The Ukrainian reader is probably not very familiar with Spanish literature. At least not in the genre of space fiction. I hope you know their wonderful contemporary writer Carlos Ruiz Safon, or at least Miguel de Cervantes, but the name of Elia Barceló will definitely not tell you anything. However, in 2024, the publishing house «NK-Bohdan» published her quite popular book «Jarek’s World». This short novel is a soft and social fiction about a kind of «Robinson Crusoe in space». He lives alone on a distant planet for many years, not by his own choice. In this article, I will share my reading experience, tell you whether the novel is worth your attention, who will like it and who will not.
Pluses:
quality edition with binding and illustrations; interesting and unusual plot with surprises and important topics raised by the author; easy and pleasantly written text; classic social fiction «old school»; easy-to-read binding and large font
Minuses:
the work sometimes lacks volume and this also applies to the factual characteristics; some elements of the novel are mediocrely combined with each other; some chapters seem to be crude
«Yarek’s World» / El mundo de Yarek
Author Elia Barcelo
Publisher NK-Bogdan
Translator Alexandra Laktionova
Language Ukrainian
Number of pages 136
Cover Solid
Year of publication 2024
Size 165×240 mm
Website bohdan-books.com
Lennart Jarek, a prominent xenologist and discoverer of new planets, is accused of a terrible crime. He is allegedly guilty of the genocide of the bird-like inhabitants of the newly discovered planet Wind. For this, Jarek is sent to a 20-year exile on a remote uninhabited planet. Heroes are in the past, now he is just an outcast on a deserted rock where storms rage.
Jarek has been provided with food, a living module, and a computer, but he will spend the next few years alone with his thoughts and memories, unless he dies. But it turns out that the planet has been poorly explored and there is life on it. Now Jarek is facing new challenges, trials, and problems that will determine who he really is — a killer of civilizations, a victim of circumstances, or someone else.
The novel «Jarek’s World» is more like a short story in its size, because it is only 136 pages long and has drawings. It was written by the Spanish writer Elia Barceló a long time ago, in 1993, for a local university competition. She wrote quickly and in fragments, between work, raising children, and household chores. She didn’t expect to win, but she did.
The paragraph above conveys the story of the writer herself in the afterword, and also reveals several things. For example, that the book is still worthy of attention because it won. Yes, everyone has different tastes, and not all winners will appeal to everyone, but if something is chosen as the best among others, it deserves to be at least looked at. However, we can also see that although the work was worked on, it was not done to the best of their ability because they had other things to do, life, etc.
In my opinion, this work on the book, among other things, is visible in the work. It’s a bit crude and seems to be made of pieces that could be better polished and more organically combined. The story could use a little more volume in both the literal and figurative senses, a better characterization of the protagonist and coverage of the events in which he found himself. Although the idea is perfectly revealed in the available 136 pages, certain details and clarification of some plot twists would have benefited the book.
I would like to note that many books are written in this way — in fragments, between business, work, and hobbies, between life’s difficulties, challenges, and troubles. Between important events and successes. Not all would-be and actual writers have the opportunity to write books only, so for some it is an additional source of money, or an oasis for the soul. Here we are talking about this particular book, about its certain imperfection, which I noticed while reading, and then after reading the author’s afterward, I realized its reason. At least it seems so to me.
«Jarek’s World» — classic work of space fiction «old school». But at the same time, the fantastic here is only a tool for revealing important social issues and themes. This is a book about humanity and its limits, about responsibility and its avoidance, about trust and betrayal, about love and self-sacrifice.
Through Jarek and his accusations, through his actions and the subsequent revelation of the actions of the previous team, the writer shows many human virtues and shortcomings. We see the characteristics of people that make us proud of ourselves, but alongside them are shown flaws and problems that often lead to disasters not only on the pages of books.
Jarek himself is three-dimensional and realistic. His actions and thoughts are believable, even though they often evoke a wide range of emotions. This makes him alive and real, so this is a plus for the book.
I would also like to note the dynamic plot and unexpected, at least unusual, ending, although at first it seems that there is nothing lively about a desert planet with only one hero. But Emilia Barceló has a few surprises for the reader, so interesting events are not long in coming. And the protagonist’s reflections and self-exploration also add to the story’s liveliness. And the novel itself is simply and well written. The sentences are short, as are the chapters. Page after page flies by, so the book ends very quickly.
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