Roberto Arlt: The other side of Argentine Literature
Very little known outside his country, Roberto Arlt (1900-1942) is, however, a figure without which it would be impossible to understand the current Argentine literature. Always considered as the antipodes of Borges, Arlt's style is direct and colloquial, without aesthetics or baroque, as a reflection of the essential cruelty of contemporary human nature whose protagonists, according to the author himself, “are more like monsters splashing in the darkness than the luminous angels of ancient stories." In addition to creating exemplary journalism and a visionary theatre, Arlt stood out primarily as a transgressor of narrative forms. Nick Caistor, the English translator of his main novel The Seven Fools, and the well-known Argentine illustrator Oscar Grillo, a great connoisseur of the Arltian work, will share this roundtable discussion with Colombian critic Juan Toledo. This activity is part of the “Authors in search of a reader” series, organised by the Cervantes Institute in collaboration with El Ojo de la Cultura Hispanoamericana and ZTR Radio. In English. Nick Caistor is a translator, journalist and author of non-fiction books. He has translated some 40 books from Spanish and Portuguese. These include works by Paulo Coelho, Alan Pauls, Martin Kohan, Eduardo Mendoza, Juan Marsé and Manuel Vázquez Montalban. He has twice been awarded the Valle-Inclán prize for translation. He has recently published a study of the Cuban leader Fidel Castro, and is translating several of the new generation of Argentinian writers. As a journalist, he has presented and produced many programs on Britain’s Radio 4 and the BBC World Service, and contributes regularly to the TLS and Guardian. Oscar Grillo was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1943. Having attended Art School at the age of 16, Oscar’s passionate journey began when working in animation where his career quickly broadened into publishing cartoons in satirical magazines. Oscar Grillo has filled every moment of his life with searching and being a creator of art. Oscar’s work reflects the curiosity, draftsmanship and exploration of a master.
