Bolaño Non-Fiction

One of the defining qualities of Bolaño’s work, the one that maybe interests me most, is the digression. His books are full of them, and while they often lead back to the supposed topic, they usually go in more interesting places. I’ve tried to work digressions into things before, to terrible effect, and so I admire essays like this, from the forthcoming non-fiction collection, very much. This coming book is one I am eagerly anticipating. It’s been a while (relatively speaking) since I’ve been anxious for a book to be translated (not since 2666, really) and while I love the Bolaño short story collections that New Directions has put out, I find them to be a mixed bag. The novels are where it’s at, and it looks like the best of Bolaño’s fictions has now been published in English. I must then turn my attention to the essays (out this year!).