Latin Moon In Manhattan
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The Colombian-born poet Jaime Manrique Ardila has written a novel called Latin Moon In Manhattan, one with a Colombian-born poet protagonist living in Times Square with his cat with an enlarged heart, Mr. O’Donnell. The relationship between Santiago Martinez and Mr. O’Donnell serves as the framing device for the novel, one populated with enough oddities of Times Square life to resemble a psychedelic freak show sponsored by P. T. Barnum. The novel is engaging because it of its existential optimism, rarely two words which go side by side without being an oxymoron. As Santiago tries to finish his epic poem on Christopher Columbus, he attempts to find some meaning in his life—a life which is given stability and meaning through his close relationship with his very humanized roommate, Mr. O’Donnell.Santiago and Mr. O’Donnell share a similar history. When Santiago was a small child whose father had abandoned him and whose mother welcomed more gentleman callers than Blanche DuBois ever dreamed of entertaining, he used to long for some loving couple to magically appear and adopt him. Likewise, Mr. O’Donnell was rescued by Rebecca, Santiago’s neighbor, and adopted by Santiago, “As the person who had found Mr. O’Donnell in the alley, she had taken the role of adoptive mother and she too had grown to love him” (Manrique 187-188). Santiago and Mr. O’Donnell have a relationship built on mutual respect and affection. While Santiago is s
. . .
d the long pinkish nose of a tropical rat. I stared into his eyes. The black pupils were surrounded by a greenish circle that grew agate toward the edges. His whiskers were long and thick between his ears and he started to purr. ‘Yes, yes, I know,’ I said. Burying his nose under my chin, he went to sleep lying on my chest, his enlarged heart thumping against mine.
(Manrique 99-100)
Santiago is also preoccupied with mortality which helps to further create anxiety and despair within him. The death from AIDS of his long-time friend Billy, the suicide of a man whose smashed and bloody body lands at his feet, and the fact that Mr. O’Donnell is living on “overtime” make his own mortality all the more palpable to him. In some ways, Santiago is beginning to believe that happiness is an illusion, something that Americans believe is their guaranteed right because of the wording in the Bill of Rights. However, he is aware of the transitory nature of happiness, a mood that does at times make up in height what it lacks in duration. We see this one of the few times Santiago is not troubled over his constant worrying, guilt, and anxiety about the unknown future—when he and his nephew Gene and Mr. O’Donnell are in the park sipping be
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1765
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
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