Читать книгу Valparaíso between utopia and reality: - Rodolfo Follegati - Страница 7

PREFACE

‘Valparaíso in Three Acts’ could have been the title of this book, but it would have said little about the city. Acts could be moments or scenes, but we would have no idea which acts or which scenes.

What truly lies behind the suggestion of calling the book ‘Valparaíso in Three Acts’ is the idea that the sum of its three parts cover and illustrate the city of Valparaíso, although they could each stand independently, even while they all belong to one theme.

In fact, those three sections of stories and reflections on the city do have a common thread that create a coherent single story. Like a ship anchored to its buoy in the bay to ensure it can withstand the north winds and the south winds, this book is tied between utopia and reality with a city at its heart that resists the onslaught of time and space. Its utopia and reality free us to talk about dreams and visions, to write about catastrophes, anecdotes, and myths, and of veiled truths and exposed facts.

Most of the facts and events covered in these stories occurred in the 19th century, but some are related to the discovery by the Spanish conquistadors of the Bay of Valparaíso in 1536; while others relate to the eventful 20th century. All the possible versions that can be found here, however, are born of contemporary and current questions and doubts about our quotidian lives, our dreams, and the utopia we yearn for that our imagined port could one day become a reality.

Indeed, this English version of the book is a response to the pressing contemporary need to offer the general reader from overseas a version of Valparaíso in which the tourist or visitor can relate to its history, and perhaps even recognize him or herself in the story of the city, and truly understand the current life of its inhabitants and their unique cultural values. In other words, the intention is to enable the reader to get to know cosmopolitan Valparaíso, its polyglot nature rooted in European and North American components, brightened by garlands from the East, and always with its focus on the Pacific Ocean.

The realities of the Coronavirus pandemic caused a hiatus for this work, just as it has suspended tourism due to the closure of international borders. For the same reason, this book first saw the light of day in Spanish. And even though circumstances have not changed to date, there is no reason to keep postponing this project which, thanks to the encouragement and generous collaboration of my translator Natascha Scott-Stokes, has enabled me to reach out to an Anglophone readership, crossing frontiers and taking this history of Valparaíso beyond its own horizons.

For practical reasons and to ensure a fluid and pleasant reading experience, all bibliographic footnotes have been omitted. Instead, all references and documentary sources can be found at the end of each section in the book. Please note, all quotes are original translations from Spanish editions.

Welcome to this journey around the history of Valparaíso, which is also to know its genuine roots.

Rodolfo Follegati Pollmann November 2020