“and if one is lucky not to be caught in the middle of more on Porque non te callasa gunfight, well, it’s almost paradise.”

CARACAS, Venezuela

EVEN though they achieved independence more than a century ago, the Spanish-speaking nations of Latin America often look to Spain as a reference point. Sometimes the mother country is a foil, sometimes a support, sometimes a mirror, for what unfolds on this side of the Atlantic.

Once upon a time,Santa Maria,Pinta and Nina..........

Christopher Columbus departed from Spain on August 3, 1492, on a fleet of three ships: the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. Nina and Pinta were both smaller, sleeker ships, called caravels. Santa Maria was a larger, round-hulled ship, called a nao. Columbus himself sailed on, and piloted, the Santa Maria.
Together, the three ships carried about 120 men, equipment and supplies.
Of the three ships, only the Santa Maria was built with a deck, and it was a much slower, heavier ship, with a keel that was about 115-feet long (35 meters). Both Nina and Pinta were about 50 feet long (15 meters). All three ships were armed. The Nina sailed under Vicente Yanez Pinzon, and the Pinta sailed under his brother, Martin Alonso Pinzon.

The goal of the voyage was to find a new passage to Asia. After a few "wrong turns", the crew landed in the New World, on one of the Bahama Islands, on October 12, 1492. The island was later renamed San Salvador by the Spaniards.
In November, the Pinta disappeared in a strong wind. On December 25, 1492 (Christmas Day), the Santa Maria ran aground and was completely destroyed. Later, in January, the Pinta rejoined the Nina. Columbus returned to Spain on the Nina, arriving in March of 1493. The Pinta arrived soon afterwards.

Columbus always believed that he had arrived in the Indies, never fully realizing the extent and importance of his discovery.There are now about 300,000 Spaniards in Venezuela, many of whom moved here in search of opportunity before Spain’s economy lifted off in the 1990s; many of them are less than thrilled about the insults to Spain.

The New Old World,back and forth

The influx, in fact, has strengthened bonds between Venezuela and Spain, and they are reflected here in cuisine, music, trade, even novels. One book published this year, “La Caraqueña del Maní,” by the Spanish writer José Luis Muñoz, captures the complexity. The protagonist is a Basque exile seeking a new life amid the demimonde here of salsa bars and Iberian eateries.Over a meal of Txakolí wine and Idiazábal cheese, he sums up how the New World, despite its occasional outbursts against Spain, still fascinates the Old.

martes, agosto 07, 2007

La caraqueña del maní, José Luis Muñoz

Premio de Novela Camilo José Cela-Ciudad de Palma 2006. Algaida, Sevilla, 2007. 200 pp. 18 €

Gregorio León

Que José Luis Muñoz nos ofrezca una novela excepcional no debe constituir una sorpresa, a estas alturas. Hay autores que suponen una apuesta segura. Y especialmente cuando transitan territorios que sienten como suyos. Es lo que le pasa a José Luis Muñoz con el género negro.
Pero La caraqueña del maní (título muy bello, para empezar) es más que una novela negra. O no sólo eso. Es un homenaje a la capital de Venezuela, presentada con todas sus contradicciones y contrastes. Una ciudad que, al menor descuido, pasa a ser selva y culebra. La urbe endemoniada se convierte unos metros más allá en la selva agreste que describió sin ahorrar ni un detalle ni un adjetivo Alejo Carpentier en Los pasos perdidos. Aquí también hay exuberancia, que alcanza a las mujeres que rozan la vida de Macario, el personaje que nos mueve por La caraqueña del Maní. El ex dirigente de la banda terrorista ETA, aunque perseguido por el pasado, intenta correr más rápido que él,con el resultado esperable en estos casos. Y elige el trabajo como director de una editorial. Esta pirueta tan exagerada podía provocar un accidente de nefastas consecuencias en términos de credibilidad. Pero José Luis Muñoz lo evita, con oficio y con talento, hasta parecernos verosímil.
http://www.evgschool.org/Columbus's%20Sailing%20Ships.htm
http://latormentaenunvaso.blogspot.com/2007/08/la-caraquea-del-man-jos-luis-muoz.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/weekinreview/25romero.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1196031750-lsLZ0HOokmX+lyNF/cZ/og