One of the things I like about literature is its perennial nature. By this I mean not only that themes are relevant years after being portrayed in a book, but also that a book always has something for its readers. As an illustration, I have just finished reading Cristina Garcia's Dreaming in Cuban (1992) and the book is still relevant 28 years after being published. Although it is neither the best novel I have read about feminism, Cuban history, magical realism and santeria, nor the greatest book in terms of literary artistry, there are still aspects that are worth remembering & mentioning, and aspects that are still valid nowadays:
Franco and I commiserate about how St. Mark's Place is a zoo these days with the bridge-and-tunnel crowd wearing fuchsia mohawks and safety pins through their cheeks. Everybody wants to be part of the freak show for a day. Anything halfway interesting gets co-opted, mainstreamed. We'll all be doing car commercials soon.