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As many of you may know, César Aira is one of my favorite authors; why, then, do I have nearly a half dozen of his books sitting unread on my shelves. I don't know. But I now I have one less.
Birthday starts with the narrator's ruminations on his 50th birthday and goes from there into typically Aira-esque diversions into literature, writing and life. He circles back around to aging by the end. In between he talks about a chance encounter with a young writer, his feelings on philosophy and Pringles, his hometown in Argentina, and other things.
The narrator is, as usual, a nameless resident of Pringles, married with a child this time, and a successful writer in midlife struggling with all these things. I hesitate to write too much, because the book itself is so short that I could really take away the joy of reading Aira by telling you more.
So if you haven't read him, please do; Birthday is a pretty good starting point, pretty typical and pretty approachable. I recommend picking up two copies and giving one to a friend, so you have someone to talk to after you're done. Maybe you could read this and talk to me about it?
FTC Disclosure: I did not receive this book for review.
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