Bring Me the Head of Quentin Tarantino
Julián Herbert, Translated from the Spanish by Christina MacSweeney
Reviewed by Ali Geren
Christina MacSweeney brings Julián Herbert’s short story collection Bring Me the Head of Quentin Tarantino to life in true Tarantino fashion. Although the titular story is at the end (and what an ending it is!), Tarantino is evoked throughout the piece, which is a testament to both Herbert’s iconic writing style and MacSweeney’s expert translation. The collection is comprised of ten short stories, all of which explore elements of life in Mexico. The stories range from comedic to dramatic, from gory to surrealist, and back again. Readers will find Herbert’s protagonists reluctantly likable; they are crack addicts, gangsters, cartel lords, and often commit heinous crimes. In true Tarantino fashion, most of them die bloody, or at the very least spend their days post-story paying penance for their crimes. This, too, hearkens back to Tarantino himself – the stories in Bring Me the Head of Quentin Tarantino often involve some type of revenge narrative, but without any of the tired storylines or tropes that Tarantino relies on. Each of Herbert’s stories feels fresh and new.
Of particular note is the piece “Caries,” which tells a story in traditional prose, but also incorporates photographs and pages of music. This multi-media mixing transcends language barriers – in the story, the protagonist finds sheet music in his teeth. The incorporation of photographs of the inside of the protagonist’s mouth makes readers feel as though they are as much a part of the story as the characters are. It isn’t a short story in a collection; it’s actual music, produced by the protagonist’s mouth. It is this evocation of a deliciously too-real world that makes even the most fantastical of Herbert’s stories seem possible. Much like Tarantino’s Dusk Til Dawn, “Z” is set in a zombie apocalypse, wherein the main character is attending therapy and paying for services by installing cable. It seems perfectly plausible: Herbert’s direct and often humorous prose creates a reality in which readers believe wholeheartedly that there are zombie therapists about.
The titular story, however, earns its position as the title of the collection. “Bring Me the Head of Quentin Tarantino” is to Julián Herbert what Pulp Fiction is to Quentin Tarantino – a masterpiece that effortlessly weaves multiple storylines and themes in an often-humorous and always exciting tale that examines Tarantino’s work through a critical lens and allows readers to sink into Herbert’s fantastic storytelling. It’s the longest piece in the book, but it leaves readers hungry for more of Herbert’s unique and refreshing style.