Musica sentimental - by Eugenio Cambaceres (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Musica Sentimental" carries as subtitle "Silbidos de un vago", the same as Cambaceres' first novel "Potpourri", that aroused ill feelings in a great part of the Argentine literary circle, most probably sullen and envious due to its sales success. Carrying the stigma of pornographer the readers' support to Cambaceres was expected to be short lived. Nothing farthest appart from what finally happened. The appearance of this second novel renewed the indignation as it was the general consensus that it showed the same scandalous traits as the first one. As the book ran among readers from hand to hand the author was accused of being the "courtisan of lower passions". However Cambaceres shows a self imposing personality, owner of a particular style, artisan of a novel vocabulary that in no way can be considered vulgar, though it faithfully reproduces that particular speak of well-to-do "porteños" at the turn of the XIX Century, a mixture of "gaucho", highly educated Spanish, French, and argot of both languages. The strongest asset of Cambaceres is the strength of his thought cast in precise words. His style is sharp, cutting and dry, and turns out to be perfect and captivating as it paints realistic pictures such as the licentious life of Pablo, without a moral standing and ended in a most tragic and revolting way. The scenes are drawn with perfection of details, becoming realistic paintings that define and highlight vigorously the wandering life of the rich Latin American youngsters of the time, for whom the initiatic trip to the "Old Continent" spanned from the search of what was considered "haute culture" down to the social rubbing, without neglecting the "worldly man experience" to be obtained in brothels and garçonnieres. Through Cambaceres pen appears not only the adolescent gluttony of Latin Americans but also the underlying rot ingrained within the French society, admired for its culture but whose morals are critisized unmercifully in these, considered among the richest pages of the author's production.