La Ciudad De Los Locos/ City of Fools

Juan Jose de Soiza Reilly was an Uruguayan/Argentine journalist and author from the first half the twentieth century, whose work influenced follow journalist/author Roberto Arlt. I'd never heard of him until recently, so I suspect this anthology is in part to make sure he does not fall completely into obscurity. The book collects an interesting variety of pieces, most of it fiction, though a few essays (on being a journalist or various aspects of the Argentine art world) are included. The stories include some portrayals of the life of the hard-knock life in Buenos Aires, a short novel about the moral failings of the upper class, a satire on journalism, and a couple of peculiar stories with elements of science fiction (including the title story). Most of it was pretty engaging, though perhaps less so than Arlt, except for the novel, which felt as if it didn't really go anywhere. I rather liked the science fiction stories and would probably pick up an anthology containing more of those kinds of stories.