Denevi: La cola del perro

"La cola del perro" is that last of the stories in this collection, this one in the fable mode. A farmer is trying to maximize efficiency at his farm by making sure his animals are not goofing off. Since he doesn't have a good sense of how to judge their output, he decides to prohibit the dog from wagging his tail, under the theory that if the dog is wagging his tail he must not be working. The farmer goes so far as to threaten the dog with death if he will not stop wagging his tail.

The dog finds this very unnatural, but does learn that if he concentrates, grits his teeth and squeezes the right muscles, he can keep from wagging his tail. But he finds it very frustrating and stressful. As he becomes more stressed, his behavior becomes more hostile and threatening. Although the other inhabitants, including the farmer's wife, begin to think the policy has cost the dog his sanity. The farmer, though, thinks it is great, especially since a hostile dog makes for a much better guard dog.

Interesting story, which struck me either as a satire on workplaces that fixate on productivity or a commentary on communism. (They may seem like pretty divergent possibilities, but the Soviets were pretty fixated on productivity numbers in their days.)

Denevi: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

"Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" is the last of Denevi's character-based pieces, and like some of the others has an element of confrontation between a certain porteño snobbery and the wider world. Two spinster sisters spend their nights listening to records of classical music in their apartment, which is in a building which is largely empty. One day the hear that a young musician has moved into an apartment in the floor below theirs. That night they hear him playing tangos in the apartment below.

The younger sister finds his tangos moving and becomes fascinated with him. She begins to think about running into him, seeing him as a potential escape for the lonely existence she is living with her sister. Though her sister acts horrified about the sort of music he plays, she also has an interest in meeting him.

In the end, things do not work out quite as either planned in a melancholy ending.

Denevi: Viajeros

"Viajeros" is a curious little story. It's one of the metaphorical works in the collection. (The intro is right; there is a pretty clear breakdown.) It is about a couple who love to travel. They begin with road trips around Buenos Aires province, move on the bus trips around Argentina, then train trips around South American. Soon, this turns out to be insufficient, so the couple are flying to and fro. Not only are they fond of flying but also of collecting souvenirs and taking pictures, which they store with the narrator of the story. However, with so many places to travel to, they find they have no time to look at the pictures or do much with the souvenirs.

Soon, all the travel begins to take its toll. They get used to speaking in so many languages that their speech takes on a pidgin quality, incorporating words from several languages in a single sentence. And they also come to lost track of where they are. This is a fairly funny story, somewhat reminiscent of Kafka or Borges though with a slightly lighter touch.

Denevi: Las abejas de bronce

"Las abejas de bronce" is another one of Denevi's fables, and here concerns a Fox who runs a honey business. He makes pretty good money at it, but when he hears about some mechanical bees (made of bronze) he figures it's his opportunity to expand his business. The bronze bees appear to be a real wonder. They work constantly, do not get caught in spiderwebs, and are able to refine the have the honey refined by the time they get back to the hive. They have their drawbacks--the honey lacks the same flavor--but he is able to provide so much honey that he ends up cornering the market. However, soon the unintended consequences grow, and the Fox does not know how to stop it.

As it Boroboboo, the story seems to reflect a certain cautionary view of technology, especially its ability to take over swiftly. There are is also a degree of satire on the logic of modern capitalism.

Denevi: Decadencia y caída

The title translates as "Decline and Fall," and is probably the most surreal of the stories in the collection. It is told in flashback by the butler working for a wealthy family. One day, the gardener brings him a report of strange droppings, then of a strange animal that appears to be something like a rabbit or a cat. The chef sees something in the garden and tells the owner. He is told not to worry about it, so ends up quitting. Though the creatures seem harmless, they slowly end up taking over the garden.

This is one of Denevi's metaphorical works and reminds me a bit of Cortazar's "House Taken Over." Though it is established that the creatures do not attack people or animals, the sense of strangeness about them contributes to the atmosphere of the uncanny at work in the story.

Denevi: La última Navidad del primo Vegelio

The story is told in flashback by a narrator who remembers when he was a young boy and his cousin Vegelio came to his family's house for Christmas. Vegelio is something of a sad sack, showing up in crummy clothes and always bringing the same flavored almonds every Christmas, which nobody in the family cares for. The narrator, however, has a certain fondness for Vegelio. That night, as Vegelio leaves he tells the narrator a certain secret, which would devastate the narrator's family if were to be revealed. It was interesting overall, but not one of the stronger stories so far.

Denevi: Viaje a Puerto Aventura

There seems to be a bit of porteño-satire going on in this tale of an ill-fated road trip. The story begins with the narrator's wife telling the narrator how she also hates to see people driving around in cars, because she knows that they enjoy making her jealous, what with the way they flaunt their travel to some exciting/relaxing location with all their cool friends. She works herself up into a bit of a state, so the narrator agrees to take her for a drive.

He borrows a friends old Lincoln, and they dress up a bit and go for a drive. Between the narrator's struggles to deal with Buenos Aires traffic and his wife's forced attempts to look as if they're having the times of their lives, the scene quickly grows rather grotesque. It is at this point that the wife decides that it is all those people staying at home and showing off what a fun time they're having at that that really make her sick.

It's a bit broad to make for an emotionally resonant portrayal, but as a poke at the porteño obsession with being seen and envied, it works pretty well. There is also one final surprise in store for the couple, which I thought worked pretty well.