hen you step into the realm of magical realism, one can expect to accept the twists and turns of the plot not as something insane or absurd, but as a de-facto reality in which the the author hopes the reader will accept.

Such is the case of Christopher Unborn, a novel originally published in Spanish in 1987 which begins in an alternate-reality Mexico nine months before the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America.

The government has started a contest in which a child born exactly on the stroke of midnight of October 12, 1992 would be selected to be the next Mexican president, so many couples literally got busy into conceiving children with that deadline in mind. The narrator of this tome is the baby himself, and the story begins in an idyllic Acapulco beach, the place chosen by the young couple to conceive their future leader. The setting seems romantic enough (a deserted beach, a naked couple having sex) until a rain of excrement befalls them, courtesy of a crazed old man who couldn't hold it as he parachuted down to the beach.

As Christopher waits to be born through nine long chapters which represent a month each, his country is living through a worst-case scenario: chunks of the country are being sold to corporate interests while the corrupt dominating party, the PRI (which, in real life, held on to power for over 60 years) creates illusions to keep the hungry, desperate populace in check. When all else fails, they resort to massacre, gunning down those who revolt against the system. The novel's family unit is composed by the baby's parents, Angel and Angeles (who has a halo), their uncle Fernando and Homero Fagoaga, a greedy, ruthless man who is capable of suing his own nephew in order to take control of his inheritance.

Angel is musician in a band formed by four misfits which include an orphan whose origin had to be invented and a bald friend who lost his hair while confined to a ceremonial egg (don't ask). The name of the band, "The Four Fuckups", could not be more appropriate, as it satirizes the entire pop system that even today prefabricates easy-to-consume, "safe" music.

The tome is hard to follow at times - there are a number of references to eighties Mexico that will be lost on readers not familiar with the news of the time, but that does not create any problems as we assume these are just part of the plot. There are several mentions of the horrific 1985 earthquake that devastated Mexico City and got volunteers going in to help while the government wondered what to do; in one moment, Fuentes recalls the babies that were found - still alive - under the rubble of a hospital weeks after the disaster.

Mr Fuentes' clever pen uses satire to point out the flaws of his own nation, but he doesn't forget their northern neighbors. He has been a professor at Harvard for a number of years now, and he cleverly points out the utter polarization of this country (he certainly had a vision - not many one talked about red and blue America in those days), and the racist immigration policies that he - and many others - detest.

Although this is not an easy read, it is recommended to readers with an eye for irony. Fuentes takes the social and economical disasters of an entire era and chronicles them with a keen sense of humor that surprises and sometimes puzzles us. One might get lost when a disguised fact is mixed with fiction, but those little discoveries are only half the enjoyment this book brings.

------------------------------------

Jazz, arts and other beats:

On Monday, January 13th, Andrea Wolper returns to the 55 Bar for a two-hour set of her original music blended with some standards that she makes her own. She goes on from 7 - 9 pm. Personnel:
Andrea Wolper, voc / Michael Howell, gtr / Ken Filiano, bs. The 55 Bar is located at 55 Christopher St. @ 7th Ave. No cover charge / 2 drinks min. For more information, visit www.AndreaWolper.com

Flushing Town Hall and The New York Guitar Festival present two evenings of performances that combine acclaimed guitarists, original scores commissioned by the Festival, and silent films from China and Japan in the 1920s and 1930s. On Jan 21st, the festival features Leni Stern + Brandon Ross + Michelle Kinney and 1/28: Alex De Grassi + Henry Kaiser + Loren Connors. The Flushing Town Hall is located at 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, NY 11354 (one block east of Main Street in Downtown Flushing, at the corner of Linden Pl.). For more info, visit www.flushingtownhall.org

Zbigniew Libera, one of Poland’s most controversial artists, will be introduced to the New York City audience by Eleanor Heartney,contributing editor of Art in America and Artpress, along with Raul Zamudio, curatorial director at White Box, where the event takes place. on Saturday, January 28 at 5 PM. (525 West 26th Street,betw.10th and 11th Avenues)For more information, contact info@whiteboxny.org