Bolaño & Drugs

To the Editors:

In my review of the astonishing novel 2666 by Roberto Bolaño [NYR, December 18, 2008], I followed previously published articles on Bolaño in writing that he “had a heroin habit,” and that he later “cleaned up.” But according to Bolaño’s estate, that claim is traceable to a misunderstanding, and the author did not suffer from any form of drug addiction. I regret including those statements in my piece.

Also, the essay by Aura Estrada to which I made reference, “Borges, Bolaño, and the Return of the Epic,” appeared in the October 2006 issue of Words Without Borders and can be read at www.wordswithoutborders.org.

Sarah Kerr
Silver Spring, Maryland