This story by Fernando Sorrentino is a perfect example of the idiom “Keeping up with the Joneses”. A man living in a multi-story apartment building has an unusual pet… a Lycosa pampeana (Wolf spider). A neighbour who sees it is so impressed that the next day he proudly shows the man his new pet… a scorpion. Competition sets in and soon the building is awash with all sorts of exotic animals. As occupants try to out-do each other with larger and larger “pets”, things get seriously out of hand. Themes include vanity, rivalry, materialism. More…
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My Friend Luke
Fernando Sorrentino’s diminutive “friend” Luke is a man of extremes. For the most part he is introverted, considerate and submissive. However, but put Luke on a bus and he becomes assertive, rude and manipulative. The catalyst for this changed behaviour is the tolerance of the other bus passengers, built up over years of coping with a crowded public transport system. The story is a metaphor for the desire of all people living subservient, unsatisfying, exploited lives to lash out and assert their individuality. Themes: lack of fulfilment, loneliness, exploitation, frustration, rebellion. More…
A Lifestyle
In this story by Fernando Sorrentino a man relates how being trapped inside his tenth-floor apartment after his key broke off in the lock changed his life. After being refused service and black-listed by the Argentine Locksmiths’ Union, he looks for help elsewhere. He phones the building janitor, his girlfriend and co-workers, and even drops pamphlets to pedestrians on the street below. No one is willing to assist. When his telephone, power and water are cut off, the innovative man develops a thriving farm in his apartment. Themes include resourcefulness, self-sufficiency, isolation, the apathy and redundancy of urban lifestyles. More…
The Return
In this story by Fernando Sorrentino a man looking out his window witnesses a neighbour accidentally cause the death of a persistent beggar trying to open his gate. Later, he sees the dead beggar “return” and take the form of a newborn baby boy. When the boy is older, he accidentally causes the death of the man who killed the beggar and suddenly disappears. The author has cleverly created the narrator’s character so that, if readers look a little harder, they might question if this is what really happened. Themes include guilt, revenge, justice/karma, unrequited love, the supernatural. More…
There’s a Man in the Habit of Hitting Me on the Head with an Umbrella
The long title of this story by Fernando Sorrentino neatly summarizes the plot. The only other thing readers need to know is that the protagonist reaches the point where he does not think he can live without the torment of the “umbrella man”. Themes of tolerance and conditioning lead to two metaphoric interpretations of the story. The first involves leaning to deal with the constant pressures and occasional absurdities of modern life. A more concerning interpretation is our growing indifference towards community and world problems as a result of being reminded about them so often. More…