Álvaro Enrigue invents the whole story of course, based on very limited historical data of the real initial encounter. The Spanish are allowed access to the labyrintine palace of the emperor and Moctezuma himself gets lost in his addiction to halucinogenic substances that should help design his decisions. The whole novel describes this unreal world of misunderstandings and total bafflement, not only between Spanish and Aztecs, but also within each camp there are controversies, differences and misunderstandings.
"Atotoxtli smiled. Neither of you has a clue about anything, she said, but Moctezuma doesn't either, so we're all equal. She looked at the cihuacoatl as if he were a foolish child. You're his only friend, the only person in the world who doesn't want what he's got, she said; he took you out of the game to get the priests off your back; he's doing what he thinks he must, but not saying anything, like the ant." (p. 157)
"The cihuacoatl grimaced. I should worry, shouldn't I? Cuauhtemoc shrugged. I asked the shaman, and he said maybe not, because Moctezuma nearly fell over laughing when he gave the message to be delivered, but he also said that maybe you should, because the emperor was swimming in slides. Tlilpotonqui felt his chin and said: So be it. Then he added, so as not to be left wondering: What about the Tlaxcalteca? The general could hear that the question had the ring of the last wish of a condemned man, whether Tlilpotonqui was one or not, so he told him the truth. They're still divided: the young lords want to come to an agreement, but the old ones aren't sure; they won't do anything until Moctezuma has spoken to El Malinche. Whatever for? asked Tlilpotonqui. I don't understand it, the general said; they're like the emperor, they think the Caxtilteca are important; it's a mystery. The cihuacoatl rolled his eyes and went back to his grandchildren." (p. 178)
Nobody knows how to proceed. Nobody seems to know who is even in charge at times. Moctezuma's sister and wife Atotoxli plays a key role in all this, working on her own agenda. The emperor, mostly undecisive and drugged, is mesmerised by the horses of the Spanish, and the Spanish are only interested in obtaining power over the land, obtaining riches and slaves in the process.
The quality of Enrigue's writing is exceptional, as is his imagination for funny story-telling and comic situations, as when Cortés and Moctezuma compare the lives of their gods with each other. After a while to - again - misunderstand each other, assuming that the Greek language and Xleek are the same, and Moctezuma offers hallucinogenic cacti to Cortés so that they can speak with each other without translators.
Moctezuma gets some hallucinations which allow him to hear - and appreciate - rock music from the 20th century (T-Rex!), Cortés has a vision of the future of Mexico including Eufemio Zapata. Absurd. Enrigue's fantasy rotates around what might have happened in these few days of their first encounter, inventing situations and stories around his main characters. He is funny.
"Friar Geronimo never attended the religious services held by the chaplain, though he lived like a priest in every sense of word. He was always praying, he spoke Latin and Greek, he was learned in church doctrine, he refused to wear military garb, he slept, ate and drank as austerely as a Carmelite, and he only bedded handsome youths." (p. 65)
Álvaro Enrigue has written a novel that is extremely unique as a reading experience. At times all the Aztec names and words demand some effort, but that adds to the fun of reading. Like Cortés and Moctezuma, you will be in for a strange experience, one of bizarre interactions, absurd and surreal, of light-footed cruelty, deceptive scheming, dreamlike sequences, and funny situations. Unreal.
No comments:
Post a Comment