El principio del placer

In this collection of six short stories, José Emilio Pacheco introduces characters that range from adolescence to old age and face discontent or the unknown, or the discontent of the unknown, using an effortless and ingenious language with a touch of humor which the author is known for.
In “El principio del placer” Jorge writes in his diary about his first encounters with life’s deceptions (in love and other matters); “La zarpa” exposes the confession of a woman who has envied her best friend since they first met; “La fiesta brava” evokes the impostor syndrome experienced by a writer; in “Langerhaus” an unreliable narrator (or not) tells us about an old schoolmate; in “Tenga para que se entretenga” a crime takes place that may or may not have a supernatural explanation; and in “Cuando salí de La Habana, válgame Dios” a man finds himself on a boat trip with an unexpected destination.

Moreover, we can spot in these stories the problems that have afflicted Mexico throughout its history (and still do) such as corruption and violence, and the exasperation that comes from looking at them squarely in the face without being able to do anything about it, as well as our predilection for fake courtesies and our inclination to envy.

José Emilio Pacheco, who died in 2014, is considered one of the greatest Mexican writers. He wrote a bit of everything: novels, articles, essays, translations, movie scripts, but it is perhaps in poetry where his work shined the most. In “El principio del placer” he proves that he was also an excellent short story writer, with the skill to depict in just a few pages the anguish that is life: “I don’t understand why life is the way it is. But then again, I can’t imagine how it could be any different.”