Medusa’s blood (and other marginal tales)

Seeing the human side that surrounds all artistic activity means, inevitably, becoming disillusioned.

This title contains texts published here and there throughout his writing career, with one small detail: the texts were corrected specifically for publication in this volume by a mature Pacheco, both in age and style. I looked for the originals of some stories, but I couldn’t find them, so I can’t say that the corrections have substantially improved the original texts. However, the versions offered here are of a quality worthy of the master. In the introduction of the book, written by the same author, you can learn more about this process.

The stories compiled here vary in length and style. The longest stories do not exceed a dozen pages, and the shortest ones could well be tweets: witty phrases full of black humor, such as: I hate cross-dressing old people, howled Little Red Riding Hood. The wolf swallowed the humiliation.; or alternatively, bringing out his poetic vein: I have nothing to hide, said the lake as it dried up.

The story that gives the book its title, published at the age of 19 (hdp!), has obvious Borgesian influences. He draws parallels between a Perseus in decline and a failed godínez with marital problems, both marked by a bloody event, thus establishing a bridge between classical mythology and contemporary human struggles (which makes the clarification at the end of the story unnecessary, a small detail that we can ignore).

‘The Night of the Immoral’, the longest story in the book, alone makes the book worth it. A kind of spin-off of ‘The Immortal’, by Borges. It deals with the fight against human inconsequentiality and the pursuit of lasting glory at all costs, whether through honor or ignominy. The lives of Alexander the Great and Erostratus, born under the same star, are woven through the threads of time, with the death of Franz Ferdinand as the climax that connects different eras and historical contexts. Pacheco tells us how personal ambitions can resonate throughout the centuries, affecting both iconic figures and anonymous individuals.

Since we mentioned Borges, why not quote him to talk about the other stories: “Among so many peaks, it is impossible to distinguish which is the highest.” None of the texts in this book are wasted. Each story in The Blood of Medusa shines with its own light, with a unique and enriching perspective to the whole. Pacheco pulls it off to show that he can handle a variety of themes and styles. A gem.