http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005 by the authors Sun, 25 Apr 2004 13:56:03 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/02/13/002455.php#comment-60339 You are very right about the status of Maqroll as a literary character. Though Mutis is a recognized great writer, having been awareded the most prestigious of the Spanish letters ( awards such as the Cervantes Award and the Prince of Asturias Award ) he remains somewhat unknow to mainstream readers. I must add that not only Mutis has a close literary connection with G.G Márquez ( and a personal one ) but it gets to the point that the genesis of GG. Márquez's short novel "The General in his Laberynth" is Mutis' short story titled "The last face" of which Márquez asked Mutis to allow him to develop it into a novel. But what will make Maqroll to be regarded as the mythical character you mention will be its genealogy with such characters such as Conrad's Alex Heyst of "Victory", Malraux'Gisors of "The Human Condition", Drieu de la Rochelle works, G.G. Márquez Colonel,Lowry's Consul and so many others. As Mutis said in a beautiful and profound conference titled "The Despair", it will be very interesting that someone write a "Phenomenolgy of Despair" in which not only the above mentioned characters will be included, but Maqroll will be with them in a central place. 60339@blogcritics.org Sun, 25 Apr 2004 13:56:03 EDT