Distant Star
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ScribdTranslationsDistant Star, Roberto Bolaño
Roberto Bolaño published the novel Distant Star in 1996. In it, he uses the resource of the
narrator character to talk about who the protagonist truly is: Alberto Ruiz-
Tagle. The story revolves around him and the events that occurred from the encounter with him.
and with the narrator and his friends during their university days in 1971-1972.
In a circle that is purely intellectual, since they all study at the faculty.
of Letters, Ruiz-Tagle becomes part of his literary workshop. Despite the fact that from the beginning
it seems to the narrator and his friends a strange and mysterious type, his eloquence and apparent
charisma helps him gain ground in his environment. Among the characters that make up this
intellectual circle includes: Alberto Ruiz-Tagle, Arturo Belano (the narrator), Juan Stein
(poetry workshop teacher), Diego Soto (another teacher), the Garmendia sisters, the
"Gorda" and Bibiano O'Ryan.
Soon, the coup d'état in Chile (1973) erupts and the dictatorship of
Pinochet. Thus, Ruiz-Tagle is discovered with his true identity: Carlos Wieder, a
Air Force pilot. His twisted intellectual vein emerges when, while performing his
paper, dedicates himself to writing poetry while flying, and is associated with the murders of women
intellectuals.
At the same time, the narrator recalls the life of his intellectual companions and their
influences and knowledge in the environment. The most important events are: the trip of
Diego to Paris and his assassination, the ignorance about the whereabouts of Juan Stein, the attempt
the suicide of Lorenzo, the expulsion of Carlos from the university, the disappearance of others
companions and the death of the sisters.
Meanwhile, Carlos Weider confirms himself as a murderer of women and carries out a
photo exhibition about all those whom he had murdered. It is done after a
name thanks to collaborations in literary magazines. Nevertheless, his military career
finish and flee, presumably, to Valparaíso. Meanwhile, new crimes come out to
to shine: tortures and disappearances of more students during the Coup d'État.
Then 20 years go by (the case has been forgotten), but it appears in history
Detective Abel Romero, who begins a search process for Weider and requests the
help from Belano, to whom he provides new information: Weider has also been a photographer of
pornographic films and has killed six people from the company. Both are giving themselves to the
task of identifying in magazines texts belonging to Weider, at first, without success; without
embargo, having had the experience of knowing your writing through the workshops
literary works in which they participated together, finally Arturo finds him. Then, both,
detective and narrator, go to where he is.
Some aspects to highlight are the following:
First-person narrative: considering this, it is important
"distrust" what is told. Finally, the narrator was a rival of
Carlos Weider and the events ―misrepresented or not― have happened
a long time ago. Similarly, the reconstruction of the events (in
(occasions) works according to what others tell him through letters or
according to what he must have assumed happened. Making use of flash-backs
and analepsis, we do not know if what is said is actually true.
References: when the tension of the narration decreases, the narrator - if not the
author - takes the opportunity to showcase the literary baggage he possesses.
Final open: like many of the strongest events of the
history, the ending is not explicit. It is understood that in the end Carlos has
dead; however, it is not said as such.
Psychology of the protagonist: his ideology is not entirely clear. The reason
for which he does the things he does, is ambiguous; however, that adds to him
depth. His attitude is an allegory to the dictatorship that at that moment
he crossed the country (hence the importance of contextualizing it during those
years). In contrast to that, there is the way it tries to "redeem" itself to
through her proposal for a poetic revolution.