Godzilla in Mexico by Roberto Bolano

Poem From the Much Heralded Chilean Poet Turned Novelist

Sep 1, 2009

Godzilla in Mexico from Roberto Bolano's poetry collection, The Romantic Dogs, foreshadows themes found in his mysterious, politically-charged novels.

Roberto Bolano spent the majority of his too short life as a poet, therefore poor and rarely published. When the poet fell in love and started a family, Bolano found himself writing fiction for a living.

Roberto Bolano's Love Letter to Poets and Poetry

Anyone who's read Roberto Bolano's The Savage Detectives or 2666, knows the late Chilean author to be amazingly skilled and immensely intelligent; those readers also know that to read a Roberto Bolano novel, is to sacrifice weeks, even months so that they may enjoy the rich, labyrinth magic that only his novels can provide.

The Savage Detectives, Roberto Bolano's most famous novel, is in many ways a love letter to poets and poetry; divulging many of the poet's trade secrets in his staccato prose; telling a panoramic story in a manner that mirrors in thousands of words, what many poets attempt to express in only a few.

Roberto Bolano not only found his fiction to be a good source of income; the poet also discovered a new found demand for his poetry, where previously there was scant.

The result was Bolano's first collection of poetry, The Romantic Dogs (translated into English by Laura Healy), a small but potent compilation of work created between 1980, when Bolano began his literary journey, and 1998, the year he published his earth-shattering first novel, The Savage Detectives.

Godzilla in Mexico tells an apocalyptic tale, as experienced by a father and son:

Some modern readers may find the poem reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy's novel The Road (or vice versa), but, uniquely crafted in Bolaño's voice and tone; and not nearly as bleak. Bolaño writes with a human touch, a child's oblivion:

After the bombs had fallen and spread poison throughout the city, the father seeks to comfort the son, knowing death is imminent:

In a brilliant turn, the poet takes the reader to an unexpected and surreal place, bordering on science fiction; as the son opens his eyes, to an uncertain and unspecified future, and asks:

The novelistic style of storytelling used in Godzilla in Mexico calls into question the theory that Roberto Bolano's novels were essentially his poetry converted into prose. But, actually, it seems very possible that Mr. Bolano had a natural inclination toward fiction writing, even when he was writing exclusively poetry.

The copyright of the article Godzilla in Mexico by Roberto Bolano in Poetry is owned by Martin G. Wood. Permission to republish Godzilla in Mexico by Roberto Bolano in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.