorbs all he encounters with the eyes and words of a poet, finding humor in the absurd and intimacy in despair.

Unexpected similarities surface in the assemblage of these tropical experiences fused together with Pogacar's memories of living through the dissolution of “After all, are our customs, our kingdoms, our churches and wars, our arsons and human sacrifices one iota different from the Aztec ones?”

117 pages, Paperback

Published May 3, 2022

About the author

Marko Pogačar rođen je 1984. godine u Splitu. Objavio je četiri knjige pesama, tri knjige eseja te knjigu kratkih priča. Urednik je u književnom časopisu Quorum i dvonedeljniku za kulturna i društvena zbivanja Zarez. Bio je stipendista fondacija Civitella Ranieri, Passa Porta, Milo Dor, Brandenburger Tor, Internationales Haus der Autoren Graz, Récollets-Paris, itd. Nagrađivan je za poeziju, prozu i esejistiku, a tekstovi su mu prevođeni na tridesetak jezika.

Reviews

[Aliisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

good writing just not my preferred style in the slightest

[Zach Werbalowsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

idk its like a 3.5, picked it up in croatia based on the back and i love a novel full of vignettes, but as an north american that loves south american literature and loves bolano the weird overlap of the author in a country so far away seeming to having a similar experience was wild, but i read this in dream state and this sometimes happens leading me to not fully know what happened in said book though maybe its good for that sort of thing though this copy i have is not a kindle edition, fuck that, but i would def read more of his or atleast i am curious about the poetry translated.

[Yunchen Tian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't know quite what to make of it.
Croatian poet? author? Marko Pogačar recounts travels across Latin America, mixing with people across different social stratum while passing psychedelic commentary. A certain awareness of class makes it come off as a mix of the hyper-aware, OCD energy of gonzo journalism with the observant travelogues of Guevara. The incessant name-dropping of references that are relevant - but only just- make it more difficult to read than it could have been.

[Kevin Ayres · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another meh book unfortunately.
2.5 might be a better rating.
There was some good writing in there, but then some of it was hard to follow.
It might have been a bad (English) translation I read, but i don't know.

[Juanita · Rating 2 out of 5]

this man has read WAY too much beat literature

[Connor · Rating 2 out of 5]

The opening section is utterly pretentious and overly ambiguous. It’s difficult to comprehend anything beyond a pervasive distaste for the current state of Latin America, a despondent perspective that offers no real critical thought towards suggesting or even recognizing alternatives to poverty and oppression and instead chooses to wallow in its own pessimism.

The remaining sections are however far more enjoyable, as they are more grounded in geography and subject in a way that actually allow you to immerse yourself in the travels of the author and appreciate his poetic abilities.

Still though, it overall remains a very critical and mean spirited take on Latin American society and spirit for a foreign white guy.