El examenLong undiscovered, El examen, Julio Cortazar's first novel is a major work by this important Argentinian author. In its characters, themes, and preoccupations it prefigures Cortazar's later fictions, including Blow-Up and his masterpiece Hopscotch. Written in 1950 (just before the fall of Perón's government), El examen is Cortazar's allegorical, bitter, and melancholy farewell to an Argentina from which he was about to be permanently self-exiled (Cortazar moved to Paris the following year). The setting of El examen is a surreal Buenos Aires, dark and eerie, where a strange fog has enveloped the city to everyone's bewilderment. Juan and Clara, two students at a college called "The House" (the Great Books are read aloud there by so-called Readers), meet up with their friends Andrés and Stella, as well as a journalist friend they call "the chronicler." Juan and Clara are getting ready to take their final exam, but instead of preparing, they wander the city with their friends, encounter strange happenings in the square, attend concerts, and discuss their lives in cafes. El examen is a fascinating literary experiment: with stream-of-consciousness narrative techniques, radical typographical innovations, and also shifts in rhythm and direction of its characters' thoughts and speech. |
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Abel Abelito agarró ahora aire anda apretó Bebe bedel boca bolsillo brazo Bueno café Calimano calle cara casi chico coliflor concierto creo criás decir dedos dejaba diario dijo Andrés dijo Clara dijo el cro dijo el cronista dijo el inspector dijo Salaver dijo Stella doctor Menta dormir drés Entonces escalera escribir espalda esperaba esquina estaba examen Fijáte fondo Funes gente golpe gritó gusta hablar horrible humedad idiota Joder lado Leandro Alem Lector lleno mano mañana marcopolo mesa meter miedo mingitorio mirando mundo murmuró música nadie niebla nista noche ojos oscuridad oyó palco paquete parece pasó pegado peine pensó Andrés pensó Clara perro pibe Pincho Plaza de Mayo pobre poco puerta puso puta quedó querés raro rato saber sabés saco Salaver salir semillón sentido silencio sonrió Steimberg tanguito teléfono tenés tenía veía vendedor López venía vesre viejo vigilante vuelta yaguareté