{"id":1300,"date":"2024-05-11T12:44:27","date_gmt":"2024-05-11T16:44:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/hispanic-studies-3257-spring-2024\/?p=1300"},"modified":"2024-10-15T16:56:44","modified_gmt":"2024-10-15T20:56:44","slug":"mi-novia-favorita-era-un-bulldog-frances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/hispanic-studies-3257-spring-2024\/country\/mi-novia-favorita-era-un-bulldog-frances\/","title":{"rendered":"Mi novia favorita era un bulldog franc\u00e9s"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mi novia preferida fue un bulldog franc\u00e9s<\/em>\u00a0es una novela de la escritora, poeta y dramaturga cubana Legna Rodr\u00edguez Iglesias. Nacida en Camag\u00fcey, Cuba en 1984, Rodr\u00edguez Iglesias creci\u00f3 despu\u00e9s del \u00e9xodo masivo de cubanos a Estados Unidos, en una Cuba moldeada por la revoluci\u00f3n de Fidel Castro. Como tal, creci\u00f3 lidiando con los temas comunes del amor, el deseo, la identidad y la raza pero, especialmente, desde el aislamiento. Su identidad y la exploraci\u00f3n de la misma, se ha convertido en un desaf\u00edo central en sus obras. No rehuye el tab\u00fa ni lo pol\u00e9mico y busca exponer la vida cotidiana que muchas veces permanece oculto.<\/p>\n

Mi novia preferida fue un bulldog franc\u00e9<\/em>s hace precisamente eso. Cada cap\u00edtulo del libro presenta al mismo personaje, pero desde una perspectiva diferente. Juntos, los cap\u00edtulos crean una complicada red de relaciones. Sin embargo, cada personaje se siente solo, independientemente de sus circunstancias. De hecho, el cap\u00edtulo titular, \u201cMi novia preferida fue un bulldog franc\u00e9<\/em>s\u201d, presenta a la narradora (basada en la propia autora) que entabla una relaci\u00f3n rom\u00e1ntica con su bulldog franc\u00e9s. Esta relaci\u00f3n sirve como mecanismo para que Rodr\u00edguez Iglesias analice los temas de la soledad y la b\u00fasqueda de conexi\u00f3n en un mundo que se siente fragmentado y aislado.<\/p>\n

Sin embargo, a pesar de este hecho, la alegr\u00eda impregna el libro. La prosa es ligera y l\u00edrica. La felicidad parece prevalecer en cada obra. En una entrevista, cuando se le pregunt\u00f3 sobre este hecho, Rodr\u00edguez Iglesias respondi\u00f3 (mi traducci\u00f3n): “Si existe un ant\u00f3nimo de alegr\u00eda (y s\u00e9 que existe) ese soy yo. Pero no creo que un libro que escriba dependa de mi estado de \u00e1nimo. Utilizo mi estado mental as\u00ed como uso mi memoria\u2026 No puedo concebir una pieza sin risa o juego. En esa risa y en ese juego est\u00e1 toda la tristeza, toda la inquietud, toda la angustia del mundo\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\u00a0\u201dIf an antonym for joy exists (I know it exists) that was me. But I don\u2019t think a book I write depends on my mood. I use my state of mind just as I use my memory\u2026 \u00a0I cannot conceive a piece without laughter or play. In that laugh and in that game is all the sadness, all the restlessness, all the anguish in the world.\u201d\u00a0]<\/p>\n

La experiencia del lector mientras lee el libro imita la propia vida de Rodr\u00edguez Iglesias. Como lectores, experimentamos la cima del amor y la felicidad, y tambi\u00e9n las profundidades del aislamiento a trav\u00e9s de sus personajes. Por ejemplo, el cap\u00edtulo \u201cLa raza\u201d se centra en temas de identidad racial a trav\u00e9s de la lente de una mujer de raza mixta y su aislamiento. \u201cEl hombre que cuida gatos\u201d sigue la historia de un hombre que cuida gatos callejeros y sus reflexiones sobre la p\u00e9rdida. \u201cEl taxista\u201d presenta a un taxista. \u201cUna pasi\u00f3n dom\u00e9stica\u201d destaca la singular soledad de un matrimonio discordante. Cada cuento est\u00e1 lleno de melancol\u00eda y alegr\u00eda tangibles.<\/p>\n

Algunos cap\u00edtulos son a\u00fan m\u00e1s experimentales, uno presenta la perspectiva de los muertos y otro es una suerte de par\u00e1bola b\u00edblica. En total, hay 15 historias y todas presentan diferentes estilos y personajes.<\/p>\n

En la misma entrevista, Rodr\u00edguez Iglesias reflexion\u00f3 sobre los obst\u00e1culos que rodean la creaci\u00f3n de un libro polif\u00f3nico : “Los obst\u00e1culos son deliciosos. Escribir un libro es como correr una carrera de obst\u00e1culos de 100 metros. Si no hay obst\u00e1culos, charcos, colinas en el medio, troncos de \u00e1rboles, restos, no tiene gracia. Se vuelve aburrido. De hecho, comoescritora soy la primera en poner obst\u00e1culos. Me interesa lo simple y llegar a lo simple tambi\u00e9n tiene obst\u00e1culos. Entonces pens\u00e9 en un paisaje donde lo importante era el lugar, el espacio habitado o deshabitado. En cierto sentido, son meros objetos dentro de la historia, por lo que no tienen nombre, s\u00f3lo edad\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“The obstacles are delicious. Writing a book is like running a 100 meters obstacle race. If there are no hurdles, puddles, hills across the middle, tree trunks, scraps, there\u2019s no grace to it. It gets boring. In fact, as a writer I am number one in setting obstacles. I am interested in the simple and getting to the simple also has obstacles. So I thought of a landscape where what was important was the place, the inhabited or uninhabited space. The characters, in that sense, are mere objects within the story. So they have no name, only age.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Traducci\u00f3n del post:<\/h3>\n

My Favorite Girlfriend Was a French Bulldog is a novel by the Cuban writer, poet and playwright Legna Rodr\u00edguez Iglesias. Born in Camag\u00fcey, Cuba in 1984, Rodr\u00edguez Iglesias came of age in a Cuba shaped by Fidel Castro’s revolution. As such, she grew up grappling with the themes of love, desire, identity, and race but, especially, from isolation. Her work does not shy away from \u00a0the taboo and seeks to expose everyday life that often remains hidden.<\/em><\/p>\n

My Favorite Girlfriend Was a French Bulldog does just that. Each chapter of the semi autobiographical novel surrounds the same protagonist, but from a different perspective. Together, the chapters create a complicated web of relationships. However, each character feels alone, regardless of their circumstances. In fact, the titular chapter, \u201cMy Favorite Girlfriend Was a French Bulldog,\u201d features the narrator (based on the author herself) who enters into a romantic relationship with her French bulldog. This relationship serves as a mechanism for Rodr\u00edguez Iglesias to examine the themes of loneliness and the search for connection in a world that feels fragmented and isolated.<\/em><\/p>\n

However, despite this fact, joy permeates the book. The prose is light and lyrical. Happiness seems to prevail in each story. In an interview, when asked about this fact, Rodr\u00edguez Iglesias responded: \u201cIf an antonym for joy exists (I know it exists) that was me. But I don’t think a book I write depends on my mood. I use my state of mind just as I use my memory\u2026 I cannot conceive a piece without laughter or play. In that laugh and in that game is all the sadness, all the restlessness, all the anguish in the world.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The reader’s experience while reading the book imitates Rodr\u00edguez Iglesias’ own life. As readers, we experience the heights of love and happiness, and also the depths of isolation through her characters. For example, the chapter \u201cRace\u201d focuses on issues of racial identity through the lens of a mixed-race woman and her isolation. \u201cThe Man Who Takes Care of Cats\u201d follows the story of a man who takes care of stray cats and his reflections on loss. \u201cThe Taxi Driver\u201d features a taxi driver. \u201cA Domestic Passion\u201d highlights the loneliness of a discordant marriage. Regardless of the subject, each tale is filled with tangible melancholy and joy.<\/em><\/p>\n

Some chapters are even more experimental. One, for example, showcases the perspective of a dead man while another takes the form of a biblical parable. In total, there are 15 stories and they all feature different styles and characters. In the same interview, Rodr\u00edguez Iglesias reflected on the obstacles surrounding the creation of a polyphonic book: “The obstacles are delicious. Writing a book is like running a 100 meters obstacle race. If there are no hurdles, puddles, hills across the middle, tree trunks, scraps, there’s no grace to it. It gets boring. In fact, as a writer I am number one in setting obstacles. I am interested in the simple and getting to the simple also has obstacles. sense, they are mere objects within the story. So they have no name, only age.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The result of Legna Iglesias Rodr\u00edguez’s efforts is a delicious portrait of loneliness, compassion and the depths of isolation, all in the context of a Cuba which continues to heal from its wounds.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mi novia preferida fue un bulldog franc\u00e9s\u00a0es una novela de la escritora, poeta y dramaturga cubana Legna Rodr\u00edguez Iglesias. Nacida en Camag\u00fcey, Cuba en 1984, Rodr\u00edguez Iglesias creci\u00f3 despu\u00e9s del \u00e9xodo masivo de cubanos a Estados Unidos, en una Cuba… Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1782,"featured_media":1301,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,8,29,47,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-country","category-cuba","category-legna-rodriguez-iglesias","category-mi-novia-preferida-fue-un-bulldog-frances","category-obras"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/hispanic-studies-3257-spring-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/hispanic-studies-3257-spring-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/hispanic-studies-3257-spring-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/hispanic-studies-3257-spring-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1782"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/hispanic-studies-3257-spring-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1300"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/hispanic-studies-3257-spring-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1300\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/hispanic-studies-3257-spring-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/hispanic-studies-3257-spring-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/hispanic-studies-3257-spring-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/hispanic-studies-3257-spring-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}