Hopscotch

Cortazar’s masterpiece and one of the great literary experiments of the twentieth century. The novel follows Horacio Oliveira, an Argentine intellectual drifting through 1950s Paris with his lover La Maga and a circle of bohemian friends. After tragedy strikes, he returns to Buenos Aires. The book can be read in at least two ways: straight through, or following an alternate chapter order that Cortazar provides.

Why Read This

Hopscotch is a novel that asks you to participate in its construction. The first 36 chapters tell a complete story. The remaining 119 “expendable” chapters can be woven in following Cortazar’s suggested sequence, creating a different book entirely. This is not a gimmick. The alternate reading order adds depth, contradiction, and philosophical commentary that transforms the experience.

At its core, this is a love story. Oliveira’s search for La Maga, for meaning, for some way to break through the surface of things, is genuinely moving. The Paris sections capture bohemian life with affection and irony. The Buenos Aires sections are darker, stranger, and more desperate. Gregory Rabassa’s English translation won the National Book Award.

What to Expect

A long, demanding, and deeply rewarding novel. The prose shifts between lyrical passages, philosophical digressions, and sharp dialogue. Some chapters are puzzles. Others are heartbreaking. The experimental structure can be disorienting at first, but the emotional core holds everything together. Best approached after reading Cortazar’s short stories.