Hello, everyone! I subscribed to the community some time ago but hadn't made my proper introduction. My name is Javier Liendo, I'm 36 years old and I live in Caracas, Venezuela. I study narratives in all their forms and my relationship with books goes back to my earliest years. When I was a kid, I lived in a pretty poor area to the west of the capital, with restrictions in public services and rather far from the core of business and social life. As a family of six literally canned in a small slum hovel, we didn't enjoy financial abundance but we managed. Our true material wealth resided in our music and our little library full of encyclopedias and literary works from various authors. Thankfully, my mom had a very open view on knowledge and never limited my access to any books, so I could read whatever caught my interest. I've cultivated many genres throughout the years, but Fantasy and Mythology have remained my specialty.
I first registered my mom and sisters reading to me when I was 2 years old. My primer was The Grimms' Fairytales, a beautifully illustrated edition which my mom had bought for my eldest sister in her 15th anniversary. Mind you, this was an edition that preserved the original darkness of the folk tales compiled by the Hessian brothers, not the watered-down versions most current readers would be familiar with. My favorite story was Rapunzel, which the Spanish translation called "Nabiza" (Turnip greens, although "The Turnip" is an entirely different tale.) I'd ask for it so many times that even though I couldn't read the words or speak very well, I could (attempt to) recite many parts of the tale by heart and even turn the pages on cue. Then, when I began to read the stories myself, I became fascinated by a few others, most notably "The Godmother Death", which remains one of my top tales ever. For a long time this was the only book I regularly opened because of the wonderful artwork. Our copy saw a lot during our time in the slum, including floods, so it's literally been through hell and high water. It's really a miracle that it hasn't lost any pages, but it did lose its original covers, so my sister made new ones wrapped in semi-leather with the name sewed in green thread.
When I was about 5 years old, my mom got me another compilation of tales edited in Ecuador, some of them based on the Grimms but also many others from a broader array of sources, so it included Middle-Eastern and Eastern themes. The illustrations were also great and three or four tales were actually comics with excellent drawings; one of them was an awesome version of Aladdin based in Asia, meaning I only got to know the Arabian version with the Disney adaptation. Later she bought another book for me entirely about Latin American ghost stories, a fascinating read for a child, I guarantee you.
When I was 6, seeing that I wasn't interested in books that didn't have illustrations, but also understanding that I was delighted and inspired by the narrative arts, mom read "Momo" by German author Michael Ende out loud in the living room as I listened in mesmerized silence for two nights in a row, quite appropriate as the story is about a girl who truly knows how to listen. Upon finishing it, she asked me if I had liked it, and when I vehemently nodded, she handed the book to me and told me to read it myself. That was my first novel, the first time I read over 200 pages of a single narrative. It was quickly followed by "The Neverending Story" from the same author, a book that I still credit with the profound expansion of my imagination and perspective. The original edition of the former that my mom read to me is still in my keeping; the latter we lost when we moved out of the slum, so now I have a newer edition. If you ever stumble upon TNS, make sure it's illustrated and the text and images are separated in red and green, it's an important element of the experience of reading it and there are newer versions which lack these features.
Since then, I started reading much more often and incorporated other titles, most importantly The Odyssey at 8 years old; my first truly terrifying experience, Stephen King's "Salem's Lot", at 11; and one of my all-time favorite novels, Alexandre Dumas' "The Count of Monte Cristo", at 14. At some point during that time I also read Emilio Salgari's "The Black Corsair". None of those can be considered light reading for sure, but I've loved them dearly and most of them I've reread at least once. However, Ende's novels were great comfort after my mom passed away and made such a powerful and lasting impression in me, that I've revisited them over a dozen times in my life, always extracting new knowledge and gaining deeper appreciation for them. This tendency to reread narratives has proven vital to my process, especially in the past five years, so I'll share more about it soon.
In coming posts I'll expand on the books that I mentioned here and others that have been relevant to me. I want to share my reviews and analyses on all of these and many others I've read over the years but for now, I'm satisfied with this short presentation. Thank you for stopping by!
I lvoed reading this post. How beautiful is that cover made by your sister - truly an act of love! I loved Never Ending Story when I was a kid too. You certainly cut your teeth on heavy texts. Reading that young reminds me of myself and my son of course, who read The Hobbit at 6 and a half and Lord of the Rings at 8. After that, it was hard to find books that weren't too adult, but were also a challenge! Never Ending Story was one, of course, as was Call of the Wild, Robinson Crusoe, and some of those other texts from around that era - of innocent and swashbuckling adventure.
Yeah, I certainly delved into some pretty heavy stuff early on, hahaha. I had a beautifully illustrated edition of Robinson Crusoe but never read it and eventually lost it. But I did read Treasure Island when I was like 11 or something. Didn't read Tolkien until well into my teenage years. I remember when that cover was still shining new, hahaha. Such wonderful memories I have with that book.
Welcome, Javier. This is really beautiful. It is such a lovely thing that your mum and parents, in general, allowed you to read at such a tender age. I didn't get much of an opportunity then, but I am making the most of my adult life now. Hope to see your analysis soon.
Thank, Steven! Yes, that was certainly a great blessing which I only recognized many years later as I noticed it wasn't the norm, like many of my experiences in childhood. I'll start working on those analyses soon!
You call my anime dark? Godmother death doesn’t sound all that bright or sunny... 😆 I’ll have to check it out! It seems my favorite works are dark and tragic in some sense but insist on a kind of beauty or rhyme and rhythm in the madness and leave one with some hope.
Perhaps the neverending story had a more profound impact on me than I realized. I only watched the movie like a lazy suburban kid, but I always believe that we are seeded by the art that reaches us when we are young. Up until now I can identify Dune (you like that too don’t you?) and Enders Game but I think neverending story had a bigger impact than I realized. We should talk about this in cross culture. I think it’d be a great topic to hear different perspectives on.
Yes, absolutely! In fact, I think the art that reaches us does precisely because we're attuned to it. I was drawn to heavy themes since childhood so that I could perform my duty better now.
Yes, I'll actually write about Dune as I read it for a third time, hahaha. I'd encourage you to read The Neverending Story, although the first film does justice to the essential emotions of the narrative, no adaptation ever made has come close to a faithful portrayal. I'd love to talk about it Cross-Culture indeed!
Welcome to the community! I really look forward to your analysis on the books you've read. You've mentioned you'll write about Dune, I am looking forward to that as well since I am currently reading the book but still at page 100. Anyway, welcome!
Thank you!! Yes, I'll probably write about Dune first, seeing that the film by Villeneuve is fast approaching and I'm also keen on doing some concept art for the novels, so it's a creative win-win for me. Glad to be here!
I've watched the trailer and quite excited about it 😄 motivates me to finish the book quickly.