Francois Monti runs a litblog in French – mainly about American literature – called Tabula Rasa. If I could read French, I would probably read the blog, but I can’t, so I’m happily making due with Francois’ contribution – in English – to our Year in Reading series:
I should first point to the fairly obvious: among the books I most liked in 2006, you will find Richard Powers’ The Echo Maker, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and Thomas Pynchon’s Against the Day. I won’t elaborate further on these books; they are already all over the literary blogs.
There has been much less discussion of Roberto Bolano Los Detectives Salvajes (The Savage Dectives), which is pretty understandable: the book was published in Spanish in 1998 and is yet to be translated into English [Max: it’s coming in April 2007]. However, this year saw the publication of the French translation, my mother tongue. Pure bliss! In turn coming-of-age story, roman noir, literary quest, this is a real tour de force, reminiscent of Julio Cortazar and Jack Kerouac while remaining deeply original. Bolano passed away in 2003. He was fifty years old, and I just can’t help thinking about what else might have been coming from him. He was undoubtedly a unique South-American writer; dare I say the best of his generation?
If we’re talking older books, I’ve read and liked many in 2006, but none as much as The Tunnel. The contrast between the odious main character and the beauty of the prose, the music of William H. Gass’ writing, make for a deeply disturbing, fascinating, and ultimately rewarding experience.
Thanks Francois!
