I just finished reading an amazing short story called “Axolotl” by Argentine writer Julio Cortazar. I’m going to gush about it now.
The story follows the life of a man who becomes obsessed with the Axolotls (see picture above) at his local aquarium. He visits them everyday for hours upon end and stares into their blank, unmoving gold eyes. I love how he explores his uncanny sense of connection with the creatures:
“The anthropomorphic features of a monkey reveal the reverse of what most people believe, the distance that is traveled from them to us. The absolute lack of similarity between axolotls and human beings proved to me that my recognition [with them] was valid, that I was not propping myself up with easy analogies”
The story takes an abrupt and certainly magical turn at the end that you’ll have to check out for yourself. For now, here’s one of my favorite songs of the past year (which hints at Cortazar’s ending…damn I’m good.):
— Basil
