Salvador Plascencia

[Argyroneta]

Hi,

Has anyone read any of Salvador Plascencia work? To my knowledge "The People of Paper" novel is his only published work. I am currently reading it and was hoping to converse with somebody about it. It is very post-modern I suppose.

Thanks

[Panglossian]

I read The People of Paper about four years ago. Always on the lookout for strange fiction, I bought it on a whim (hardback edition).

If I remember correctly the story centres around a gang in LA, a sort of metaphysical gang, and the writing style is quite unusual in that each gang member speaks in turn recalling the peculiar events in the city. A work of total magic realism.

My memory of it is vague. Things I think I remember are: one of the characters is a genius baby … there’s little holes in some of the pages … the story capitulates halfway through (in some way) … and the planet Saturn starts to destroy the text with black blots …

It perplexed me more than anything else. I’m sure I still have it somewhere. I might dig it out and look at it again …

[Argyroneta]

You remember well. It is a very original idea. I have the paperback and so far I haven't found any holes, though I know the hardcover does have them.

I like very much the part when one character manages to rip through the sky and escape the manascript, arriving in the authors bedroom.

It seems to me to be postmodern, given its originality and themes of meta-literature

[Panglossian]

Yes I remember that - the character escaping the book ... I should read it again, I think.
He hasn't published anything else since. Online interviews suggest he's struggling a bit on how to follow up such a unique creation.