Alan Pauls' 'Histoire des cheveux' Explores Hair Obsession

In his novel 'Histoire des cheveux,' Argentine author Alan Pauls delves into the protagonist's lifelong obsession with hair, challenging common negative idioms. The story follows the protagonist from adolescence, where he dreams of an afro but hesitates, unlike his friend Monti, who is arrested and forcibly shaved. The narrative climaxes with the protagonist's discovery of Celso, a Paraguayan barber in Buenos Aires, whose genius lies in cutting hair 'in time' and revealing the lifespan of a haircut. Pauls weaves in anecdotes about dog grooming, Elvis's guru barber, Che Guevara's lock of hair auctioned, and the fraudulent successes of tennis players, actors, and politicians under a dictatorship. The novel, published by Éditions Bourgois, is praised for its subtle originality.