2666 by Roberto Bolaño
"2666" is a posthumous novel by Chilean author Roberto Bolaño, renowned for its ambitious scope and intricate narrative structure. The work is divided into five interconnected parts, weaving together the lives of various characters against the backdrop of the fictional border town of Santa Teresa, Mexico, which mirrors the real-life city of Juárez, known for its brutal violence and unresolved murders of women. Central to the story is Benno von Archimboldi, a reclusive German novelist whose elusive presence captivates four European literary critics, leading them on a quest to find him.
As the critics delve deeper into their obsession, the narrative shifts to explore the lives of other characters, including Oscar Amalfitano, a disillusioned professor; his daughter Rosa; and Quincy Williams, an American journalist drawn to the unfolding tragedy of the murdered women. The novel's exploration of violence, identity, and the search for meaning is further complicated by the portrayal of the social and political dynamics within Santa Teresa, characterized by corruption and despair.
Bolaño's "2666" is celebrated for its profound commentary on literature, art, and the human condition, making it a significant contribution to contemporary literature that invites readers to reflect on the nature of existence and the impact of violence in society.
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Subject Terms
2666 by Roberto Bolaño
- Born: April 28, 1953
- Birthplace: Santiago, Chile
- Died: July 15, 2003
- Place of death: Barcelona, Spain
First published: 2004 (English translation, 2008)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Detective and mystery
Time of plot: 1920 to 2001
Locale: Santa Teresa, Mexico; the Sonoran Desert of Mexico; Europe; and the United States
Principal Characters
Benno von Archimboldi, pen name of Hans Reiter, a reclusive German novelist
Klaus Haas, a Mexican prisoner suspected of murdering hundreds of women
Oscar Amalfitano, a professor who moves to Santa Teresa
Rosa Amalfitano, a young woman who moves to Santa Teresa with her father
Juan de Dios Martínez, a Santa Teresa police detective
Quincy Williams, an American journalist, also called Oscar Fate
The Story
Four literary critics from Europe have all devoted their careers to the work of Benno von Archimboldi, a reclusive German novelist. The critics are Jean-Claude Pelletier of France, Manuel Espinoza of Spain, Liz Norton of the United Kingdom, and the Piero Morini of Italy. Together they champion Archimboldi so well that he is considered for a Nobel Prize in literature. They also become very close, spending much of their time together and developing sexual and romantic connections. Despite their obsession with Archimboldi, however, they are never able to track the living author down.
While at a literary conference in Toulouse, they hear that the author might be living in Santa Teresa, Mexico, and all the critics except Morini travel there with hopes of finally making personal contact. In Mexico, they are hosted by a university academic named Oscar Amalfitano. Santa Teresa, however, is a depressing and violent town, a border city in the desert that is plagued by poverty and crime, and they have no luck in their search. Dissatisfied, the group disperses, abandoning their quest.
In order to escape his unpleasant marriage and failing career, Oscar Amalfitano has recently moved to Santa Teresa, bringing his college-age daughter, Rosa, with him from their old home in Barcelona. Amalfitano is unhappy in the city, and his depression is not alleviated by the move. He also worries quite reasonably for his daughter’s future, as there has been a wave of murders and rapes targeting young women in Santa Teresa, whose bodies have been dumped and subsequently discovered in the Sonoran Desert.
Quincy Williams, also known as Oscar Fate, is a journalist in New York City who works for an African American interest magazine. When his colleague is unable to cover an important boxing match in Santa Teresa, Williams agrees to go at the last minute. While in the city, he meets a group of Mexican journalists as well as Rosa Amalfitano. The journalists tell him about the murders and the inadequate and inept police response, and Williams quickly falls in love with Rosa.
Williams asks his publication if he can remain in Santa Teresa to do a story on the murders, but his editors decline his pitch. He decides to pursue the story anyway, immersing himself in the seedy underbelly of the city and convincing a journalist named Guadalupe Roncal who has been reporting on the crimes to introduce him to Klaus Haas, a German man who is in prison as one of the main suspects in the murders. Williams then runs into Rosa in a drug house. Fearing for her safety, he takes her to her father, who pays Williams to drive Rosa to the United States. Before leaving Mexico, Williams takes Rosa with him and Roncal to meet Klaus Haas in a prison.
Among the many detectives attempting (and failing) to solve the murders is Juan de Dios Martínez. Martínez also spends a good amount of time investigating the repeated vandalism and desecration of Catholic churches in Santa Teresa. He is in love with a psychiatrist named Elvira Campos who is much older than him, but she does not return his feelings.
In prison, Klaus Haas argues for his innocence, pointing out that the murders continue even while he is locked up. He holds press conferences and claims that Daniel Uribe, the son of a wealthy and influential family, is responsible for the violence. Police corruption and ineptitude cause many investigations into the murders to be closed early.
Azucena Esquivel Plata is a congresswoman who begins to fear that her childhood friend has been murdered in the crime wave plaguing Santa Teresa. She finds a reporter named Sergio González Rodríguez (who had previously assisted Martínez) to help her track her friend down. Far from a victim, however, the friend is revealed to run a prostitution ring closely linked to the drug trade of the city, and it seems possible that she might even assist with the murders of the women.
In a flashback to a small German village in 1920, Hans Reiter is born and raised by his poor family with his beloved sister, Lotte. Reiter loves to read and, when he cannot attend school any longer, he eventually leaves his family to live in Berlin. There, he joins the German army and fights successfully in World War II, earning the respect of many while witnessing the horrible actions of the Nazis. When captured by the Americans, he murders one of the Nazis and escapes to Cologne, where he starts a new life. He then begins writing, publishing under the name Benno von Archimboldi.
Although Archimboldi has success, he is disturbed by the violence of the war and left dissatisfied, wandering around the world. His sister, Lotte, has led a more conventional life, marrying and entering the middle class. Her son is rebellious, as his uncle had been, and when he gets in enough trouble with the police he runs away to the United States and changes his name. By the time Lotte finds him many years later, he is living under the name of Klaus Haas and is imprisoned in Santa Teresa, accused of the murders of hundreds of women. She by chance reads a book by Archimboldi and, realizing it is her brother, contacts him. Archimboldi agrees to travel to Santa Teresa to try to assist his nephew.
Bibliography
Lethem, Jonathan. "The Departed." Rev. of 2666, by Roberto Bolaño. New York Times. New York Times, 12 Nov. 2008.
Rev. of 2666, by Roberto Bolaño. Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus, 20 May 2010. Web. 19 May 2014.
Smith, Roger. "2666." Magill’s Literary Annual 2009. Pasadena: Salem, 2009. 1–3. Print.
Soldán, Edmundo Paz. Rev. of 2666, by Roberto Bolaño. Americas Quarterly 2.4 (2008): 126. Print.