In Strangers' Arms

Events of interest happen everyday in Buenos Aires.  They are widely advertised in free publications. I caught by chance the exhibit “El Pibe Carlitos: Man and Myth.”  Carlitos is our most beloved singer of all times!

The palace where the exhibit is held used to house our former newspaper La Prensa. I feel a knot in my stomach as I think about its confiscation and silencing during the Juan Perón regime. I admire its unique façade that follows the aesthetic canons of the École des Beaux-Arts (1898), climb its marble stairs, cross the hall, and follow an arrow pointing to the basement. Spotlights illuminate Carlos Gardel’s life from 1910 until his death in a plane crash in 1935. The backdrop of his colorful life is a sober black and white that featuring the social-political-historical context of the times he lived.

Uruguayans say Gardel is their son. Many Argentines claim Buenos Aires was his crib. I photographed his handwritten testament that states his place of birth: “I was born in Toulouse on December 11, 1890.” Despite this document the debate will continue, some claim it was forged.

Carlos Gardel was notorious for his mysterious private life. My camera caught many unfamiliar objects: his testament, a police record for being a runaway at age 9, another from his youth for making money telling lies to gullible folks, a few objects that survived the plane wreck, and several cashed checks dated 1934 from the National City Bank of New York – one for 800 dollars and others for 200. What a fortune in 1934!

Several posters with oversized paper invite visitors to ask Carlitos questions. I read the questions. No one asked him what I asked about his mysterious life, in a fantasy conversation I reported in the book In Strangers’ Arms (p. 195).  Here are three: “What was it like to die in that airplane accident that killed you at age 45? Was it really an accident, or did it happen because you were fighting? ”The mystery of your love life has kept us talking about your sexuality ever since you died.

Listen to a snippet of “Dandy” by Carlos Gardel in Wonderfully Tango: click here
(Copyright (c) 2013 Beatriz Dujovne)

Tags: Song