Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?-Julio Cortazar’s constant struggle.
A writer’s biography contributes highly to how his story will come to place. Many little sequences in an author’s life can be memories that the author holds on to for a long time and later engendered in his writing. Julio Cortazar, a Spanish speaking writer, author of “Noche boca arriba,” which translates to, or delineates to, night face up, and “Continuidad de los parques,” which is, continuity of parks, is just one of many authors who have had traumatic experiences in their past that spark their literary spontaneity in their writing today. Julio Cortazar had a troubled nefarious childhood in which many of his family members were sick. In his adult life, he himself…show more content… One story of his that is worth mentioning is “Noche de boca arriba” which translates to, night face up. In this story, it begins normally, or as normally as someone can expect. Julio Cortazar introduces a character who is riding a motorcycle down the road. Its a pleasant day when suddenly, boom. The main character has now been in a life or death accident and is in need of serious medical attention. Cortazar then makes a shift to another world in the book. The reader, along with the character, has been transported back to ancient Aztec times. Here, the main character is running. The reader soon finds out that the main character is running because he is running for his life. He is being chased down by a predator, the Aztecs want to sacrifice him to the Gods. Julio Cortazar switches back, the man that was once on the motorcycle is now in ambulance on his way to the hospital, barely conscious. Back to aztec time. The protagonist has been caught and he is strapped to a stone slab where he will be sacrificed. Switch, the man that was on the motorcycle is now in the operating room where a surgeon will perform surgery on him in attempts to save his life. The surgeon raises his scalpel and is about to make his incision. Cortazar makes his final switch, the reader is now back to the Aztec time and the protagonist is about to be struck by a rock so that his heart can be offered to the Gods. Both the Aztec man…show more content… This story, while not so different from “La noche boca arriba” has its own defining elements to it. In this story, the reader starts by encountering a man. This man who has now passed his prime age, enjoys being able to come home and simply read his book. When he reads his book he always does it in the same chair. His chair. His chair is a green velvet upholstery. The main character is pleased with his chair and before he begins reading, he feels the velvet on his hand. He now picks up his book. He recounts on how far he’s gotten in the book. He recounts on how well he knows the story and how he could tell it from there. He introduces a character, a woman, who knocks on a man’s door. She has urgent news, they must leave the cabin and go into the woods. The owner of the house adheres to what she has to say because they are lovers. Strangely, they are unable to take the same path and must go their own ways. As the woman goes up the narrow path in the opposite direction of the house, the house owner follows the path behind his house, running into thick brush. He hides there quietly for a moment, he stares into his home. There is someone inside, he sees a green velvet armchair with the head of a man reading a novel. Cortazar puts it all into perspective when he writes, “Nadie en la primera habitación, nadie en la