2666: Analysis of Major Characters
"2666" is a novel by Roberto Bolaño that intricately weaves together the lives of various characters, each deeply affected by the narrative's dark themes and settings. One of the central figures is Benno von Archimboldi, a reclusive German author whose tumultuous past from his troubled youth through World War II shapes his enigmatic persona and literary success. Klaus Haas, a violent and troubled man, becomes embroiled in a series of crimes, making him a suspect in the ongoing murders in Santa Teresa, Mexico. Oscar Amalfitano, a Chilean professor, grapples with the fear of losing his daughter, Rosa, to the violence surrounding them.
Rosa, a beautiful young woman, navigates the dangers of Santa Teresa’s nightlife, while Quincy Williams, an African American journalist, arrives to cover a boxing match but becomes entwined in the local murder investigations. The literary circle is represented by characters like Jean-Claude Pelletier and Manuel Espinoza, both devoted to finding Archimboldi, while Liz Norton adds complexity with her emotional ties to both men. Amid this backdrop, characters like Juan de Dios Martínez, a police inspector, and Azucena Esquivel Plata, a congresswoman, illustrate the struggle against systemic violence and corruption. Each character's journey intersects with the grim realities of life, prompting reflections on identity, morality, and the search for meaning in a fractured world.
2666: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Roberto Bolaño Ávalos
First published: 2004 (English translation, 2008)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Europe; the United States; and Santa Teresa, Mexico
Plot: Mystery and detective
Time: 1920–2001
Benno von Archimboldi, a famous and reclusive German writer. Born in Prussia in 1920 as Hans Reiter, Archimboldi is incredibly tall even at a young age, a fact that has significant influence over the course of his life. While young, he is obsessed with swimming and seaweed, almost drowning several times. Despite his intimidating intelligence and interest in reading, he performs poorly in school, dropping out at an early age to explore Berlin. When World War II begins, Archimboldi is sent to battle, surviving the war even though his height makes him a target. Although he is disturbed by the violence of the Nazis, he proves willing to commit violence if needed, murdering a Nazi administrator in a prison camp and escaping to start a new life. His writing slowly earns a mass following, literature being the only thing he seems to truly care about, although he adopts a pen name to hide his identity. He reconnects with his younger sister, Lotte, late in life, agreeing to help her child who is in imprisoned in Mexico.
Klaus Haas, a German-born American man who often gets into trouble with the law, leading him to take on several new identities and prompting him to move often. He is very tall and his hair is so yellow that it appears he has dyed it. He is particularly violent and crude toward women, having been charged with sexual assault on more than one occasion, although he also exhibits brutality toward men as well. Haas relocates to the United States in 1980 and then to Mexico in 1990, where he opens a computer store. Following the murder of one of his employees, another employee testifies to having seen Haas repeatedly strike the victim before her disappearance. In part because of his constant dealings with criminals and his violent past, Haas becomes a principal suspect in the hundreds of unsolved murder and rape cases in Santa Teresa. He remains a suspect even as the murders continue while he is in jail.
Oscar Amalfitano, a moderately successful Chilean professor who relocates from Barcelona to Santa Teresa, Mexico, after his mentally ill wife leaves him and their daughter, Rosa. He raises his daughter alone, and he greatly fears that she will fall victim to the serial murders in Santa Teresa. His despair and worry constantly grow, and Amalfitano feels powerless and increasingly unstable.
Rosa Amalfitano, a young woman who becomes wrapped up in the nightlife of Santa Teresa. She is raised by her father, a discontented professor, after her mother abandoned the family while she was young. She is beautiful, and when she moves to Santa Teresa, her good looks attract unwanted attention from men. Although she considers herself strong and independent, the men in her life often try to protect her from the violence of the city. After she becomes involved with a dangerous group of friends in Santa Teresa, her father asks Oscar Fate (Quincy Williams) to accompany her to the United States so that she can return to Spain.
Quincy Williams, also known as Oscar Fate, an African American journalist who travels to Santa Teresa to cover a boxing match for a magazine. Williams is drawn to the city because he feels more power there than he experiences at home in Harlem. After learning about the murders in Santa Teresa, he begins investigating the story with Mexican journalist Guadalupe Roncal, ultimately interviewing Klaus Haas in prison. He falls for Rosa Amalfitano, further confusing his romantic interests with his journalistic interests.
Jean-Claude Pelletier, a French literary critic obsessed with the works of Benno von Archimboldi. His dedication to literature helps him rise from a poor student to a successful academic. It also leads to him some of the most important romantic and emotional connections of his life. He can quickly fall into deep and depressing thought. When he learns that Archimboldi may be living in Santa Teresa, he travels with two other literary critics to Mexico in an attempt to find the elusive author.
Manuel Espinoza, a Spanish literary critic and devotee of Archimboldi. He is easily upset by the criticisms of others, and his early failures at writing fiction leave him depressed. He nevertheless works tirelessly and finds some academic success, including a comfortable job and a group of likeminded colleagues. He travels with Pelletier and Norton to Santa Teresa in the hopes of meeting Archimboldi.
Liz Norton, a British literary scholar who writes criticism about Archimboldi. She is quick to show her emotions and to pull other people into her moods. While she is bright and successful, she does not have a strong will and works less than most of her colleagues. She travels with Espinoza and Pelletier to Santa Teresa to find Archimboldi, and she becomes romantically involved with both Pelletier and Espinoza.
Juan de Dios Martínez, an inspector with the Santa Teresa city police. He is more reliable and honest than many of his fellow police officers, but his investigations into the murders are hampered by the systemic corruption and ineptitude of the police force. While he is good at his job, he often gets moved quickly from crime to crime and is unable to thoroughly investigate each case. He is in love with an older woman who does not love him back.
Azucena Esquivel Plata, a successful Mexican congresswoman. Known for being firm and influential, she comes to Santa Teresa to search for a lost childhood friend, whom she believes may have fallen victim to the violent murders plaguing the city. Because of the choices she has made to succeed in life, she has little connection to her past.
Lotte Reiter, a hardworking German woman who marries into the middle class. She loves her family and supports them even though they often let her down. When she discovers her son is serving time in a Mexican jail, she does everything she can to help him, ultimately asking her brother to travel to Santa Teresa to find her son.
Kelly Rivera Parker, the childhood friend of Azucena. She is strong-willed but also prissy at times and lives beyond her means. When she moves to Santa Teresa, she gets a job helping to organize parties and orgies for drug dealers. While hosting one of these parties, Parker disappears.
Sergio González Rodríguez, an arts reporter who stops writing about art in Mexico City in order to investigate the murders in Santa Teresa. He assists Azucena in her quest to find Kelly Rivera Parker.