I agree with your suggestions, especially Miguel Angel Asturias (I was
trying to remember his name for my original list) and Carlos Fuentes.
To summarize, I would suggest "El Se~nor Presidente" by Miguel Angel
Asturias (Guatemala); "Yo, El Supremo" ("I, the Supreme", Knopf, 1986),
by Augusto Roa Bastos (Paraguay); or "The General in his Labyrinth"
(Knopf, 1990) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia).
If you prefer a non-fiction essay, you can hardly do worse than Eduardo
Galeano, possibly "Memoria del Fuego" ("Memory of Fire", Pantheon, 1985).
While doing my research on the Library of Congress site, I saw this
reference, which might be useful (although slightly dated): Rogachevesky,
Jorge R. Title: Politics and the novel in Latin America : Garcia
Marquez and Asturias / by Jorge R. Rogachevesky & Ivan Jaksic. Published:
Amherst, N.Y. : Council on International Studies, State University of New
York at Buffalo, 1980.
Good luck,
Luis
On Sat, 29 Mar 1997, Thomas D. Morin wrote:
> I would like to help answer Renee Scherlen's original question regarding
> adequate novels with political content for the Introductory undergraduate
> Course on Latin American History>
>
> (1)many of the authors mentioned are not to found in English translation
>
> (2) Regarding Garcia Marquez and "100 Hundred Years ...." I do not think
> that students will easily identify the political content alluded to by one
> of the respondants, which has nothing to do with whether or not the book is
> a great book , etc. etc.
>
> (3) Most novels with direct political content have not been written by women
> simply as a matter of fact.
>
> (3) My suggestions to Renee are>
>
> Miguel Angel Asturias, Mr. President(Guatemala)
> Strong Wind
> The Green Pope
> Weekend in Guatemala
> Manlio Argueta, One Day in a Life (El Salvador)
> (Have students see movie, OSCAR, STARRING THE LATE RAUL jULIA)
> Rigoberta Menchu, her testimonial literature.(Guatemala)
> Jose Maria Arguedas, Los Rios Profundos (I believe there is the
> following English translation, Deep Rivers (Andean region)
> Carlos Fuentes, The Death of Artemio Cruz
> Old Gringo
> Where the Air is Clear
> Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Autumn of the Patriarch
> Labyrinth ? (About Simon Bolivar)
> Screen play, Erendira,on video with
> English subtitles
>
> Alejo Carpentier, The Kingdom of this World
> The Lost Steps
> Mario Vargas Llosa, The City of the Dogs
> Mariano Azuela, The Underdogs
> Tomas Eloy Martinez, Santa Evita(I believe it has come out simultaneously in
> Englsih translation)
> Antonio Benitez Rojo, The Sea of Lentils
>
> These items for starters. Renee, if you need more suggestions write to my E
> Mail.
>
> Saludos, T. Morin
>
> At 06:03 PM 3/26/97 -0500, Vera M. Britto wrote:
> >hi luis - i hope i didn't sound like i was hitting you
> >over the head, but it is true that women writers have been
> >greatly ignored because of sexism, etc.
> >
> >once i read
> >a great article on this (forgot author), and the writer
> >was talking about latam women writing in exile and at the
> >end she asked: but haven't women writers in latam
> >always been in exile? :)
> >
> >and yes, i only mentioned allende and menchu, because unfortunately
> >i have not had the chance to read much latam lit, so my
> >ability to make suggestions (of men and women) is quite limited.
> >(although i am currently reading cortazar, whom i adore )
> >
> >and don't get too upset, but i didn't like 100 years
> >at all...(i didn't even finish), and yes i know what
> >you're thinking about me now :)
> >
> >Vera Britto
> >(fiatlux@umich.edu - http://www.umich.edu/~fiatlux)
> >............................................................................
> >Le Bret: Si tu laissais un peu ton ame mousquetaire, la fortune et la
> >gloire... Cyrano: Et que faudrait-il faire? Chercher un protecteur
> >puissant, prendre un patron, et, comme un lierre obscur que circonvient
> >un tronc et s'en fait un tuteur en lui lechant l'ecorce, grimper par
> >ruse au lieu de s'elever par force? Non, merci! Non, merci! Non, merci!
> >Mais... chanter, rever, rire, passer, etre seul, etre libre... oui.
> > "Cyrano de Bergerac" - Edmond Rostand
> >
> >On Wed, 26 Mar 1997, Luis Fierro wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> Hi, Vera:
> >>
> >> No, I am not sexist at all. I do enjoy reading Isabel Allende, but I do
> >> think Garcia Marquez is better. Your own message only mentioned one
> >> female novelist, Isabel Allende (or rather, the title of her novel),
> >> whereas I mentioned at least one other women writer (admittedly, my
> >> mother).
> >>
> >> We were just commenting yesterday on the fact that there have been few
> >> female novelists or short story writers in Ecuador, at least (we came
up with
> >> Alicia Yanez Cossio, Nela Martinez and Eugenia Viteri).
> >>
> >> Let's see, who else should we add to a list of women novelists with
> >> political overtones (at the risk of committing some other glaring
> >> ommission or PC faux-passe).
> >>
> >> Gabriela Mistral, of course, received the Nobel Prize, but she was a poet.
> >>
> >> Some other examples I can think of, off the top of my head, are:
> >>
> >> Gioconda Belli (Nicaragua), Laura Esquivel (Mexico), Sor Juana Ines de la
> >> Cruz (Mexico), Sandra Cisneros (Mexican-American), Flora Tristan
> >> (Peru-France).
> >>
> >> I am sure someone who has actually studied literature can provide a more
> >> comprehensive list, and perhaps attempt to answer the question of why
> >> there are not more women novelists with political themes in Latin America
> >> (perhaps because patriarchy and machismo did not allow women enough free
> >> time to write novels?).
> >>
> >> Luis
> >>
> >> On Wed, 26 Mar 1997, Vera M. Britto wrote:
> >>
> >> > hi luis - great contribution - but what happened
> >> > to women writers in Latin America? i hope you're not
> >> > that sexist...
> >> >
> >> > Vera Britto
> >> > (fiatlux@umich.edu - http://www.umich.edu/~fiatlux)
> >> > On Wed, 26 Mar 1997, Luis Fierro wrote:
> >> >
> >> > > Hola:
> >> > >
> >> > > The author of "House of Spirits" is Isabel Allende, the niece of former
> >> > > President Salvador Allende.
> >> > >
> >> > > Personally, I would recommend going to the inspiration of Allende's
> >> > > "magical realism" style, that is Gabriel Garcia Marquez. "One Hundred
> >> > > Years of Solitude" is still, without a doubt, the best Latin American
> >> > > novel of all times, and it is also a very good introduction to the
> >> > > politics and economics of the region (especially the Liberal-Conservative
> >> > > dichotomy of the late 19th century).
> >> > >
> >> > > Other authors I would highly recommend, with political overtones, are
> >> > > Jorge Amado, Juan Rulfo, Jose Maria Arguedas, Alfredo Bryce Echenique,
> >> > > Julio Cortazar, Alejo Carpentier, Mario Benedetti, Manuel Scorza,
> Augusto
> >> > > Roa Bastos, and the early Mario Vargas Llosa (before his conversion to
> >> > > becoming the defender of "tradicion, familia y propiedad").
> >> > >
> >> > > >From my own country, Ecuador, and fresh from hearing a wonderful lecture
> >> > > yesterday by writer Raul Perez Torres, I would recommend Luis A.
> Martinez,
> >> > > Jose de la Cuadra, Pablo Palacio, Joaquin Gallegos Lara, Demetrio
> Aguilera
> >> > > Malta, and Jorge Enrique Adoum. ( I would mention my mother, Fanny
> >> > > Carrion de Fierro, but she has only published poetry so far; hopefully,
> >> > > she will publish her short stories and novels shortly :-)
> >> > >
> >> > > There are good collections of Latin American short stories, which would
> >> > > give your students a "taste" of several of these authors.
> >> > >
> >> > > Some of the novels I mention are mentioned at the Siglo XXI Editores web
> >> > > site, listed below:
> >> > >
> >> > > http://www.inetcorp.net.mx/sigloXX1/creacion.html
> >> > >
> >> > > Please let me know if you need more specific information, or have a
> >> > > particular topic in mind.
> >> > >
> >> > > Luis
> >> > >
> >> > > On Wed, 26 Mar 1997, Vera M. Britto wrote:
> >> > >
> >> > > > house of spirits - by chilean author (my mind is blank)
> >> > > > and instructions for john howell (short story by
> >> > > > julio cortazar - plus any collection of his). although not a novel
> per se,
> >> > > > i, rigoberta menchu (mix auto/biography). for
> >> > > > a "personal is political" short story "Tia Matilde"
> >> > > > by Jose Donoso (chile).
> >> > > >
> >> > > > Vera Britto
> >> > > > (fiatlux@umich.edu - http://www.umich.edu/~fiatlux)
> >> > > >
> ............................................................................
> >> > > > Le Bret: Si tu laissais un peu ton ame mousquetaire, la fortune et la
> >> > > > gloire... Cyrano: Et que faudrait-il faire? Chercher un protecteur
> >> > > > puissant, prendre un patron, et, comme un lierre obscur que
> circonvient
> >> > > > un tronc et s'en fait un tuteur en lui lechant l'ecorce, grimper par
> >> > > > ruse au lieu de s'elever par force? Non, merci! Non, merci! Non,
> merci!
> >> > > > Mais... chanter, rever, rire, passer, etre seul, etre libre... oui.
> >> > > > "Cyrano de Bergerac" - Edmond Rostand
> >> > > >
> >> > > > On Mon, 24 Mar 1997 scherlenrg@conrad.appstate.edu wrote:
> >> > > >
> >> > > > > Dear List Members:
> >> > > > >
> >> > > > > I will be teaching an Introduction to Latin American Studies
> course this
> >> > > > > fall. I would like to have the students read a novel (or a
> collection of
> >> > > > > short stories?). I am a political scientist, so I would
> especially like a
> >> > > > > novel with political content/overtones/etc. Any suggestions?
> >> > > > >
> >> > > > > Thanks for your help,
> >> > > > >
> >> > > > > Renee Scherlen
> >> > > > > Dept of Political Science
> >> > > > > Appalachian State University
> >> > > > >
> >> > > > > scherlenrg@appstate.edu
> El Optimista
>
> Tom Mor'in
> Hispanic Studies
> University of Rhode Island
> E-Mail morin@uriacc.uri.edu
> Fax:(401)792-4694