Junot Díaz- new children's novel

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Marianopolita

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Junot Díaz talks about his new release which is his first ever children's book. He says it is difficult to write a children's novel and he took his time. He sounds like many renowned authors that wrote children's novels to add to their repertoire and many had the same comments as Junot. It is difficult and a very different audience. Isabel Allende comes to mind and I think she did a great job. I still have a couple more of her children's collection to read.

I have not yet read anything by Junot and I don't consider him the author who represents the Dominican Republic per se but I do have some of his literature in my collection. I think reading his literature will be totally spontaneous when I do read one of his books. However, for those of you who like Junot Díaz I thought you may be interested in his new work.

https://www.diariolibre.com/revista...o-escribir-su-primer-libro-infantil-BE9006461

-MP.
 
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dv8

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i started reading "the brief wondrous life of oscar wao" and got as far as the page 18 before tossing it. no universal factor. very niche and a niche i am not interested in to boot.
 
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Marianopolita

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dv8 said:
i started reading "the brief wondrous life of oscar wao" and got as far as the page 18 before tossing it. no universal factor. very niche and a niche i am not interested in to boot.
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Yes, I understand what you are saying. I have read some excerpts of his writing in English and it did not interest me. It's just his writing style. I do not read in English (novels) and it would take a lot to get me to read a novel in English. Sampling The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao definitely did not help my situation. However, I am willing to try again because maybe I was not in the right frame of mind. As well, this new children's book might be the allure. Authors write differently for different audiences.



-MP.
 
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Drperson

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dv8 said:
i started reading "the brief wondrous life of oscar wao" and got as far as the page 18 before tossing it. no universal factor. very niche and a niche i am not interested in to boot.
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I thought it was fantastic and really enjoyed reading in. For me it gave me new insight to how some dominicans think and behave.
 
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dv8

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i already judged that new book by its cover. he really takes into the heart the saying that one should write about the things one knows...
 
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Marianopolita

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dv8 said:
i already judged that new book by its cover. he really takes into the heart the saying that one should write about the things one knows...
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I have no idea what you mean by your statement. Explain a bit more please.



-MP.
 
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dv8

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Marianopolita said:
I have no idea what you mean by your statement. Explain a bit more please.
-MP.
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ok then. there is a saying that one should write about things one knows. philosopher should write about philosophy and an astronomer about astronomy. from that oscar wao book i observed that the only thing junot diaz knows is being dominican, this is why i said the book lacked universal factor to me. it was not a story that would speak to a heart of a man in general. the title and the cover of the new book confirm what i stated above. being dominican is the only thing the guy knows. and i'm not interested in that subject.

personal opinion, of course.
 
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Marianopolita

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dv8 said:
ok then. there is a saying that one should write about things one knows. philosopher should write about philosophy and an astronomer about astronomy. from that oscar wao book i observed that the only thing junot diaz knows is being dominican, this is why i said the book lacked universal factor to me. it was not a story that would speak to a heart of a man in general. the title and the cover of the new book confirm what i stated above. being dominican is the only thing the guy knows. and i'm not interested in that subject.

personal opinion, of course.
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Thanks for that clarification.

You realize this factor that you mentioned writing about what one knows about is not only limited to Junot. There are many writers that have the same approach. While it may not appeal to you, it is not unique to Junot. Maybe what stands out about his writings so far is they are all about the DR and he has showed no ability to write about any topic that is not DR related.

However, his collection is still quite small. He may have a novel of a different flavour one day. That is one of the reasons why I said in my first post, in my opinion, he does not represent the DR because his literature can't join the big stage of writers in the literary sphere in Latin America primarily because he does not write in Spanish and secondly, he does have the repertoire nor literary experience to compare to some of the renowned writers whose literature represents their country. However, one has start somewhere.


-MP.
 
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dv8

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you have put it beautifully. i do not discount him. i may go back to oscar wao story one day or pick up a different book of his. and yes, there are many writers who follow the same literary pattern of non translatable, hermetic style heavy with obscure references and exhausting to the reader. literature is arborescent, there is a branch for everyone.
 
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tflea

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Yeah, this "starter" hoodwinked the Pulitzer Prize judges in 2007 and those of a whole host of other respected award committees that bestowed him with honors , as he bums around as a creative writing professor at MIT. lol
 
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Drperson

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tflea said:
Yeah, this "starter" hoodwinked the Pulitzer Prize judges in 2007 and those of a whole host of other respected award committees that bestowed him with honors , as he bums around as a creative writing professor at MIT. lol
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I think you have to be pretty darn smart to hookwink those judges.
Perhaps his greater appeal is to non-dominicans
 
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Matilda

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I read Oscar Wao, and while I admit, I found some of it a little heavy going, I loved the humour and received a great education from the footnotes. As a writer, it is normal to write about what you know, and also there are thousands of people who want to learn more about the Dominican Republic, its history and culture, than they can find in guide books or the news. Each writer wants to achieve something different with their writing. Personally I like to write about things which are thought provoking, entertaining and educational, so they reader knows more about the DR when they have finished a book, than before. One of the five star reviews I received on Amazon.com for my latest book, actually said:

"Lindsay's new book is a wonderful story telling of the sometimes difficult, sometimes sad, but always joyful love story of an English woman and Dominican man. Her story telling ability reminds me of Junot Diaz in the humorous manner of explaining the cultural clash between two cultures and Lindsay's attempt to adjust to Dominican country life. This is a must read for anyone who knows Dominican culture or is thinking about moving internationally. Just a good book for anyone, absorbing and hilarious! "

I was amazed and very very gratified. Much better to be compared to Junot Diaz than Agatha Christie, IMHO.

Matilda
 
M

Marianopolita

Former Spanish forum Mod 2010-2021
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dv8 said:
you have put it beautifully. i do not discount him. i may go back to oscar wao story one day or pick up a different book of his. and yes, there are many writers who follow the same literary pattern of non translatable, hermetic style heavy with obscure references and exhausting to the reader. literature is arborescent, there is a branch for everyone.
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Thanks.

I could see myself reading the children story. As I said, I noticed authors have a totally different style when their target audience changes. I am not a fan of English prose in general therefore, there is no sense of urgency for me to try the Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao. When I read an excerpt of it I thought to myself this will be tough but that was a while back. My opinion may be different now.


-MP.
 
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