"Distant Star" is a novel by Chilean author Roberto Bolaño, first published in Spanish in 1996. The novel is set in Chile during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet and tells the story of a young Chilean poet, Carlos Wieder, and his obsession with aviation and the stars.
The book is narrated by an unnamed character who is also a poet and a former classmate of Wieder's. The narrator describes how Wieder's love of airplanes and his fascination with the cosmos lead him to become a military pilot and eventually a murderer, as he becomes involved in the torture and killing of left-wing dissidents during the Pinochet regime.
The novel has been praised for its haunting, lyrical prose and its exploration of themes of violence, power, and artistic obsession. Bolaño's writing has been compared to that of Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel García Márquez, and "Distant Star" has been noted for its blend of historical realism and surreal, dreamlike elements.
The book has been translated into numerous languages and has been hailed as a masterwork of Latin American literature. It has also been adapted for the stage and has been the subject of academic study and critical analysis.
0