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As many of us are buzzing over the recent New Directions release of Nazi
wasn't quite enough. The paperback Savage Detectivesis worth a look for the
insightful and detailed introduction by translator Natasha Wimmer, which offers the
standard biography and compact criticism as well as many of the wicked barbs
Bolaño was known for. Isabelle Allende, Gabriel García Márquez, and Mario
Vargas Llosa all get a dose of Bolaño's acid tongue. Fun as this is to read (even if
you love the Boom writers as much as I do), the most compelling aspect of the
surviving and active infrarealists, Wimmer offers quotes from that infamous group
of disruptive poets the young Bolaño formed in Mexico City, and then, fictionally,
chronicled in his novel. The infrareaists' dismissal of established poets, and their
habit of shouting out their own poems during readings by more famous writers,
makes it easy to dismiss this group as a gang of literary thugs and over-zealous
youths with pens, but Wimmer's introduction allows readers to gain a sense of
In regard to Bolaño's success, the opinions of the infrarealists vary, as some recall
that Roberto used to swear he'd never abandon poetry for the novel, which he
continually called a second rate art form. Though he published many books of
poetry, it seems his fame will endure thanks to his prose. It would be interesting to
see if a book of his translated poems would net such a thorough and engaging
introductory essay. And the intro is wonderful, though the only problem with it is