I lived from 1921-1986. I was from Bolivia, and am in the Americas category.
Eccentric. Homeless looking. Alcoholic. Sensitive.
What is the first reaction a person has when finding out that a man, to celebrate his wedding, goes out and buys a panther and allows this animal to sleep in the bedroom during the honeymoon? How is one to feel when discovering that a man stole a leg from a cadaver and put it under his pillow? Welcome to the bizarre world of Jaime Saenz.
Saenz struggled with poverty, alcohol, drug addiction and inner demons most of his life. Between September 1938 and late 1939, he was a member of the Bolivian Nazi Youth. His main assignments (that are known) centered on construction projects and participating in the strict physical training camp activities. There is no known apology for his enlistment or noted regrets for what he may have done while serving in Germany. His body of work is free of any anti-Semitism or racism. What is encountered is Saenz’s remarkable empathy of the “underdog” of society.
Saenz married a woman (German and Jewish) who was an organizer for the Bolivian fascist just before World War II. They had a daughter. Eventually his wife got tired of his strange behavior and returned to Germany (with their daughter) after the war.
Saenz was a well respected writer, poet and visionary. His skills were sought by many in his country. One person that he was particularly close to was Guillermo Bedregal Garcia, the Rimbaud of Bolivia. Saenz wrote a libretto for an opera that was scored by a famous Bolivian composer, yet, Saenz did not give his permission to have the libretto performed; he felt that it was too impossible to do.
Saenz managed to quit his alcoholic consumption in the late 60s, but replaced it with cocaine. Towards the end of his life, he relished in the aloneness that his room provided. His teeth rotted away, he entertained those that came to visit, he read—he lived his life his way.
mermaid7
What is the first reaction a person has when finding out that a man, to celebrate his wedding, goes out and buys a panther and allows this animal to sleep in the bedroom during the honeymoon? How is one to feel when discovering that a man stole a leg from a cadaver and put it under his pillow? Welcome to the bizarre world of Jaime Saenz.
Saenz struggled with poverty, alcohol, drug addiction and inner demons most of his life. Between September 1938 and late 1939, he was a member of the Bolivian Nazi Youth. His main assignments (that are known) centered on construction projects and participating in the strict physical training camp activities. There is no known apology for his enlistment or noted regrets for what he may have done while serving in Germany. His body of work is free of any anti-Semitism or racism. What is encountered is Saenz’s remarkable empathy of the “underdog” of society.
Saenz married a woman (German and Jewish) who was an organizer for the Bolivian fascist just before World War II. They had a daughter. Eventually his wife got tired of his strange behavior and returned to Germany (with their daughter) after the war.
Saenz was a well respected writer, poet and visionary. His skills were sought by many in his country. One person that he was particularly close to was Guillermo Bedregal Garcia, the Rimbaud of Bolivia. Saenz wrote a libretto for an opera that was scored by a famous Bolivian composer, yet, Saenz did not give his permission to have the libretto performed; he felt that it was too impossible to do.
Saenz managed to quit his alcoholic consumption in the late 60s, but replaced it with cocaine. Towards the end of his life, he relished in the aloneness that his room provided. His teeth rotted away, he entertained those that came to visit, he read—he lived his life his way.
mermaid7
Links of interest include Notes from Bolivia, from The Night translated and introduced by Forrest Gander and Kent Johnson
My poetry
- Desiring yet unable, I dreamt myself in this room sleeping and I dreamt
myself being able,10 lines - One night on a rain-glistened road high above the dark city
with its noise now distant18 lines
