Nostromo, A Tale of the Seaboard by Joseph Conrad (44 down 56 to go)

A story of treasure, that was paid for…with the soul of a woman, and the life of a man…

This is the first time I’ve read Nostromo. It is a realist novel, third-person narrative about the scheme to save the silver treasure of the San Tome mine. It is set in a fictional South American country in the late 19th century.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This novel satisfies square G3 of 2015 Classics Bingo: Adventure Classic

Nostromo takes place in the fictitious South American country of Costaguana. The title character, Nostromo, is a nickname given to Giovanni Battista Fidanza, an Italian sailor who has settled in Sulaco and become Capataz de Cargadores or head longshoreman. It is a story of ambition, idealism, patriotism, corruption, ego, loyalty, and betrayal.

Sulaco is an Occidental Province, isolated from the rest of Costaguana by mountains and the sea. Nostromo has nearly universal respect of the citizens of Sulaco. To his superiors, he is a trusted agent of unquestioned ability and integrity. To the sailors and general population, he commands respect and admiration, and perhaps a little fear. He was…

a man for whom the value of life seems to consist in personal prestige. 

...who had lived his own life on the assumption of unbroken fidelity, rectitude, and courage! 

However, he is not among the official leaders of Sulaco. The principal character is Charles Gould or don Carlos, the Costaguana born, Englishman and owner/operator of the San Tome silver mine. That might conjure up an image of an aloof and exploitative European, stealing the riches of the land with no regard for the inhabitants, but that would be a false image. Gould is known affectionately as the King of Sulaco, (Rey de Sulaco). He is a fair to his employees, benevolent to the community, and a Costaguanero and idealist at heart. He envisions the wealth of the San Tome mine bringing stability and prosperity to Costaguana. The mine makes a major concession to the government, so it operates to the mutual benefit of all involved.

Until the revolution.

Control of the mine becomes the objective of the two ruthless brothers and leaders of a military revolution. The isolation of Sulaco, buys some time for Gould and others to plan a daring exploit to smuggle the horde of silver out, and then to enlist internal and external support in hopes of making Sulaco a separate nation, independent of the rest of Costaguana. The plot requires a man of exceptional ability and courage…namely Nostromo. He would make it...

the most famous and desperate affair of my life…

Of course, things don’t go exactly as planned.

The story starts a bit slow, though it was well worth it. Conrad creates such intriguing and believable characters I was concerned for their safety and felt a patriotic fervor for their beloved and beleaguered Sulaco. Besides Nostromo and Gould, there is Don José Avellanos a leading citizen who suffered cruelly under a previous dictator, who is now unwaveringly devoted to Gould; Avellanos' beautiful daughter Antonia and her fiancé Martin Decoud, who masterminds the plot to save the silver. Decoud has an ulterior motive: not a bad one, not an evil one, just not about the silver, or independence. Then there is the aged Dr. Monygham who also suffered under a previous regime, and now holds very little dear except doña Emilia Gould, the gracious and kind hearted wife of Charles Gould. She was my favorite character. She reminded me a bit of my wife.

And finally, the mysterious Isabels. I'll spare their role in the tale, and let you discover it yourself. It's a very enjoyable story with fascinating characters, exotic lands, intrigue and treasure. You can hardly go wrong with treasure.

In Italian, Nostromo literally means boatswain, but it may also be a corruption of nostro uomo, meaning “our man”. Both meanings fit nicely, and are most likely an intentional play on words by Conrad.

The version of Nostromo I own is illustrated by Paul Hogarth. Below is his rendering of the illustrious title character.

Excerpts:

Of course, government anywhere, is a thing of exquisite comicality to a discerning mind

In the most skeptical heart there lurks at such moments, when the chances of existence are involved, a desire to leave a correct impression of the feelings, like a light by which the action may be seen when personality is gone, gone where no light of investigation can ever reach the truth which every death takes out of the world.

The mere presence of a coward, however passive, brings an element of treachery into a dangerous situation.

To him, as to all of us, the compromises with his conscience appeared uglier than ever in the light of failure.

Narrative describing Emilia Gould: 

...she resembled a good fairy, weary with a long career of well-doing

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez (38 down 62 to go)

Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice. ~ Opening line

 

This is the first time I’ve read One Hundred Years of Solitude or Gabriel García Márquez. When I began this quest, there were eight living authors on my list. Now there are only seven. Gabriel García Márquez passed away in April 2014; may he rest in peace. The novel is of the magical realism genre set in the fictional South American country of Macondo, which is almost certainly a metaphor for Colombia. As you might guess, the novel covers 100 years in the postcolonial era, in this case from the 1820s to 1920s. It is considered a seminal work in Latin American literature. Some have said that One Hundred Years of Solitude is to Latin America, what Don Quixote is to Spain.

 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

This novel satisfies square B5 of 2015 Classics Bingo: winner of a foreign literary prize. García Márquez won the 1972 Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature.

This is a most unusual story. It covers seven generations of the Buendía family. It is fascinating, though difficult to follow at first. The generations of the Buendía family overlap and names are often repeated from generation to generation. The repeated names, are likely an intentional device of the author to highlight the fatalist theme of the book.

 

The patriarch, and founder of Macondo, José Arcadio Buendía, marries his cousin Ursula, and they have two sons: José Arcadio, and Colonel Aureliano Buendía as well as a daughter, Amaranta, who never marries or has children. Subsequent generations who bore variations of the José Arcadio name were somewhat impulsive and of great stature and strength, while Aurelianos were typically more introspective, deliberate, and a bit less physically imposing. The one anomaly in this pattern is a set of twins: José Arcadio Segundo and Aureliano Segundo. Early in life they mischievously trade places to confuse others. When they are older they exhibit characteristics of the opposite namesake, and Ursula believes they changed roles so often they confused themselves and actually assumed the wrong names. Ironically, after they die on the same day, probably the same instant, there is a mix-up at the funeral and they are buried in the other’s grave…which if Ursula was correct…actually set things right.

 

That’s just one sample of the fantastic elements of the story. Other elements were odd, but not completely implausible such as a room that was shut for years, but once opened was found without dust or cobwebs and with fresh, clean air. Other events were completely miraculous such as a young woman, of unequalled beauty, who simply floated into heaven one day while folding sheets, never to be seen again. Throughout the story characters frequently have conversations with the ghosts of deceased family members as if it is perfectly natural.

 

As you might imagine 100 years and seven generations provides the setting for numerous themes. One stood out: solitude. García Márquez uses the word “solitude” repeatedly, far too many times to be accidental. It was obviously deliberate, and although I didn’t keep track, I suspect he used it in some context to describe every major character; I know he used it for most. 

 

For example: 

Colonel Aureliano Buendía could understand only that the secret of a good old age is simply an honorable pact with solitude.

 

The Buendía family members were rather self-absorbed, not utterly unsympathetic toward others, but usually unaware that anyone else might have dreams, passions, desires, or needs.

 

And then there was Macondo, isolated from the rest of the country, physically cut off for much of the story, and figuratively distinct throughout.

 

The cycle of solitude seems to be broken near the end. One couple seems to find true love; that alone was exceptional. They also see the struggles of other family members and work to help

they lamented that it had cost them so much of their lives to find the paradise of shared solitude.

 

Happily, this exception is passed on to the next generation, but then, fatalism again intervenes.

 

Other themes include: love, war, pride, greed, lust, familial loyalty, jealousy, incest, rebellion, revolution, marital infidelity, gender roles, and children born with the tail of a pig.

 

And finally, there is a surprise dramatic ending.

 

I am ignorant of Colombian history, so where the story serves as metaphor, I’m certain I missed it. As simply a story, it was quite enjoyable. The Buendía family members were hopelessly flawed, often pitiable, sometimes lovable, seldom despicable, and highly amusing. They were each one solitary and at times, their own worst enemies. The story necessarily moves quickly, covering 100 years, and doesn’t get bogged down in details. It was in a word, interesting. If it is to be compared to Don Quixote, I liked One Hundred Years of Solitude much better. 

 

Closing line: 

…because races condemned to one hundred years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth.

 

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