‘House Taken Over’ by Julio Cortázar, translated by Paul Blackburn
I was recently chatting with a friend about the struggle I had earlier in the year as I made my first forays into reading magical realism with The House of Spirits and One Hundred Years of Solitude. Being much more well-versed in South American literature than myself, she suggested that I might have more success with the short stories of Julio Cortázar and tracked down an English translation of one such story for me. I am so glad that she did since I really enjoyed this eerie, atmospheric work and will definitely be keeping an eye out for more of Cortázar’s short fiction.
‘House Taken Over’ introduces the reader to two siblings: Irene, who loves knitting, and the nameless narrator. Neither have married and they continue to live a simple life in the childhood home that has been in their family for several generations. However, as the picture of these two characters progresses, it becomes clear that there is more going on in the empty house than the reader initially realises, as the siblings are forced to keep moving to smaller and smaller parts of the house by an unnamed presence.
Cortázar builds the tension in the mind of the reader expertly: introducing the reader first to the siblings’ seemingly ordinary life before revealing that the house is being taken over. Despite explaining very little of the situation, the danger is made clear with a few sentences: they don’t dare to return to the part that is taken over, not even to get the belongings that are left behind. Their slow and simple life is sharply contrasted by the way they are forced into immediate, decisive action. Cortázar’s skill is shown in the way he is able to express this contrast with so few details and answers given; allowing the reader to glimpse only enough to spark their imagination. It is not even that the presence taking over the house is never explained, the revelation of the siblings’ battle for the house raises many questions about their family and their past that will also be left unanswered. The reader’s imagination is given unlimited freedom to roam with this short story, filling in where the blank spaces have been left.
The tone of the writing was a particular aspect which stood out to me. Cortázar keeps the narrator’s voice fairly muted and matter-of-fact with a simplicity which matches the life the siblings have created for themselves in this house. It is not difficult to picture the house and the characters simply from the tone used throughout, which is then in contrast to the creeping invasion happening within the house.
As I mentioned in the introduction, I am very glad that my friend sent me this short story and for a number of reasons: firstly, for helping me to find an ‘in’ to the genre of magical realism after finding other works more difficult; and secondly, for reminding me of how much I love short fiction. Cortázar uses this form to great effect and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more of his short fiction in the future.
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