#juan pablo villalobos

[various-stormsnsaints]

#61

[vilevexedvixen]

Favourite 4 books:

This isn't a book recommendation so much as a sentimental ramble.

Been doing a big clear out and really been mulling over which books actually mean anything more than a good read to me. And it's these four.

I'm a slow reader, so I barely made it through three books a year when I read literally every break in school and on the bus to / from school. But even then, I don't remember much from most books. Largely because they were just some general fantasy and generic characters with petty drama I tried but struggled to relate to. I often wonder why fantasy (with the exception of some videogames) doesn't capture me as I feel it should. Entirely a failure of whimsy on my part, but why? I can make magic sparkle brightly in my mind, but unless the idea of it sparkling is magical it might as well be a flickering image.

That doesn't make realism any more engaging than fantasy though. What I crave, it seems, is absurdity and intensity. Characters who break the mold in their absurd intents and habits rather than attempting to be relatable (making them, oddly, relatable for me). Their world shaped and warped by their perspective rather than by magic from a godly third person view. I guess a bit like the way impressionist and surreal paintings feel more vivid in the thoughts and feelings they provoke than some gorgeous landscape of the renaissance for some.

Perfume and I'll sell you a dog hit home partly because I actually related to the protagonists and their struggles. Not sure if either were autistic coded or meant to be autistic in the story, but their experiences and how they related to the world (frustration and boredom in Teo's case; and with sensory fascination but detachment from his fellow man in Grenouille's case). Their hijinks, however cruel, made a lot of sense to me which was comforting compared to the flat yet non-sensical protagonists of other novels I'd read.

Villallobos is just an amazing writer all around. 'Down the rabbit hole', detailing the raising of a cartel lord's child and his pet hippo - oblivious to the dirty dealings used to obtain it -, is another I highly recommend though it's less close to my heart than 'I'll sell you a dog' which, was my first of his.

'By light alone' is closer to normal sci-fi. Could be described as Solarpunk from an aesthetic POV and its class conscious framing. It came around at the perfect time for when I was getting into bioengineering (which plays a prominent role in the setup of the setting). Making a compelling argument that I should keep a broader perspective when trying to solve things like hunger through bioengineering. Unless you address existing economic inequalities, people will continue to go hungry or at least class divisions will continue being enforced, just through different means.

And Lastly, The Dice Man was fun. Definitely the most fun of all the novels. Is that strange to say?

The Dice Man is what happens when the conflict of Fight Club (wanting to break out of the confines of modernity and its stale, repetative monotony and how it reflects our seeming lack of free will) is answered not by inflicting mutual sadomasochism to feel alive, but by never letting anyone (not even yourself) know your next move.

Case in point:

*handstands in a dressing gown*

(Explains to confused spouse),

"I haven't thought about dinasaurs today"

[cristinaboncea]

Din foarfecă și din condei | Recenzie literară

Această carte are puțin peste 100 de pagini și ne arată granițele dintre ficțiunea bazată pe experiență și cea bazată pe imaginație, la care însuși naratorul face referire cu mai multe ocazii. Chiar recent scriam într-un articol despre semnificația auto-ficțiunii, iar Din foarfecă și din condei vine ca un exemplu perfect ce demonstrează că până la urmă contează doar sentimentul final pe care îl…

[amigosdepapel]

Título: Peluquería y letras

Autor: Juan Pablo Villalobos

Editorial: Anagrama

Un librito para leerse en una sentada. Es el relato de cómo se escribe un libro. Seguramente será interesante para los escritores, aunque, pensándolo bien, no. Mas bien debe parecerles obvio. A mi me divirtió. Además está claro que ese es el objetivo del libro, divertir, entretener. Distraer. Plasmar lo cotidiano como algo extraordinario.

[dare-g]

Books 61-70 of the year 📖!

[wornoutspines]

I Don't Expect Anyone to Believe Me | Teaser

We got a sneak peek of the upcoming #MovieAdaptation of #JuanPabloVillalobos ' #IDontExpectAnyonetoBelieveMe for #Netflix. The visuals, the cut of that clip is engaging, I can't wait for the full trailer drop. #ComingSoon #MovieTeaser

Writer: Juan Pablo Villalobos (Novel), Maria Camila Arias, Fernando Frias de la Parra Director: Fernando Frías de la Parra Stars: Darío Yazbek Bernal, Natalia Solián, Alexis Ayala, Juan Minujín, and Anna Castillo. Synopsis: Juan Pablo Villalobos travels with his girlfriend Valentina to study for a PhD in Literature in Barcelona. But before he leaves Mexico, he gets involved in a criminal…

[euinsisto]

A paranoia sempre tem uma lógica avassaladora, sem fissuras, que nega o acaso ou as coincidências e pretende revelar uma ordem oculta, a identidade de um autor da trama, suas intenções secretas, tudo falso, um erro de superinterpretação.

A invasão do povo do espírito | Juan Pablo Villalobos

[hauntedavenuetidalwave-blog]

The Other Side: Stories of Central American Teen Refugees Who Dream of Crossing the Border Written by Juan Pablo Villalobos translation by Rosalind Harvey, Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 2019

This is an important compilation of stories from unaccompanied Central American teenage refugees who risk death to cross the U.S.–Mexico border. Recounted in short vignettes readers learn about the harrowing journey and treatment meted out to young children seeking a better life for themselves and their family. Juan Pablo Villalobos’s introduction indicates that all these stories are true except…

[dominiopublco]

Ligan a ex alcalde de Teocaltiche con el crimen organizado

El gobernador de Jalisco lo señala como el generador de violencia en el municipio. Las autoridades de Jalisco informaron que puede existir un vínculo entre el ex alcalde de Teocaltiche, Juan Manuel Vallejo Pedroza, con el crimen organizado. Así lo dio a conocer el gobernador jalisciense, Pablo Lemus Navarro, después de deslindar a la actual alcaldesa de este municipio, Silvia Margarita Villalobos…

[ovdbatavia]

Books

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Down the Rabbit Hole by Juan Pablo Villalobos

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

Perjalanan Mustahil Samiam dari Lisboa by Zaky Yamani

White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Body by Stephen King

No Longer Human by Dazai Osamu

Semua Ikan di Langit by Ziggy Z.

I’m a reader in slump but if anyone needs a readding buddy, I’m here to volunteer.

[cristinaboncea]

Din foarfecă și din condei | Recenzie literară

Această carte are puțin peste 100 de pagini și ne arată granițele dintre ficțiunea bazată pe experiență și cea bazată pe imaginație, la care însuși naratorul face referire cu mai multe ocazii. Chiar recent scriam într-un articol despre semnificația auto-ficțiunii, iar Din foarfecă și din condei vine ca un exemplu perfect ce demonstrează că până la urmă contează doar sentimentul final pe care îl…

[amigosdepapel]

Título: Fiesta en la madriguera

Autor: Juan Pablo Villalobos

Editorial: Anagrama

La historia del hijo chiquito de un narcotraficante mexicano,  que vive en un palacio y al que se le cumplen todos sus caprichos. Al estar escrita por Juan Pablo Villalobos, no deja de ser cómica y surrealista.

De hecho ya la hicieron película en Netflix, aunque, como siempre pasa, es mejor el libro.

A decir verdad, la película no me gusto nada. No vale la pena verla, pero si lo hacen, que sea después de haber leído el libro.

[noticlip]

CIDH otorga medidas cautelares a Juan Pablo Guanipa, coordinador de Primero Justicia

El 7 de octubre de 2024, la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos adoptó la Resolución 71/2024 , mediante la cual otorgó medidas cautelares en beneficio de Juan Guanipa Villalobos tras considerar que sus derechos a la vida e integridad personal enfrentan un riesgo de daño irreparable en Venezuela. Según la solicitud, el beneficiario es integrante de la oposición de Venezuela y ha sido…

[raskolnikuov]

Books

I love getting lost in good books. I’m now particularly engrossed in Keajaiban Toko Kelontong Namiya by Keigo Higashino but my all-time favorites include the classic Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky and Animal Farm by George Orwell. There are also Indonesian authors’ works that hold a special place on my mind; Tiba Sebelum Berangkat by Faisal Oddang and Entrok by Okky Madasari. The darkly humorous Pesta di Sarang Kelinci (Down the Rabbit Hole) by Juan Pablo Villalobos being another gem in my shelf.

If you’re looking for a fellow bookworm to delve into the wonderful world of literature, don’t hesitate to reach me out! I’d be thrilled to connect and discuss all sorts of good reads.

[euinsisto]

A invasão do povo do espírito | Juan Pablo Villalobos

A invasão do povo do espírito vem com essa premissa que desperta curiosidade, e quando peguei para ler eu queria algo bem divertido. E eu tive um pequeno problema nessa leitura de não entender algumas coisas. Com uma narração repleta de ironias e com aspectos do cotidiano, conhecemos Gastón, um homem sozinho que vive com seu cachorro chamado Gato e quando seu amigo Max passa a ter problemas tenta…

[movienation]

Netflixable? An indulged childhood, growing up the son of a drug lord, "Down the Rabbit Hole"

“Down the Rabbit Hole” is probably the strangest feature film on Netflix at the moment, a twisted parable of an indulged, myopic childhood based on the acclaimed debut novella of Mexican author Juan Pablo Villalobos. It’s about growing up in a “palace,” the spoiled and sheltered only son of a Mexican drug lord. The novella earned comparisons to “Alice in Wonderland” and “Room,” and the…