Cesar Aira

'To write you have to be young; to write well you have to be a young prodigy. By the time you get to fifty, much of that energy and precision [that makes for good writing] is gone.'

'All my life I pursued knowledge, but I pursued it outside of time, and time took its revenge by unfolding elsewhere.'

This book is not so much about a birthday but signifies (or rather 'signified' as this UK edition has been released some 20 years later and Aira is now 70 years old not 50) a point in the author's life where he takes stock of his existence. Upon realising he has incorrectly learnt the explanation for moon phases, he ruminates on other gaps in his 'knowing', his limitations, time's passing and what he has done in its stead.

Despite being only 93 pages long, it is a complex and thoughtful blend of ten mini-essays, loosely orbiting the idea of frailty and purpose especially in relation to the unnoticeable and irretrievable passing of time. I have previously only read one of Aira's novels and I think to have read a greater number would have enriched reading this. Even so, there were lots of interesting (not to mention sobering!) reflections here, reminding us that time waits for no one; cherish the fraction you have been given.
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