Summary of book: An Old Man Who Read Love Stories by Luis Sepulveda

SUMMARY OF CHAPTERS
FIRST CHAPTER:
In this chapter, the few inhabitants of the idyll and a handful of travelers coming from the neighborhood gathered at the dock, waiting to be served by the dentist Rubicundo Loachamín that soothed the pain of patients with a rare oral anesthesia.
Patients, clutching the sides of the chair, responded by opening her grief over her eyes and sweating profusely, some wanted to withdraw from their mouths impertinent hands of the dentist.
Meanwhile in the distance I could see the small crew of Sucre, who brought with bunches of green bananas and coffee beans. This would reach the Idyll, the dentist just finished its work, this then sail Nangaritza the river to where it empties into the Zamora and four days after arriving at the port of El Dorado.
The doctor visited the Idyll Loachamín twice a year, like the postman, who rarely had a resident correspondence.
The only happy in the vicinity of the consultation were the Jivaro Indians who were rejected by their own people. There was a big difference between a proud Shuar who knew well the Amazon, and a Jibaro, like those in The Idyll dentist's waiting for attention.
After attending the last patient, the dentist was very relieved and walked to the dock where he would find his old friend José Bolívar Proaño. In that two canoes were approaching, and one of them looked out the head of a blond man, who is know in the next chapters.
CHAPTER TWO:
This chapter appears in action the Mayor, who was the highest authority and representative of a power too distant to cause fear, was an obese individual who was sweating incessantly. They said the villagers that he began his sweatshirt just arrived at Idyll, earning the nickname of the slug.
Because of the embezzlement was sent to the lost corner of the east as a sanction. Only sweating, and his occupation was given another beer to people. The mayor did not drink hot water as the other villagers. The Indian lived with a wildly beating the accusing her of having bewitched, and everyone expected that she killed him.
The mayor came to town with the hobby of collecting taxes for mysterious reasons. The previous mayor was a man much loved by the people, as their motto was "live and let live". He died after having an altercation with some gold miners, and was found two days later with a fractured skull with machetes and devoured by ants.
When the mayor arrived at the dock, he ordered up the corpse. He was a young man, blond and strong frame. The Mayor blamed the Shuar of killing the former mayor, who pulled out a revolver and pointed to the Indians.
Then he heard a voice that said it was a machete wound was this voice of Antonio José Bolívar, the old man approached the corpse and said it was a rustle of wild cat, an adult animal was killed. Smell the female killed since then urinated to mark it.
The mayor looked strangely at the Shuar, the old man to the locals, the dentist, and did not know how to explain what happened. The Indians saw the skins just jumped into their canoes and left in their village to warn of the dangerous female, who seek blood in the villages. This alerted a lot to the villagers, who were on guard.
Later a man who carried the coffin was on the boards of the dock. At that point the box went on board and the mayor watched the maneuver. The bell announcing the departure of the sucre, which forced them to leave.
The old man stood in the dock until the boat disappeared swallowed by a bend in the river, removed his false teeth and went to his hut.
> THIRD CHAPTER:
Antonio José Bolívar Proaño could read but not write. At most, he could scrawl his name. When should sign read slowly, clasping syllables, whispering softly as if the palate.
He lived in a hut about ten square meters in ordering the limited real estate.
Dolores met incarnation of the Holy Sacrament of Otavalo Estupiñán child in San Luis, a mountain village adjacent to the volcano Imbabura. She was thirteen when engaged. The marriage of children lived the first three years of house couple in the woman's father, a widower, very old, who committed
test for them in exchange for care and prayers.
The death of the old, inherited a few meters of land, insufficient to sustain a family. The cultivated man and worked in family owned land from other owners.
The woman is not pregnant. Antonio José Bolívar Proaño trying to console and a shaman healer traveled from trying all sorts of herbs. It was thus decided to leave the mountains and just before the festivities of San Luis gathered the few belongings, locked the house and set off. Reaching the river port of El Dorado It took two weeks.
After another week of travel, this time in a canoe, landed in a corner of the River. The only building was a huge corrugated shack that served as office, storage of seeds and tools, and housing for the newcomers settlers. That was the Idyll.
The couple took on the task of building a hut precariously. Working from dawn to dusk uprooted a tree, a vine, then they ended the provisions and did not know what to do. Isolated by the rains, for those unfamiliar winds began to die the first settlers.
They felt lost in a fruitless struggle with the rain that threatened to bring the hut. The Shuar, pitied, approached them a hand. After the rainy season, the Shuar desbrochar helped them mount slope, warning that all was in vain. On reaching the next rainy season, fields worked so hard slid downhill with the first shower.
Incarnation of the Blessed Sacrament Dolores Estupiñán Otavalo not resist the second year and was in means of high fever, worn to the bone by malaria. Antonio José Bolívar Proaño knew he could not return to the highland village.
Shuar language learned by participating with them in the hunt, he also learned to make use of the gun, quietly and efficiently in hunting, and spear against the flying fish.
After five years of being there knew he would never leave that place. One morning, Antonio Jose discovered that aged to miss a shot from blowguns. Also it was time to leave, decided to settle in The Idyll and live by hunting.
One day, delivered to the construction of a canoe-resistant, short, heard the explosion from a branch of the river, went to the scene of the blast and met a group Shuar crying. He indicated the mass of dead fish on the surface and the
group of strangers from the beach pointed them with firearms. Whites, nervous about the arrival of more Shuar, reaching two Indians fired and fled in their boat. He knew that whites were lost. The Shuar took a shortcut, waited in the narrow passage and from there were easy prey for poison darts. One had died with his head shattered by the shotgun at close range, and one agonized with the chest open. Nushino was his godfather.
The Shuar pushed the canoe and then erased their footprints on the beach.
> CHAPTER FOUR:
Here it is said that after five days at sea, arrived in The Idyll. The place was changed. Two dozen homes were ordered to form a riverfront street.
There was also a plank pier Antonio José Bolívar Proaño avoided, and sailed a few yards downstream until exhaustion pointed to a spot where the hut stood.
Both the settlers and gold miners committed all kinds of stupid mistakes in the jungle. They arrived in groups wearing noisy enough weapons to equip a battalion. Antonio José Bolívar Proaño dealt to keep them off, in
both smashed the jungle settlers built the masterpiece of civilized man. The desert, kept all the time for himself, and discovered that he could read while you might be the teeth. Many times he witnessed the slaughter of doctor
Rubicundo Loachamín in their semiannual trips.
One day, along with crates of beer and bottles of gas, the sucre landed a boring clergyman, with a mission to baptize children and end the concubinage. Three days was the monk in The Idyll, without finding anyone willing to take him to the villages of settlers, sat on the dock waiting for the ship as
out of there. To pass the hours of heatwave took an old book from their property and tried to read until the will of drowsiness was greater than his.
The book in the hands of the priest had an effect of bait in the eyes of Antonio José Bolívar. It was a biography of St. Francis who reviewed sneak, feeling that doing so committed a despicable scam.
The call of the sucre announced upon sailing and did not dare to ask the priest to leave him the book. What I left him, in return, were more eager to read. He spent the rainy season brooding over his misfortune reader useless, for the first time she felt terribly alone.
When the rains subsided and the forest was filled with new animals, and left the hut, armed with the shotgun, went into the bush. He spent two weeks in the territories of animals valued by white men. It had the trappings, and before leaving the region of the monkeys searched for a tall papaya tree, one of the rightly called papaya the monkey, so high that only they managed to reach the fruits delightfully sunny and very sweet. The next day found its success with the traps.
With the loot back to back to the idyll, and waited for the crew of Sucre finished with the tasks of load to approach the boss. During the trip he chatted with Dr. Rubicundo Loachamín and put up with the reasons.
El Dorado was not, in any case, a large city. For Antonio José Bolívar, after forty years without leaving the jungle, was returning to the big world that once knew.


CHAPTER FIVE:
With the first shadows of evening broke the flood, and within minutes it was impossible to see beyond the outstretched arm. Antonio José Bolívar Proaño slept little. At most, five hours a night and two at nap time.
In the rainy season continues with the nights down to the river plunge, move rocks, dig into the muddy bottom, and was about a dozen fat shrimp for breakfast. He did that morning. He undressed, he tied a rope around his waist whose other end was firmly tied to a pile.
He left with a handful of bugs moving frantically, and pressed to leave the water when he heard the screams. Sharpened the eye trying to find the boat, but the rain could not see anything. The water table fell relentlessly drilling the river's surface. Listen to the cries were repeated, and saw a certain
> figures running toward the pier.
The men stepped aside at the sight of the mayor. The fat man came shirtless, covered under a large black umbrella, poured water all over the body. The canoe tied to a pillar was semi-submerged floating be nothing more than wood. On board was rocking the body of a man with his throat torn shattered and arms.
The mayor ordered the body to rise, and to have it on the boards of the pier was recognized by mouth. Salinas Napoleon was a gold digger who had attended the evening before the dentist. Salinas was one of the few individuals that are not rotten teeth pulled, and preference for patches with gold pieces.
The mayor ordered one of the meeting that he held the umbrella for a free hand and handed the gold nuggets among those present. After regaining his umbrella, pushed the dead with one foot until it fell into the water.
CHAPTER SIX:
After eating the tasty shrimp, neatly cleaned his old dental plaque and kept wrapped in a handkerchief. Cleared the table, threw the leftovers out of the window, opened a bottle of Frontera and decided on some of the novels.
He wrapped both nap in the afternoon and lay on the hammock smiling face at the thought of people who opened the doors of their homes and fell into a river barely gave the first step. In the afternoon, after becoming a new belly
shrimp, prepared to go on reading, and was going to do when a screaming distracted him forcing him to put the shower head.
For the path ran a mule braying wildly between harrowing and launching coses those trying to stop it. After a great effort, the men managed to encircle the elusive animal. Some fell to rise covered with mud,
until finally managed to take the animal.
The mayor, this time without an umbrella, he ordered the tomb and sent him the shot, the animal threw a pair of kicks in the air and froze.
The mayor ordered to prepare to leave early the next morning to the post of Miranda, and charged two men who fished the animal. The meat logs were carried to the porch of the mayor and the fat distributed among those present, the fat man asked Antonio José Bolívar what part did he want? He said that only a piece of liver, knowing that the kindness of fat him into the game.
With the hot piece of liver returned to the hut. While frying the liver throwing bits of rosemary cursed the incident that took him out of his tranquility.
Muttering, got false teeth and chewed the dried pieces of liver. Often heard to say that with age comes wisdom. For several years since the morning when the pier opened The Idyll never seen a boat, a motorboat that eight people could travel.
On the groundbreaking American novel vessel arrived with cameras and artifacts of unknown uses.
The fat stank of drink and kept him your friend and collaborator, while photographing the gringos, and not only them, all that was put in front of the cameras.
Without asking permission entered the hut, and one of them, then laughing at piece rates, insisted on buying the picture showing him with his wife.
The intruders understand Castilian, and did not require that the fat we detail the intentions of the old. Friendly, asked precisely, he argued that memories were sacred in that land.
As the portrait was hung in the usual place, the old triggered the hammers of the gun, and left.
The fat, seeing the old man's burning eyes, chose to trot away quickly and reached the group of Americans.
The slimy old approached him asking him to accompany the Americans into the woods. Something told me that he came to talk about his name, brother. I'm here to tell you be careful. The slug caught him bad. In front of me asked the gringo that when they return to El Dorado to talk to the commissioner that this will send a
rural couple. Think vote him home, brother.
The balm for insomnia came later when one morning they saw the boat flat. It was not an elegant arrival which they did. Crashed into the pilings of the pier and not bothered to lift the load. Americans came and just stepped on land left to the mayor.
The Yankees wanted to get well inside and photograph the Shuar. The farmer followed them safely to where the Shuar inhabit, say the monkeys killed at settler and one of them.
Return to The Idyll, delivered the remains and the mayor I leave in peace, that peace which should take care that it depended on the riverfront pleasant moments, standing record the high table, quietly reading romance novels.
And that peace was again threatened by the mayor to force him to participate in the expedition, and by a sharp claws hidden somewhere in the thicket.
CHAPTER SEVEN:
The group of men met the mayor ordered his wife to serve coffee and green bananas fried plantains, he handed out cartridges, bundles of cigarettes, matches and a bottle of Frontera per head. Antonio José Bolívar Proaño knew had breakfasted early and disadvantages of hunting with a full stomach.
They left the last house on The Idyll and into the forest except the mayor, were all barefoot, straw hats lined with plastic bags protected their cigars in rubberized canvas bags, ammunition and matches. They walked slowly because of the quagmire, to advance best divided in the middle was the mayor,
Antonio Jose was behind the mayor, ride the big swells ordered the men to say I give the orders here said simulated fat men loading their guns, the march was interrupted repeatedly because of the stupidity and obstinacy of fat in it Gordo says we can not continue, the old man said you
stay and the old man disappeared swallowed by darkness. He returned to the group guided by the smell coming from snuff and men reported having found a place to stay overnight, the fat says I do not like this, see the old man replied, excellence, we are in a safe place we do not We can see the
beast and she can not see us. Remain calm and try to sleep.
Antonio José Bolívar was on duty attentive to the sounds of the jungle recalled the first time I saw a real river fish when still an apprentice in the jungle, as luck would see a Shuar time and launched a cry of warning is not the mess is not dangerous, he replies "piranhas? Worse than the piranhas what is it? A catfish macaw, an enormous fish, reaching two meters long and seventy kilos of weight, it was relieved and tells her walk, lie on my bed the answers do not prefer to sleep when I'm tired clarify, in that a new noise coming from the thickness of
put on alert and responds heard say nothing, says what is it? No, wake up to the other without making any noise, was mayor, there is something there is not answered.
They walked to a clearing in the jungle, wondering what happened? What was that? "Asked the fat shit! Does not it smell? I know it's shit, are we under a bunch of monkeys?, Mayor imitated the rest of the group taking off their smelly droppings, walked three hours long to the east, in that the mayor calls out to
In the afternoon saw the faded sign Alkasetzer, identifying the position of Miranda. The settler was found a few meters from the entrance, clawing back split open and spread to the waist and neck to see the cervical left open, the dead man was still clutching his machete, the mayor looked
the corpse and said I do not understand why there were not listening to the tigrilla? There hangs the shotgun. Why did not use it?, Was not a bad guy, did he have relatives? asked the mayor, I fail with his brother but he died of malaria several years ago. I suppose some gains since left him, no. He was playing cards in the old saying that I go out there another body, they found the second body, bore the marks of claws on the shoulders and throat open with a machete buried him. I understand "the old man.
The dead man was Plascencia Punan, a guy who did not show himself much. I recall having heard of Colombia and the green stones like a hand in hand. The beast is noted that Miranda struck from the front and apparently did not bother to get out very far as we have seen.
CHAPTER EIGHT:
Then they wrapped the dead in the hammock of Miranda, face to face, to avoid entering eternity as strangers. They dragged the package to a nearby bog, picked him up and threw him among the reeds and swamp pink. They returned to the post and ordered the guards fat. Two men remain awake, to be relieved by four hours on the other. Before bedtime cooked rice with banana slices, and after dinner Antonio José Bolívar cleaned his dentures. His companions saw him hesitate for a moment.
As part of the first turn, seized the old carbide lamp. His companion looked at him puzzled vigil, travel with a magnifying glass ordered marks in the book, he asked if he really knew how to read, and I was reading a novel but asked him to keep quiet because if he talked he moved the flame.
The other moved away to not interfere. D and what is it? love, answer. The old man continued in his own without being bothered by the harsh noise. Go on, read a little higher. Really interested? he said.
Then I read you from the beginning, he said. Antonio José Bolívar returned to the first page of the book. Not so fast, buddy. There are words that do not know. What the gondolier, gondola, and that was hotly semiaclarado kissing after a couple of hours of exchange of views dotted with spicy anecdotes. The men laughed, smoked and drank. The mayor turned in his bed angry.
Just so you know Venice is a city built on a lagoon. And as we know, they asked, have you been there? asked the old man. But I am not educated. From the outside came the faint sound of a body moving with stealth. The moving body traced a semicircle around the shepherd's hut. The mayor went on all fours to the old, is the bug? yes. And we have smelled.
The fat man up suddenly. Despite the darkness, ALANCE the door and emptied his revolver, firing blindly against the thicket. The men lit the lamp, and looked at the mayor reloading the gun. Because of you I was. Already. You have heard it all. Maybe I gave him, the fat was justified.
At dawn, took to track nearby. The rain did not erase the trail of crushed plants left by the animal. They returned to the hut and drank black coffee. What I like is that the bug goes rolling to within five kilometers of the
The mayor realized that he too had been discredited in front of men. He found an outlet which sounded logical step and covered her back, make a deal, Antonio José Bolívar. You are the oldest on the mountain. We only serve you in the way, man. Rastréala and kill it. The state will pay you five thousand
sucres if you succeed.
The mayor wanted to get away from him. The old man did not care what they think mostly the fat sweaty. Nor does he care about the reward offered.
Something told him that the animal was not far, perhaps looking at the time. The gringo had murdered the young and perhaps also the male. Moreover, animal behavior allowed him to intuit that seeking death.
The beast was looking for the chance to die face to face in a game. Neither the mayor nor any of the men could understand. What do you say old? He repeated the Mayor.
As. But let me cigarettes, matches and a lot of cartridges. The mayor seemed relieved to hear the acceptance and gave the order.
The old man went over the pages from the beginning. He was upset of not getting appropriate the argument. Ha, maybe I'm afraid. Let's see, Antonio José Bolívar. What's wrong? It is not the first time you face a crazed beast. What do you impatient? Hope? Would you prefer her to appear? now broken down the door and have a rapid denouement? Do not you think that the beast, with all the intelligence he has shown, can be decided by the group of men? You can follow and
off, one by one before arriving in the Idyll. You know you can do it and you should warn them, tell them: "Do not separate a foot. Do not be conceited, Antonio José Bolívar. Remember you're not a hunter. You're not a hunter. Many times the people of El Idyll talk about you calling you the hunter, and I reply that
This is not true.
It is true that hunters are becoming less because the animals have been admitted to the east across impossible mountain ranges, view the latest anaconda lives in Brazil. But you saw and anacondas cazaste not far from here.
The reptile had caught the son of a settler while bathing. "Remember, man? By canoe you followed the trail to discover the beach where soleaba. Then left several dead otters as bait and waited. It was a good jump. The machete in the
hand. The clean cut.
The second was a tribute of gratitude to the Jivaro witch who saved your life. The reptile was the dart, rose nearly three-fourths of the body. And you are not strangers ocelots, except never gave death of a puppy or wild cat or other species. Why remember all this? Why the female fills your thoughts? Perhaps because both know they are evenly matched?. The spotted cats spotted cats do not hunt.
The Shuar are denied. Spitting many times to know that telling the truth. Your friend will tell you Nushino Jivaro only seek to kill the lazy tzanzas. And why, man? The tzanzas do nothing but sleep hanging from the trees. After drinking several cups of black coffee was delivered to the preparations. Melted candles and dipped the cartridge in the liquified fat. The rest of the melted tallow applied it especially in the forehead covering his eyebrows. This water does not encumber the hearing should address the animal in a jungle clearing.
Finally, he found the blade of the machete and took to the jungle in search of traces. It started with few hundred yards from the hut towards the east.
He discovered a lot of crushed plants. There crouched the animal before moving on to the hut. In doing so he found the animal's feet stamped, were great.
Shortly before noon the rain stopped and was alarmed. I had to keep raining, otherwise, in a dense fog prevented him from breathing and seeing beyond your nose.
Then he saw, he saw her moving south, about fifty yards away. He calculated that from head to tail measured its good two meters.
The animal disappeared behind a bush, he shows up again soon. I know that trick, if you want me here, well, I'll stay. Fortunately, the break was short and went off to rain with renewed intensity.
The female showed himself several times, always moving in a north-south trajectory. Here I am. I am Antonio José Bolívar Proaño and all I shadow is patience. Why not surround me and try to mock attacks? Why did not you get to the east, to be followed? You're cutting the road to river. That is
your plan. Want to see me flee into the jungle and follow me.
The old estimated that it had an hour of daylight, and at that time was to leave, reach the river and find a safe place. Hopefully reach the river before the female discovered his maneuver evaders.
The river was near. There was nothing to go down a slope, when the animal attacked. The female had to move with such speed that, upon discovering the escape attempt, he got to stand next to the old.
He received a push with their feet and rolled down tumbling slopes. Dazed, he knelt with his machete with both hands and waited for the final assault, the female moved her tail frantically. The old man moved slowly to retrieve the shotgun. Suddenly, he roared, sad and tired, and fell on the feet. The animal barely breathing, and dying was painful. Is that wanted? "Give him the coup de grace?" Cried the old man to the height, and the female was hidden among the plants. He approached the male
wounded and patted her head.
He loaded the weapon and walked casually up to the desired bank, when he saw the female down to find the male dead. Upon arrival at the vacated spot of gold diggers. He took a quick look and found a canoe on the beach. He also found a bag with dry banana slices and slipped under the belly of the canoe. We were lucky, Antonio José Bolívar. He ordered the gun and the machete by his side. Accommodated, ate a few handfuls of bananas, was very tired and soon fell asleep. We undertook a curious dream. He saw himself with the body.
In front of him. Something was moving in the air. Cazal, the witch ordered him Shuar, massaging her terrified body with handfuls of cold ash. She held her breath to see that happening. No. It stayed in the world of dreams. The female
was actually up, walking, the animal was using the grip nara subject. What new trick was that? Maybe it was true what they said the Shuar? "the ocelot captures the smell of death emanating from many men without knowing it."
The old man understood that the animal was mad. I peed. Marked it as his prey, considering it dead. The female decided to go into hiding because he did not respond to the challenge. Dragging ei body back, back to the other end of the canoe.
He raised his head with his gun stuck to his chest and fired. He saw the blood springing from the animal's foot, calculated over the opening of the legs. Then reloaded the gun and with a wave turned the boat. The animal, startled, he lay on the rocks by calculating the attack.
He heard a voice shouting unknown or in Castilian, saw her running down the beach, ignoring the leg wound. The old man knelt down, and the animal, showing jump claws and fangs.
Antonio José Bolívar Proaño, approached the dead animal. It was bigger than I had thought at first view.
The old man stroked, ignoring the pain from his injured foot, and cried shame. He pushed the animal's body to the riverbank and the water carried him into the jungle.
Then angrily threw his gun and saw it sink without glory. Antonio José Bolívar Proaño dentures removed, kept it wrapped in a handkerchief and, while cursing the gringo inaugurated a machete cut a thick branch, and leaning on
she walked towards The Idyll of his hut? and of his novels that spoke of love with beautiful words that sometimes made him forget the human barbarism.