Ema the Captive

César Aira is a brilliant writer. But Aira's works - so short, but so many - pose a problem unless you simply plump for an all-inclusive mass purchase (well, a group of friends could form a reading circle, and split the costs...) which problem being: where do I start; then - what next. Generally I'd say you can split his novel/novellas into two genres: gritty and ludic contemporary romps; and essays at more classical form. Perhaps his different ideas and differing ideas of seriousness dictate the length? I found 'Little Buddhist Monk' and 'Proof' to be disposable; 'Seamstress' and many of the magazine article length pieces in 'Musical Brain' to be generally weaker...'Ema' is a wonderful dreamlike set of tales threaded onto one protagonist, set out on the Patagonian frontier in the 18th (??) century, it's both frontier mythology and imaginative History. Very strong and atmospheric writing, with an extreme delicacy. Lives up to Bolaño's description of Aira as 'one of the (4) best writers in Spanish'.In other New Directions issues, I'd recommend 'Shantytown' - gritty noir thriller set in rain-soaked Buenos Aires; 'Ghosts' a subtly off meditation on a family living in a not quite finished apartment block; and the Linden Tree, a quirky and affectionate family history set in a provincial Argentine town.Personally, though a few (just a few...) of his pieces seem to be a triumph of style, or crowd-pleasing, or deadlines for commissions, over any necessity to write. I have given up and am slowly working through as many of his books (currently 19 books are available in English) as I can. Ema is definitely well worth the read, but pick up another book, too, in a more contemporary setting, in case you feel Aira is just another writer of seductive magical (false) histories way out on the pampas.

southern hemisphere post modernism. my overall response is meh! but there's a lot of good writing here. not my cup of tea however.