Mundo Cruel: Stories

As soon as I started reading these stories, I couldn't put the book down until I had finished every last story. I think he encapsulated much of the PR gay male experience in this collection of stories. The characters were well developed, considering that these are short stories. But these are short stories, and not a novel, so the characters seamlessly fit their various sittings and the various plots. I hope he writes something else, either short stories or a novel; either way, I'll be buying whatever he writes!

My review relates to the English translation. I love Luis Negron's stories, but I wish I could find this book in Spanish. Reading it in English is fine enough, but I was stunned to come across “aya fuera” translated to just "out there.” These words literally mean “out there,” but a diligent translator would’ve appreciated and tried to convey their full meaning. To Puerto Ricans, the United States (and only the United States) is "aya fuera." I was disappointed to see it translated as just "out there," as if the author was referencing the back yard or “out in the countryside.” It showed the translator's (maybe careless) misunderstanding of the place and people whose voice she was trusted to carry. Almost any other pair of words would've been forgivable, but these two words speak volumes about the Puerto Rican experience and world view. Every Puerto Rican understands them. Hard to believe the author and publisher couldn't find a competent translator on the island who wouldn't have missed such a basic (but meaningful) use of words.

I read the English translation first, and then the priginal. Fun on the surface, bitter subtext, Most of the stories deal with Puerto Rican stereotypes of "la loca"--the swishy queeens that constitute the predominant Puerto Rican stereotype of homosexual men. The dominant narrative strategy is the first person singular narrator. In fact, most stories can easily be classified as monologues or dialogues, whch are nothing but double monologues. I find stories by other Puerto Rican gay writers more incisive and with a better grip on the totality of the gay experience, which includes marriage, struggles for survival, a great deal of conflict, and even fatherhood. I recommend the novels by Angel Lozada, and the short stories of both Carlos Vazquez and Moises Agosto.

Its an easy read. Interesting collection of stories involving a significant amount of homosexuality. So if that bothers anyone they should not read it. I enjoyed the stories many of which shed light on the many dynamics of different realtionships, friendships included. Many are set in Puerto Rico, an amazing place for our minds to travel to. I wonder if anything was "lost in translation". I may read the original version as well.

From a time I'm not familiar with and with places I know of not as they were this book was a fun read. Knowing about the culture I think the translations were as good as they could have been. I can almost hear one of the older ladies from my child hood talking like the ladies in this book. The machismo is something I don't think has changed at all.

This translation perfectly captures that unique thought process (not language alone) that some call spanglish. As a Gringo in gay San Juan in the 80s, every word in these stories resonates. Incredible collection

Love the translation almost as much as the original Spanish version! The humor used in the book to portray the underlying serious implications of a homophobic society on the island is perfect and synonymous with our "isla" way of life. We joke about serious things and we laugh when we're worried, we make biting remarks behind a mask of humor and then say things like, "nene relax, I'm just kidding!"

First of all, there is such a diversity of form (which I love) and the stories go back and forth between first-person narrative to trancriptions of fictional telephone calls to records of characters' letters/notes. Secondly, the characters feel so genuine and relatable, especially because they are so imperfect. Lastly, the stories are laugh-out-loud hilarious!