Peruvian novel “Tantas veces Pedro” finds audience in Japan
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In Peru, Alfredo Bryce Echenique’s second novel, “Tantas Veces Pedro” (1977), initially puzzled readers who anticipated a sequel to his acclaimed “Un Mundo Para Julius” (1970).
Instead of continuing the story of the oligarchy, Bryce Echenique set his new novel largely in France, Spain, and Italy, a departure that led to its being overlooked and going out of print in his home country for many years.
Abelardo Sánchez León, a friend of Bryce Echenique and author of the preface to a commemorative edition of the book, explained that readers expected a continuation of his first novel. Miguel Gutiérrez, another writer, also noted Bryce Echenique chose a more personal path with his second work. Sánchez León describes “Tantas Veces Pedro” as a skillfully constructed, personal novel that follows the fragmented thoughts of its protagonist, Pedro Balbuena, allowing him freedom of imagination.
Despite its initial reception in Peru, the novel found a significant audience in Japan. Bryce Echenique reportedly received consistent royalty checks from Japanese publishers until late in his life, perhaps because the country shares a similar sensibility for controlled eccentricity and complex relationships with women as depicted in the book. The story follows a Peruvian intellectual in Paris struggling with addiction, existential crises, and failed relationships with five capricious women.
Bryce Echenique himself lived a somewhat nomadic life at the time of writing, separated from his wife and without a permanent address. Sánchez León believes that Balbuena foreshadows the character of Martín Romaña from Bryce Echenique’s later novels.
