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El primer libro que leí se llama Operación rescate y estaba perdido desde hace años. Ahora apareció de la nada.
Es la historia de Marvin, Raymond y Fats, tres ratones que viven en la juguetería de una tienda Macy’s, Manhattan, Ciudad de Nueva York. Un día Fats se queda dormido en el interior de un auto de Barbie; el juguete es vendido como regalo y así comienza la operación de rescate. Lo que sigue es Marvin y Raymond haciendo bardo en la Quinta Avenida, tomando colectivos y subtes, irrumpiendo en departamentos, confundiendo siniestros científicos con dentistas inofensivos, evitando perros y porteros, fraguando encuentros casuales y hasta volando por los cielos en un barrilete. No necesité ni siquiera hojear el libro para saber que me lo acordaba de memoria.
Lo que no recordaba es que la escritora se llamaba Jean Van Leeuwen. La googlié y encontré esto:
http://www.jeanvanleeuwen.com/
Es la historia de Marvin, Raymond y Fats, tres ratones que viven en la juguetería de una tienda Macy’s, Manhattan, Ciudad de Nueva York. Un día Fats se queda dormido en el interior de un auto de Barbie; el juguete es vendido como regalo y así comienza la operación de rescate. Lo que sigue es Marvin y Raymond haciendo bardo en la Quinta Avenida, tomando colectivos y subtes, irrumpiendo en departamentos, confundiendo siniestros científicos con dentistas inofensivos, evitando perros y porteros, fraguando encuentros casuales y hasta volando por los cielos en un barrilete. No necesité ni siquiera hojear el libro para saber que me lo acordaba de memoria.
Lo que no recordaba es que la escritora se llamaba Jean Van Leeuwen. La googlié y encontré esto:
http://www.jeanvanleeuwen.com/
A los pocos días, le escribí un email cursi pero honesto:
Dear Jean:
How are you? As I’m writing to you, one of your books lies on the table, right before my eyes. The title reads “Operación Rescate”, a somewhat dull Spanish version of your awesome The Great Rescue Operation (no “great” in the Spanish title: I’m guessing Marvin would frown upon that omission).
This is by far the most beloved of all the many many books I own. It had been lost for several years until I found it by accident, just the other day. I first read it when I was ten years old. It was the very first book I’ve ever read, and it amazes me how, after all these years -I’m 26 now-, I remember the story as if I had just finished reading it. Unfortunately, I have only read The Great Operation Rescue. Hopefully I will get more of your books when I visit NYC. I’ll be glad to read them in English -I’m not very fond of Spanish translations-.
Anyway, as I pressume you are a busy lady, I will get to the point.
There are many things I should thank you for. I’ll try to be brief:
1) Thanks to your book, I love books. The Great Rescue Operation is the reason I started reading literature. I have this vague memory: it’s a sunny day in Adrogué, Buenos Aires. I’m in the backyard of my house. I’m reading just by the pool, and I’m laughing so hard that I nearly fall into the water. The reason I’m laughing is the fact that, whenever in a bumpy situation, Raymond always lands on Marvin’s head. That kills me.
2) Even more important than the prior reason: thanks to your book, I love rats and mice. Especially rats, probably because everyone else hates them. Everytime I see one of them running around the streets, I get so inexplicably happy. I guess I owe that to both your book and that masterpiece called Ratatouille.
3) It was the first and most vivid picture of Manhattan I’ve formed in my mind (along with Salinger’s The catcher in the rye). Thanks to the book, I can’t wait to go to NYC. I will definitely do some shopping at Macy’s. And I expect to see big parades on the Fifth Avenue, and flying kites in Central Park. And of course, rats, lots of rats running around. Is all that stuff still going on back there? I certainly hope so.
So that’s it. Thank you, Jean. From Mar del Plata, Argentina, I salute you.
Juan Martín Dezzuto – August 6th 2010
How are you? As I’m writing to you, one of your books lies on the table, right before my eyes. The title reads “Operación Rescate”, a somewhat dull Spanish version of your awesome The Great Rescue Operation (no “great” in the Spanish title: I’m guessing Marvin would frown upon that omission).
This is by far the most beloved of all the many many books I own. It had been lost for several years until I found it by accident, just the other day. I first read it when I was ten years old. It was the very first book I’ve ever read, and it amazes me how, after all these years -I’m 26 now-, I remember the story as if I had just finished reading it. Unfortunately, I have only read The Great Operation Rescue. Hopefully I will get more of your books when I visit NYC. I’ll be glad to read them in English -I’m not very fond of Spanish translations-.
Anyway, as I pressume you are a busy lady, I will get to the point.
There are many things I should thank you for. I’ll try to be brief:
1) Thanks to your book, I love books. The Great Rescue Operation is the reason I started reading literature. I have this vague memory: it’s a sunny day in Adrogué, Buenos Aires. I’m in the backyard of my house. I’m reading just by the pool, and I’m laughing so hard that I nearly fall into the water. The reason I’m laughing is the fact that, whenever in a bumpy situation, Raymond always lands on Marvin’s head. That kills me.
2) Even more important than the prior reason: thanks to your book, I love rats and mice. Especially rats, probably because everyone else hates them. Everytime I see one of them running around the streets, I get so inexplicably happy. I guess I owe that to both your book and that masterpiece called Ratatouille.
3) It was the first and most vivid picture of Manhattan I’ve formed in my mind (along with Salinger’s The catcher in the rye). Thanks to the book, I can’t wait to go to NYC. I will definitely do some shopping at Macy’s. And I expect to see big parades on the Fifth Avenue, and flying kites in Central Park. And of course, rats, lots of rats running around. Is all that stuff still going on back there? I certainly hope so.
So that’s it. Thank you, Jean. From Mar del Plata, Argentina, I salute you.
Juan Martín Dezzuto – August 6th 2010
Una semana después, llegó la respuesta:
Dear Juan:
Thanks very much for your letter. I'm very glad to know that my book about New York City mice has been read in Argentina, and that it helped you become an avid reader.
One point I should clear up, though: I myself am not fond of rats. In fact, the only reason Marvin calls Raymond "Raymond the Rat" is to make him act as fierce as Marvin thinks he should be. Also, when I first wrote about mice I was living in a New York City apartment, which had no rodents. After I moved to a house outside the city, I had my first encounter with actual mice and revised my opinion of them.
My other books about Marvin, Raymond, and Fats (four of them) are now out of print, though they can still be found in libraries and through internet sellers like Amazon. However, the first one, THE GREAT CHEESE CONSPIRACY is soon to be reissued, and that one and THE GREAT RESCUE OPERATION are available as Audio Books.
In closing, I wish you a wonderful visit to Manhattan, with Macy's shopping, parades, and kite-flying in Central Park. But no actual rats.
Best wishes,
Jean Van Leeuwen
¿Cómo puede la simpática Sra. Van Leeuwen equivocarse tanto? Al principio me enojé. Pensé que era oportuno iniciar una polémica epistolar como las de antes, pensé en emprender una encendida defensa de las ratas y de la fauna roedora en general; pensé palabras agresivas, despectivas, hiperbólicas, lapidarias; al poco tiempo se me pasó.
No vale la pena. Probablemente Jean no lo merezca de todas formas. Así que no habrá polémica. En vez de eso, con suerte y con paciencia, quizás alguna vez haya un video. Filmar una rata como la de la última Navidad, una rata marrón que asome la cabeza por el hueco del cordón y luego se esconda y luego vuelva a aparecer y luego se esconda y así hasta el feliz año nuevo.
Probablemente tampoco con el video cambie la opinión de Jean, ni la de la gran mayoría de los mortales. Como todas las cosas que sí valen la pena, ésta es una empresa de antemano condenada al fracaso. Que así sea.
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