Analysis of Luis Sepúlveda's The Old Man Who Read Love Stories

Luis Sepúlveda and the Post-Boom Narrative

This passage, belonging to Luis Sepúlveda's novel The Old Man Who Read Love Stories, is a literary text within the narrative genre. Its author, born in Chile in 1949, is a leading novelist of the post-boom era of Latin American literature, but has also cultivated other genres such as poetry and short stories (cuentos).

In this work, awarded the Tigre Juan Prize and translated into fourteen languages, Sepúlveda presents the story of Antonio José Bolívar Proaño. He is a lonely old man who, having spent many years living with the Shuar Indians (who came to consider him one of their own), knows all the secrets of the Amazon rainforest. However, his territory is now threatened by the arrival of the white man and the cruel, blind destruction that this brings.

The Symbolism of the Mayor in El Idilio

Our fragment focuses precisely on the character who symbolizes "white civilization" throughout the novel: the Mayor of El Idilio. He is completely ignorant of the manners and customs of the area and intends to exercise authority over an ungovernable territory. The characterization of the character—obese and sweaty—gives us to understand the contempt he causes among locals. However, it is a mutual contempt, felt even more strongly by the mayor, based on his consideration that the Indians are "uncivilized" beings.

Themes of Civilization and Barbarism

The conflict between civilization and barbarism, the progressive disengagement of the development of reason from nature, and the role of senses and instinct are depicted in the novel through settlers who intrude into a world they know nothing about and should not interfere with, upsetting the balance previously treasured. The inhabitants of the jungle, meanwhile, appear passive before an invincible power; in fact, it ends up killing them.

Setting and Narrative Conclusion

The development of this story takes place in El Idilio, which was a small town consisting of about twenty houses. At the end of the town stood a house with a yellow sign that said "City Hall," which was where the mayor lived. In front of the village passed a river called the Nangaritza. Another part of the history also occurred in the jungle, where many wild animals lived and held great secrets.

Final Reflections

Conclusion: In conclusion, we can say that traveling to places as dangerous as the jungle requires the company of people who have lived or currently live there, such as Antonio José Bolívar Proaño or the Shuar natives. Furthermore, reading can be a great companion for solitude, especially if it concerns a subject that one loves.