Decía mi abuelo que cada palabra tiene su dueño y que una palabra justa hace temblar la tierra. La palabra es un rayo, un tigre, un vendaval, decía el viejo mirándome con rabia mientras se servía alcohol de farmacia, pero ay del que usa la palabra a la ligera. ¿Sabes qué pasa con los mentirosos?, decía. Yo quería olvidarme del abuelo mirando por la ventana a los suchas que daban vueltas en el inmundo cielo del pueblo.

I usually don’t read short stories, I always tend to look for novels because I prefer long plots, deep characters and different story lines. However, while researching what to read from Bolivia, one author appeared over and over again – Liliana Colanzi. I decided to give her a try and read her recent collection of short stories; I was impressed. This book is a collection of 8 short stories, all of them with bits of magic realism and profound connections to death; all of them written in different times of the author’s life. My favorites ones where Chaco, Caníbal and El Ojo, although I would gladly reread all of them in the very near future.

For me, each story is meant to be read in one sitting. Her characters – young girls, men, older women, women living in Mars – come to life and become relatable to the readers. In Chaco, the character feels the presence of a Mataco indian’s killing spirit manifested in a rock; in Caníbal, a couple gets separated in a rainy Paris afternoon while there is a cannibal on the lose, and finally; in El Ojo, a young girl finally succumbs to carnal forces. In each story, a character misses something from another person, another era, or even another place in the universe, and Bolivia’s ethnic backgrounds are also key features of the stories. I felt as if Colanzi left part of herself in the stories, this is most evident in the one that describes the suicide wave in Ithaca, New York, where she lived while studying at Cornell.

I enjoyed (and recommend) the order in which the stories where chosen because the last two, Nuestro mundo muerto and Cuento con Pájaro are, by the far, the most dense and difficult to grasp. Still the narrative is exquisite and the characters are very well developed, it is easy to transport oneself into her surrealist world. Although I read it in Spanish, this story collection has been translated into five language, including English and French. I will certainly be following this author for future publications.

About Liliana Colanzi

Liliana Colanzi is a Bolivian author, born in Santa Cruz in 1981. She has published several short story collections and studied Comparative Literature in Cornell, where she currently teaches in the Romance Studies Department. She won the Aura Estrada (Mexico) in 2015. She is also the publisher of an independent literary press in Bolivia.

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Bolivian initiatives and projects that support and empower girls and women

Casa de la Mujer

This organization was founded in 1990, soon after the dictatorship in Bolivia ended. It was created as a safe place for women who had suffered domestic violence, violations of human rights and their bodies, and had been exposed to the consequences of a patriarcal system. In order to achieve their mission and vision, Casa de la Mujer offers legal advice, organizes women empowerment and women’s rights workshops, and  provides a safe haven for women who have suffered from domestic violence. About to celebrate its 30th anniversary, today the organizations is helping women in vulnerable positions survive the coronavirus crisis.