"La fábrica de animales" de Edward Bunker. Estamos ante el segundo libro que escribió el conocido Mr Blue de la archiconocida "Reservoir Dogs" de Tarantino tras el espléndido debut "No hay bestia tan ferorz". En este caso se despachó con una historia encuadrada en ese subgénero tan trillado como es la literatura carcelaria. En este caso, claro, tenemos motivos para disfrutar más de esta novela que otras del mismo tipo. En primer lugar tenemos una historia real como la vida misma, según la lees te das cuenta de que no se lo está inventando o hablando por referencias, lo vivió en sus propias carnes, no en vano estuvo toda su vida entrando y saliendo de la cárcel por diferentes motivos. En segundo lugar es destacable por encima de todo su estilo, Bunker leía mucho y tiene un estilazo muy bien formado, con metáforas poderosas ("Lo habían despojado de todo, como un árbol azotado por un vendaval") y una forma de narrar que hace que lo "hardboiled" de la novela se acentúe aún más. Y por último lugar, la novela está muy bien pensada, tiene varios niveles de lectura para el disfrute de los lectores, y una finalidad principal a la que va encaminando todo el desarrollo de la novela. Lo más sorprendente es que, desde un personaje amoral ("Mira, estabas vendiendo María como si tuvieras licencia. -Y no me parece que sea nada malo. No me parece mal. Hay demanda"), pasando por el abogado que lo representa ("el negocio de los abogados consistía en vender esperanza y entregar cháchara sin sustancia") con el único objetivo de obtener dinero, los guardas corruptos, los otros presos que luchan contra la desesperación y el despojo de encontrarse en un lugar como la cárcel ("Y qué pirados acabamos aquí dentro"), nos plantea reflexiones de tipo ético, con valores de por medio ("La única cualidad que Earl valoraba era la lealtad. Compensaba otros mil defectos") para llegar a plantear la metáfora que da título al libro ("Si vuelvo a la cárcel no va a servir de nada. La cárcel es una fábrica que produce animales humanos. Lo más probable es que salgas peor de lo que entras"). Bunker es crudo, despiadado, sin contemplaciones, con una prosa crítica y comprometida. Un grande de la novela negra más hardboiled que tenemos la suerte de ir viendo publicado por aquí.
This was ex-con Bunker's second novel, and to some extent his inexperience shows: there is unnecessary repetition, and the narrative is episodic. Since he actually did time in San Quentin one assumes the setting and action are fairly authentic, but there is an odd streak of romanticism running through it all. Do cons really sit in the Yard and read Teillard de Chardin? Do they really quote Milton and pass around copies of Dostoevsky? It's certainly a change from the countless lurid Hollywood movies depicting prisons are places of non-stop violence, degradation, and melodrama. I see from the IMDb that when this book was faithfully made into a movie some years back, audiences didn't like it because they found it too tame.On consideration, one sees that the squalor and horror are fully present in the novel, but to Bunker they are thoroughly normal, and so they seem underdramatized to those of us accustomed to movie histrionics. His understated approach finally makes gang rape and kicking people to death seem like unavoidable parts of everyday life, to be noted and dealt with, but not central to one's inner life. And it's in the unravelling of character that Bunker really excels: his two main cons are skillfully characterized and come across as completely believable people. They're sociopaths, but they aren't stupid, they are complex, and they change over time. I found this aspect of the book really interesting, but if you're looking for an action thriller with things blowing up every few chapters you will likely be disappointed.
What do You think about The Animal Factory (2000)?
26.03.2010Questo libro mi sta uccidendo.. 02.04.2010Dopo aver saputo che l'autore ha vissuto davvero tra le mura di celle e in mezzo a centinaia di menti pericolose come quelle che si formano e prendono vita tra quelle pareti, mi sono interessata di più alla storia, che non è altro che uno squarcio di vita all'interno di un carcere americano. A pensare che tutta quella cattiveria esiste davvero ed è compressa in cosi poco spazio, c'è da avere paura. Questa mi fa sorgere una domanda: ma è davvero riabilitativo il carcere? dopo che una persona vive per anni in uno spazio privo di regole con mentalità violente, non diventa violento lui stesso per sopravvivere? dopo essere cresciuto nella brutalità un uomo può tornare a vivere nella società seguendo regole e leggi che l'hanno privato della sua umanità?
—monica
Un piccolo grande romanzo, che con il suo stile asciutto e privo di abbellimenti, riesce a calare il lettore nell'incubo della vita carceraria più dura e crudele. Si apre così ai nostri occhi la visione su una sorta di mondo parallelo, con le sue gerarchie, le sue scale di valori e le sue rigidissime leggi da rispettare ad ogni costo, totalmente "altro" e avulso dalla vita che scorre ignara e indifferente all'esterno. Ma anche in un clima tanto feroce e bestiale, possono nascere sentimenti positivi e autentici come l'amicizia, che getta una luce di speranza, di ottimismo e di calore perfino nella più nera delle miserie umane.
—Ginny_1807
Eddie Bunker's thinly veiled autobiographical novel of his time in prison is a revelation of terse, authentic feeling, observational prose; a prison novel that doesn't glamourise its setting or apologise for its violence, he takes the detached yet constantly on guard attitude of the long serving criminal and infuses an entire novel with it forcing the reader to constantly suspect the worst. As such it's not an easy read, you find your shoulders tensing just waiting for an unnoticed shiv to come your protagonists way or the best laid plans to have the bottom fall out of them. But it is a fascinating, incredibly enjoyable read.“I need a kid like I need a bad heart. A pretty kid is a ticket to trouble... and I'm too old to ask for that. Shit, I haven't even booked Tommy the Face in two years. I'm turning into a jack-off idiot.”I've seen Eddie Bunker in a few movies, essentially playing himself I'm sure, but always thought he was just another criminal cashing in on a hard man image, like Mark Brandon Reed, so the thought of reading the work of "a true original of American Letters" never really appealed but it was the screenplay for Dustin Hoffman's incredibly impressive and largely forgotten 1978 film Straight Time that made me reassess the situation. Instead of glorifying these men like a Tarantino/Tarantino clone this was a film that spoke about the psychological aspect of being a criminal, the attempts to go straight, the internal conflict and the feeling of helplessness they feel after spending so long in prison and my interest in Eddie Bunker increased exponentially. The Animal Factory hits that same level of quality, covers similar ground, is fascinating and honest and the idea of going to prison will scare the shit out of you forever more.
—Tfitoby
