Advice from 1 disciple of Marx to 1 Heidegger fanatic

When one writer is defined by his relationship to another, judging his work independently can be difficult, and Santiago Papasquiaro is no exception. Best known as the inspiration for the irascible Ulises Lima in Roberto Bolano's famed novel The Savage Detectives, Santiago Papasquiaro is a formidable poet in his own right. His lyricism borders on the profane, with its bawdy metaphors and extensive use of vernacular imagery, often favoring an "ugly," highly visceral beauty over the prim imagery found in more formal work. The author also makes intelligent use of the numeral "1," which lends a mathematical exactness to his clipped, jagged diction. One can only regret that the original Spanish text was not included, as this slim volume might well have been better as a bilingual edition. VERDICT Translators Heinowitz and Graman afford the reader an all-too-brief glimpse into the work of a scandalously neglected figure and demonstrate, yet again, that texts written in English are only a small part of the story.-Chris Pusateri, Jefferson Cty. P.L., Lakewood, CO (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.