Distant Star by Roberto Bolano

Author:Roberto Bolano [Bolano, Roberto]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: General, Fiction
ISBN: 9780099461722
Google: 8PpdPgAACAAJ
Amazon: 0811215865
Publisher: Vintage
Published: 2004-12-15T05:00:00+00:00

6

But let us return to the beginning, to Carlos Wieder and the year of grace 1974.

At that time Wieder was at the height of his fame. After his triumphant journey to Antarctica and aerial displays over numerous Chilean cities, he was called upon to undertake something grand in the capital, something spectacular to show the world that the new regime and avant-garde art were not at odds, quite the contrary.

Wieder was only too pleased to oblige. In Santiago he stayed in Providencia, at the flat of a friend from the air force academy, and spent his days training at the Captain Lindstrom airstrip, socializing at the military clubs and visiting friends at their parents’ houses, where he met or was more or less forcibly introduced to their sisters, cousins and various young lady friends, who were struck by his dashing appearance, his courteous and apparently shy manner, but also by his coldness, by something remote in his gaze. As Pía Valle put it, there seemed to be another pair of eyes behind his eyes. At night, free at last, he devoted his time to the solitary preparation of a photographic exhibition to be held in the flat, using the walls of the spare bedroom, which was to open on the same day as his display of aerial poetry.

Years later, the owner of the flat declared that he had not seen the photographs Wieder was planning to exhibit until the night of the opening. His first reaction to Wieder’s project was naturally to offer him the living room, or the whole flat, to display the photos, but Wieder declined. He maintained that the photos required a restricted and well-defined space, such as the room that he, the photographer, was occupying. He said that after writing in the sky it would be appropriate – as well as charmingly paradoxical – to circumscribe the epilogue to his aerial poem within the bounds of the poet’s den. As to the nature of the photos, according to the owner of the flat, Wieder wanted to surprise the guests, and would only say that it was visual poetry – experimental, quintessential, art for art’s sake – and that everyone would find it amusing. He also made his host promise that neither he nor anyone else would go into the room until the night of the opening. The owner of the flat offered to dig out the key to the room so that Wieder could rest easy. But Wieder said that wouldn’t be necessary; a promise was enough for him. So, solemnly, the owner of the flat gave his word of honor.

Naturally the invitations to the party in Providencia were limited to a select group: various pilots and young army officers (the oldest of them had not reached the rank of commander) who could reasonably be supposed to have a certain degree of aesthetic sensibility, a trio of journalists, two artists, an old right-wing, ex-avant-garde poet who seemed to have recovered his youthful vigor since the coup,

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