The Savage Detectives

The Savage Detectives, or Los Detectives Salvajes, is a 1998 novel by Chilean author Roberto Bolaño. The English version, translated by Natasha Wimmer, was published in 2007. Set in the 1970s, the story follows two poets, Ulises Lima and Arturo Belano, as they search for a poet named Cesárea Tinajero. Arranged in three parts, the story is configured out of chronological order and told from multiple points of view. Artists and prostitutes, slang and elevated argot blend in a sea of voices. Ultimately, the narrative, rich in literary references, reflects a sentimental look back at a certain time, place, and impression. The story depicts the vigor and intensity for the process of creation and illustrates the poets’ fervor for their literary movement.

The first section, entitled “Mexicans Lost in Mexico,” takes place in 1975 and is narrated by Juan García Madero, a 17-year-old would-be poet. After Juan encounters Arturo Belano and Ulises Lima, he leaves school and goes to Mexico City. The reader watches as Juan joins their nomadic band of poets who have adopted the appellation “Visceral Realists.” The literary school is essentially based on a strong opposition to any sort of mainstream Mexican literary works, though the reader is never subjected to any of the Visceral Realist poetry.

The group is living a hedonistic lifestyle of excessive drinking, drugs, theft, and sex. Gathering young poets, artists, and dancers, the group publishes magazines, conducts poetry readings, and has intense conversations while roaming from one place to another. In order to make money, the members of the group sell marijuana. Juan is exposed to a new and exciting world of freedom and epicurean pleasures, becoming increasingly entrenched in the gang, though he is still unsure about the concept of Visceral Realism.



Soon, Arturo and Ulises discover that an older poet has also used the phrase “Visceral Realism” to designate a literary movement. The poet, Cesárea Tinajero, is an elusive character from the 1920s and is known to have published a single poem. The duo decides to travel to Sonora to try and find Cesárea. At the same time, Juan has helped to rescue Lupe, a young prostitute, from her abusive pimp Alberto. The pimp warns Juan to return Lupe to him, but with the aid of Arturo and Ulises, the two narrowly avoid a shootout. The group leaves Mexico City to head for Sonora, the location where Cesárea was last known to have been.

The second section of the novel is called “The Savage Detectives,” and it incorporates over forty narrators over a twenty-year span, from 1976 to 1996. The narration takes the form of interview-style monologues of people from all over the world, each individual having been introduced to Arturo and Ulises. The reader discovers that Arturo and Ulises spent some time in Europe, largely living like bohemians and visiting bars and camps. The story takes the reader from North America to Africa to Europe as dozens of characters portray their experiences. While each voice has an individual opinion of the two men, generally, people feel that they are elitist poets who tend to annoy or offend those they encounter. At one point, the reader learns that, fearful of a negative review of his work, Arturo confronts a literary critic in Spain and challenges him to a swordfight.

In the third section of the book, entitled “The Deserts of Sonora,” which is once again narrated by Juan García Madero, the reader is shifted back in the timeline to right after the first section of the novel. Set in the Sonora Desert in 1976, the section follows Arturo, Ulises, Juan, and Lupe. In the car on the way to Sonora, Juan displays his vast erudition when he asks the others whether they know meanings of obscure literary terms such as ‘quiasmo’ and ‘epanalepsis.’ Soon, Lupe takes control of the game by asking Juan if he understands colloquial terms from the street, such as ‘la grandiose.’



Pursued by Alberto and a corrupt Mexican police officer, the group drives aimlessly in the maze of dust-filled villages as they search for Cesárea. Upon meeting Cesárea, the group finds her to be eccentric and digressive. She speaks vaguely of the days to come (around the year 2600) and carries a switchblade by her side as she believes she is in peril.
The story ends with Juan and Lupe driving through Sonora, and the last few pages simply contain names of the places the couple seemingly drives to. Juan takes up Cesárea’s notebooks, perhaps inspired, and the final entries of the novel depict riddles reminiscent of one of Cesárea’s visual poems.

While the novel does not feature much literature from the characters in the story, the book’s very fabric is made up of literary references, and it is a continuous discussion on the nature of creating art. For example, Ulises is an apparent reference to James Joyce’s novel Ulysses, and his name may foreshadow his eventual journey-related life. Similarly, Arturo is thought to embody another literary figure, as some critics believe his character is the alter ego of Bolaño himself. Creating a narrative of rich and playful language and allusion, the author provides an invigorating snapshot of a time of pure artistic creation that was powerful enough to create a literary movement.