Mar Bosch's remarkable exercise in creative freedom

There are two types of writers: those with imagination and those without, though this doesn't determine their literary worth. Those who have imagination are capable of expanding reality and creating worlds governed by their own rules. Mar Bosch Oliveras (Girona, 1981) was an imaginative author and we already knew from her novels that she had what is called "her own world" You will come with me after the flood (Comanegra, 2018) or The effervescent woman (Univers, 2020), and the stories collected in Lessons from the abyss They confirm it.

It so happens that this book may seem at first glance to be a brilliant writing school exercise – in fact, the author currently works in the Writing Classroom Vicenç Pagès Jordà from Girona—and it's likely that many of the ideas came to him in the context of his work. But since this writer understands literature as a laboratory where all experiments are permitted, what matters is the result, and this one is remarkable.

Writing without any kind of pressure

Lessons from the abyss It overflows with creative freedom. The author has let her pen flow without any constraints, presenting readers with artifacts that often defy the narrative's logic, which is precisely what makes them so interesting. We find examples of microfiction, husbands who flee, a writer who dedicates himself to pig slaughter, and even the thoughts of a cripple who thinks in verse. All of this is preceded by two notes from the author, in which she informs us that the title comes from... Jules Verne and who ventures to share with us the cracks that open up in everyday life.

The book is peppered from top to bottom with footnotes written by a second voice, in this case disruptive, rather mischievous, and often funny. Other works of fiction have used them, such as Infinite Jest, the great novel by David Foster Wallace...an author who seems close to the author. Thus, regarding a story that deals with boredom, the note says: "I am an honorary member of the word fan club tediumI remember the first time I heard it. It sounded like the name of one of those guys you see in teen horror movies. Usually a funny black guy or a stupid, promiscuous white guy. Teddys are usually killed before anyone else. When they're happy doing something typical of those who do things before they die. Then they die. Afterwards, a blonde usually screams: "Teddy, Teddy! Oh! No! Teddy!" In the last story, AutofictionIn what we can also read as an epilogue, we learn about the relationship between the author and the "notalpeuador." And here we understand the reason for the scathing criticism, the biting commentary, and the frequent disdain for the author's choices.

I confess that I prefer short stories to long ones, perhaps because in imaginative literature it's harder for the latter to maintain momentum. But I must say that Mar Bosch excels in longer stories like A stranded mermaidThe story of a woman's disappearance, told through various perspectives, from the painter who paints her to the neighbor's boy who idolizes her. "It's curious how Mara attracted people's attention, isn't it? A mermaid! Imagine that! He was convinced she had sequins on her hands that she rushed to hide in her pockets. I told him the truth, that she had psoriasis. That she spent a fortune on creams. And the boy was stubborn."

Not included Lessons from the abyss If you're looking for nothing other than experimental literature and the sheer joy of storytelling, you won't understand a thing. On the other hand, if you approach it with an open mind, you'll thoroughly enjoy it.