Is this book better than Austerlitz? I often see these two books competing for title of best 21st century novel

I'm more of a The Savage Detectives kind of guy.

>>25327710
I didn’t like it. The first part is some Spanish soap opera bullshit that goes nowhere. His writing is actually often amateurish but it gets a pass because it’s “unfinished”
Not saying it’s bad, I just didn’t like it and I don’t understand at all when people say it’s one of the best books of all time

>>25327766

It's a "soap opera" on purpose. A piss take on lit. academia. These people are obsessed with an author they don't know and can't understand. Despite their supposedly high brow endeavours, they're still territorial, playing status games, mostly just looking to dip the biscuit etc.

>>25327766
>I don’t understand at all when people say it’s one of the best books of all time
genre fiction manchildren reading literary fic for the first time

>>25327798
>A piss take on lit. academia
Joyce already perfected that

>>25327811

Ok? And Rabelais way before him (well not academia as we envision it today but still). You can repeat an experiment indefinitely. 2666 is way less obscure and scathing about it anyway, the main point is Big Brain Intellectuals being drawn to and mixed with "evil" no matter how far removed and above it they perceive themselves to be.

>>25327798
My guess is that the reason critics (and wannabe critics) like it so much is that it's a novel about them. It makes them feel self aware to like a parody that's constantly winking at them. It validates their existence by making fun of it. As all "literary" persons are narcissistic and self loathing in equal measure.
It's the only reason they tolerate the B-tier writing and cliched plots and characters for the rest of the novel

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>>25327822
>Ok?
Yes, ok indeed, glad we could come to an agreement.

>>25327824
Fair points, lots of people love books that are ultimately about them, it's why normies bitch and moan about characters that "aren't relateable"

>>25327822
>the main point is Big Brain Intellectuals being drawn to and mixed with "evil" no matter how far removed and above it they perceive themselves to be.
ok but who cares? reading about academics and their love triangles is fucking boring not what i wanted when i look at the based chud coded cover with 666 on it

>>25327853
It's about LE CRIMES bro
Mexico is literally HELL

I fucking love Bolano's way of meandering and getting completely off course. Easily my favorite part about all of his stories is when a one off character goes on a seemingly pointless tangent that is actually very profound. I feel like it perfectly encapsulates life. The Part about Archimboldi is the best thing I have ever read.
>>25327766
>it goes nowhere
That's why I fucking love this book. If you weren't hooked by the 10 page long sentence about a seemingly pointless story than this book is not for you.
>amateurish
Fuck no.

>>25327829
Please refrain from posting images of alluring harlots, this is a board for chaste and learned men.

>>25327798
Borges does it better with Pierre Menard in 1/10th the time.

>>25327822
>You can repeat an experiment indefinitely
If a subsequent 'literary experiment' is worse quality and longer than previous ones, it seems like a waste of a reader's time.