What we’re about
Calling all curious minds interested in exploring new perspectives and discussing literary classics or thought-provoking new ideas in non-fiction. Let's explore the thoughts of authors across time and geographical space. Books are introduced by questions just to get conversation rolling.
We'll meet during the week for dinner or on the weekend for coffee. Events will be planned in advance so that we all have time to read, and there will be polls to choose future books. Suggestions for books, restaurants, and cafes you would like to try are welcome.
Bring your appetite for reading and discussions in good company with good food, and I hope to welcome you in the coming months!
Please update your RSVP as early as possible so that someone else on the waitlist can attend.
Upcoming events
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Arguably the most influential magic realism book you've never heard of
Location not specified yetThis precursor of Latin American magic realism led Gabriel Garcia Marquez to overcome his writer's block and write One Thousand Years of Solitude. Jorge Luis Borges called it "one of the best works of Hispanic literature."
Pedro Paramo (2025, director Rodrigo Prieto) and *Pedro Paramo (*1955, author Juan Rulfo)
The premise starts out relatively simply: Juan Preciado tries to make good on his promise to his dying mother to find his father, Pedro Paramo. This leads him to the once bustling town of Comala, now a ghost town. Themes include the Mexican afterlife, hope as a motivator, and redemption for past sins. If you like Marquez and Cormac McCarthy, consider giving this novel a try.
Non-linear chronology is a main technique of the novel, which will be interesting to discuss how well it is translated to the big screen. Books and films using non-linear narration benefit from coming together with others to piece together what happens.
To find where can you watch it and with which language options:
https://www.werstreamt.es/film/details/3743980/pedro-paramo/17 attendees
Discuss Villeneuve's Arrival and Chiang "Story of Your Life"
Location not specified yetTo celebrate Valentine's Day, or rather the day after, let's talk about choosing love. Arrival and the short story "Story of Your Life" are beautiful, moving odes to not only the bittersweetness of love but also to such ideas as language shaping perception, commitment to decisions and experiences despite the known outcomes, how "others" are perceived as threats, and the possible non-sequentiality of time. We'll follow the linguist Louise Banks as she carries out her task to learn the language of the alien "Heptapods" for the US Army but discovers much more about herself and her inner strength along the way.
Please note, we'll discuss both the film and the short story.
Arrival (2016, director Denis Villeneuve) and "Story of Your Life" (2002, author Ted Chiang in his short story collection Stories of Your Life)
To find where can you watch it and with which language options:
https://www.werstreamt.es/film/details/824928/arrival/13 attendees
Past events
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