Sometimes stereotypes are dangerous because they threaten to condition us. In any area of life. Cultural or not. Literary or less.
Being a great admirer of the novels of Henning Mankell, because of the humanist and almost "anti-violence" character of the commissioner Kurt Wallander (as he asks himself in his first investigation: which Swedish parents would think of calling their son Kurt?) I surprisingly came across this book written by the Swedish writer before starting the successful series dedicated to the police inspector composed of 12 books of which nine were written at the rate of one per year (from 1991 to 1999) with a mathematical precision.
For the remaining three books he took a rather longer literary leave of absence (2002, 2009 and 2013), partly because of the illness that would lead to his death, and partly because the series was beginning to come to a literary end.
Although he would go on to write other works on general themes. Many of them related to Africa, the continent where he spent a large part of his life.
Today I am going to talk to you about The dog that ran towards a star, an excellent book, with a poetic but at the same time intelligent and committed narration about a young man whose literary portrait will remain imprinted in our memory.
Joel is eleven years old, whose mother left him many years ago, when he was very young.
He lives with his father, a lumberjack, in a remote little town in the north of Sweden, but he longs for his old job as a sailor, he is still in love with the ocean and this gives him a great nostalgia that he tries to hide with alcohol.
And little by little he passes on these feelings to his son: the passion for the vast oceans and distant countries to find, hard and cold winters, all experiences that initiate him in life and strengthen him to face his own destiny.
However, Joel knows that it is all pure imagination. The reality, monotonous and routine, is another.
To complete the difficulties of a complicated coexistence, his father has a new romantic relationship.
The rebelliousness he has accumulated over the years from childhood to adolescence due to his mother's abandonment has him constantly irritated and he seeks to find a support staff in another young man like him who, in reality, instead of being a friend turns out to be a bully.
To please him and to prove his courage, he plans to climb up to a very high bridge where it is very difficult to stand upright.
If he manages to pass this test, according to his presumed friend, he will overcome all his self-esteem problems.
As he struggles within himself to confront this terrible ordeal on a freezing night, looking outside his window, Joel sees a dog that seems to be running towards a star.
And Joel will find his, slowly and patiently, as he grows older. He knows that his only answers will come in solitude, and in the only weapon he has at his disposal, his imagination.
A veces los estereotipos son peligrosos porque amenazan con condicionarnos. En cualquier ámbito de la vida. Cultural o no. Literario o menos.
Siendo un gran admirador de las novelas de Henning Mankell, por el carácter humanista y casi hasta "anti-violencia" del comisario Kurt Wallander (como el mismo se pregunta en su primera investigación: a que padres suecos se le ocurría llamar Kurt a su hijo?) me encontré sorpresivamente con este libro escrito por el escritor sueco antes de comenzar la exitosa serie dedicada al inspector de policía compuesta por 12 libros de los cuáles nueve fueron escritos a razón de uno por año (de 1991 a 1999) con una precisión matemática.
En los restantes tres libros se tomó bastante más tiempo (2002, 2009 y 2013) una licencia literaria baastante prolongada, un poco producto de la enfermedad que lo llevaría a la muerte y otro poco porque la serie comenzaba a vislumbrar un final literario.
Aunque después seguiría escribiendo otras obras de temática general. Muchas de ellas relacionadas con Africa, continente en el que pasó gran parte de su vida.
Hoy les voy a hablar de El perro que corría hacia una estrella, un excelente libro, con una naracción poética pero a la vez inteligente y comprometida sobre un joven cuyo retrato literario nos quedará impreso en la memoria.
Joel, tiene once años, cuyo madre lo abandonó hace muchos años, cuando él era muy pequeño.
Vive con su padre, leñador, en un perdido pueblito en el norte de Suecia, pero que añora su antiguo trabajo como marinero, sigue aún enamorado del océano y eso le provoca una gran nostalgia que trata de ocultar con el alcohol.
Y de a poco va transmitiendo esas sensaciones a su hijo: la pasión por los inmensos océanos y lejanos países para encontrar, duros y fríos inviernos, todas experiencias experiencias que lo inicien en la vida y lo fortalezcan para afrontar su propio destino.
Sin embargo Joel sabe que toda es imaginación pura. La realidad, monótona y rutinaria es otra.
Para completar las dificultades de una convivencia complicada su padre tiene una nueva relación sentimental.
La rebeldía que ha acumulado con el pasar de los años de la infancvia a la adolescencia por el abandono de la madre lo tiene constantemente irritado y busca encontrar un bastón de apoyo en otro joven como é que, en realidad, es vez de amigo se revela un matón.
Para complacerlo y para demostrar su coraje planea subir hasta un puente muy alto donde mantenerse en pie es muy difícil.
Si logra superar esa prueba, según su presunto amigo, logrará superar todos sus problemas de autoestima.
Mientras se debate dentro de si mismo para confrontarse con esa prueba terrible en una noche helada, mirando fuera de su ventana, Joel ve un perro que parecía correr hacia una estrella.
Y Joel encontrará la suya, lenta y pacientemente, a medida que crezca. Sabe que sus únicasrespuestas las obtendrá en la soledad, y en la única arma que posee a disposición, su imaginación.
Separators and text dividers are property of: Pixabay, @thepeakstudio and Unsplash. To all of them my sincere thanks.
Separadores y divisores de textos son propiedad de: Pixabay, @thepeakstudio y Unsplash. A todos ellos mi sincero agradecimiento.
