Ultimately, Lerner’s novel tells a rather human story about a flawed man and his relationship with his art.
These events that seem to cast long shadows in the novel he is asked about the “United States of Bush” regarding American policy on terroristic activities or reads about the recent bombings online from his apartment, a mere walk away from the Station. The book juxtaposes Adam’s struggle with the question of authenticity and his own perceived ineffectuality with important events such as the Iraq War and the 11-M commuter-train bombings that happened at Atocha Station. Our protagonist, Adam Gordon, is an academic on a most prestigious fellowship, but simultaneously struggles with the meaning of his work and the nagging suspicion that he might be a fraud. His immersion in poetry, and identity as first and foremost a poet, is apparent when you read this novel, as there is many a monologue that deals with the act of writing and the power or lack thereof of poetry: whether it has the power to change anything, or what is our relationship with art. This is Ben Lerner’s first foray into fiction his previous publications are in postmodernist poetry. It will appeal to anyone who has spent time abroad, trying to navigate a culture, language and way of life markedly different from one’s own. The novel is essentially about a young American man, living in Madrid on a fellowship, who spends his days self-medicating, partaking in drugs, as well as, the Spanish way of life, all the while trying to write a poetic masterpiece by bridging the barrier between two different languages and cultures. Leaving the Atocha Station is a perfect little book to get lost in it will in equal measures make you laugh, contemplate, and feel a bit better about yourself.
0 kommentar(er)
