Matt Cohen (1942–1999)

Abraham Halevi es un judío nacido en la judería de Toledo al finales del siglo XIV, hijo de una mujer violada por los soldados de Enrique de Trastámara que atacaron el barrio y mataron a su marido y su hija mayor. Se siente judío pero sobre todo es uno de los nuevos hombres de la ciencia, que cree en la paz, en la igualdad de todos los hombres y en los nuevos conocimientos que las ciencias y la medicina aportan en este tiempo. Estudia con un anciano árabe y logra marcharse a Montpellier, donde sigue sus estudios en la prestigiosa universidad. Su madre quisiera verlo casado, a ser posible con la bella Gabriela, que ha sido su amante, pero Abraham aún no quiere formar familia.… (mehr)

I loved Matt Cohen's last novel, ELIZABETH AND AFTER, but this so-called memoir, TYPING, was a real disappointment and a chore to read. The first hundred-plus pages seemed a lot of self-pitying philosophical rambling - boring and pretentious gobbledygook. Later on there were some mildly interesting pieces about his encounters and interviews with more famous Canadian writers like Morley Callaghan and Margaret Laurence, then more about his struggles as a writer, drinking and doping and, finally, the diagnosis of his fatal illness. I could not help thinking how much of his life had been simply wasted, drifting and drinking. Took him ten years to complete ELIZABETH, which is, I suspect, his best novel. RIP, Matt, but I cannot in good conscience recommend TYPING to a general reading audience, although it could be of interest to students of CanLit and the history of publishing for our northern neighbors.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER… (mehr)