Jo’s Reading Room

“La gente joven, y con ella los numerosísimos sobrinos, emigraban de la ciudad hacia la vida. Iban tratando de escapar del soroche que les seguía pisándoles los talones.”
― Alicia Yánez Cossío, Bruna and Her Sisters in the Sleeping City

“Cristobalina, three times a widow, and branded as a “bad risk” and an herb curer, was the oldest child. She had been like a mother to her godson Cangá since the time his mother died of an unknown illness.
Talking about Cristobalina, her old man always used to say:
“My daughter is an Amazon. She run all over the place. But she a free woman, and she can do whatever she wants with her body.”
― Adalberto Ortiz, Juyungo

“In front of the entrance to the Hall, he lit incense, reverently standing to the side of the copper cauldron, he folded his hands in prayer and bowed his head.
Then, he said within himself: May the Buddha be merciful, and grant me some light as to where I should seek.
Then he said within himself: May the Buddha be merciful, and tell me if there is any meaning at all to this seeking.
And then he said within himself: We do not know what you thought about the world. We misunderstand every one of your words. We are utterly lost.
And, to conclude, he added: Just as you once prophesied, dear, sweet, unforgettable Buddha.
The grandson of Prince Genji then lowered his hands, holding them tightly to his sides, raised his head, and bowed deeply, twice.”
― László Krasznahorkai, A Mountain to the North, a Lake to the South, Paths to the West, a River to the East

“Дочь дона Клемента, Кристобалина, уже трижды была замужем, и мужчины за глаза называли её «вонючкой». Она занималась целительством. Её приёмный сын, крестник, остался без матери, умершей вскоре после родов от неизвестной болезни, и Кристобалина заботилась о нём, как настоящая мать.
Старик говорил так:
— Дочь моя любому мужчине сто очков вперёд даст. Правда, шатается где попало, но она свободна и может делать что ей вздумается.”
― Adalberto Ortiz, Juyungo