Stories by Sergio Ramirez

Stories by Sergio Ramirez

Nicaraguan fiction

Translator – Nick Caistor

Source – personnel copy

Sergio Ramirez trained as a lawyer ,he worked in Costa Rica in the early 1970’s for the central american university then went to West Berlin to start a writing scholarship ,he was  also was vice president of Nicaragua he has had numerous books published and was a leading figure for the sandinista  as a member   group of twelve people who support the movement in the fight to free his homeland  .

My shoulders had broadened , my waisted had slimmed down , and my legs had firmed up .Scarcely four years after that big bully had kicked sand in my eyes ,I was a different man ,Ethel one day showed me a photo of the mythological god Atlas in a magazine . “Look” she said , ” he’s just like you ” Then I knew I was on the right track and would one day fulfil my dreams .

From the story Charles atlas also dies .

Stories is a collection of eight stories ,we travel from his home to the Us and Old west Germany .We meet a young man who has fallen in love with body building via the works of Charles Atlas and then is shocked to discover how his hero has fallen ,I was reminded in this story of the film  Geordie with Bill Travers where a Scottish boy meets a body builder (Charles Atlas )he had followed only to find a broken man I wonder if this was the inspiration for this story ? as the film was from the fifties ,Next is Jakie O  about  to visit his homeland of Nicaragua and set a country club on edge but is all it seems ? an ageing baseball player  occupies another story   ,also the perfect game of baseball  is another story  ,,a family in West  Germany end up with a Latin american student as the rented Santa Claus  over their festive period !

The news that Jacqueline Kennedy was to visit Nicaragua caused a great Commotion in the smartest circles .What passes for high society felt both immensely flattered and at the same time confused ,left in the dark as to the whens ,where’s and hows ,that is , when Jacqueline (Jackie to us ) would be setting foot on our soil

Is she coming from the story to Jackie with all our heart .

As you see there is some with in these stories  ,A look into the lives of ordinary Latin Americans and there dealing with them  both at home and in the wider world  with a chunk of satire and a wry eye at people’s views of the world .He maybe isn’t so well-known these days , but Ramirez was a major voice in central and latin american literature in his day  and a large political figure as well .I have also his novel a  thousand deaths plus one has sat on my shelves for a number of years but will being get read for next years century of translation project .Have you read him ?