Literature Courses

Author: CORTASAR CHULIO

Translation: ACHILLEAS KYRIAKIDIS

"I have to tell you that I improvised these lessons shortly before you came here: I'm not systematic, I're neither critical nor theoretical, so I start looking for solutions as soon as I have a problem." This is the beginning of the first of eight classes given by Julio Cortazar in the fall of 1980 to students of the Department of South American Studies at the University of Berkeley, California. These lessons are not just lectures; they are a large, fruitful, and euphoric discussion of Cortasar not only with students (on topics such as the essential differences between short story and fiction, fantasy and realism, "shared" time and narrative time, music, humor and eroticism in literature, etc.), but also… with himself and his work.

Pages: 408