Gorilla, My Love

This collection of stories are evocative of the world of the mid-twentieth century, which is when they were written, and, therefore, somewhat innocent, but also sometimes sassy. Most are written in the first person with authentic voices, especially those of the adolescent girls growing up and trying to make sense in their world. Beautifully written, and sometimes in dialect, with vivid descriptions, apt wisdom (" . . . gonna speak on your life and drop the truth in your lap"), and with great effort to set the frame of mind of the narrator, as in the long "train of thought" at the start of The Basement. In addition to that story, I especially liked Mississippi Ham Rider, The Lesson, The Johnson Girls, and, of course, Gorilla, My Love.

My friend who recommended this collection of short stories to me described it as "unapologetic." I can't think of a more fitting word. Some of the stories were difficult to follow perhaps because I am unaccustomed with the language style, however overall I found the unapologetic tone incredibly inspiring. "Raymond's Run" was my favorite and one of the best things I have read in a while. I recommend this book.

Tales of black people, I mention this because it does not transcend into people, instead focusing on this POV.

La propia Bambara dejó escrito, con esa ironía suya, por qué prefería la ficción a la autobiografía: «Escribir ficción autobiográfica no es bueno para nada, porque en cuanto el libro sale a la venta aparece tu madre gritando: ‘¡Cómo has podido!’ […] Así que yo me dedico a la ficción pura y dura, porque valoro a mi familia y a mis amigos. Y sobre todo porque, de todas formas, miento mucho.» Esa declaración de principios condensa perfectamente su universo literario: la vida cotidiana de las comunidades negras de Harlem y el sur de Estados Unidos narrada con una voz que mezcla humor, rabia y una agudeza moral que no tiene nada de ingenua.

Los quince relatos que componen el volumen fueron escritos entre 1959 y 1971, en show more un período en que Bambara compaginaba la escritura con el activismo en el Movimiento por los Derechos Civiles y el Black Power, la docencia en el City College de Nueva York y la organización comunitaria en Harlem. Bambara nunca concibió la escritura como un ejercicio estético separado de la realidad material de las comunidades negras. Para ella, escribir era también una forma de organizarse. show less