Últimos cuentos / Final Stories
Short stories and novellas , 2022
Alfaguara
A collection of the last three books of short stories by Adolfo Bioy Casares: Outrageous Tales (1986), A Russian Doll (1991) and Modest Magic (1997).
The idea of travel and displacement loom large in the various stories that comprise the three books of short stories by Bioy Casares, as well as a clear feeling of being alert, in a kind of countdown. This frontier that verges on disquiet is embodied by a persistent illness in the well-known ‘Venetian masks’, whilst in ‘Leaving’ urgency comes with the deadline to deliver a note regarding the disappearance of Correas; and in A Russian Doll, Pollo Maceira’s need to eke out his money until he finally marries Chantal, a millionairess who fell in love with him by chance, but never picks up the check.
That countdown is far from over when the waiting comes to an end. On the other hand, unexpected doors open the way to almost fantastical outcomes, that can summon fleeting apparitions that give new meanings to the whole plot, to underwater worlds, in some cases, humour, diplomatic conflicts, problems of gigantism and last but not the least something very similar to immortality.