Notable Latino writers /

This set will be extremely helpful to high-school and college students who need to write papers about or choose works to read from Latin American authors. The editors used a very broad definition of Latino:0 "authors living in the Americas who speak--or descend from those who spoke--any romance (hence 'Latin') language, as well as those of Latin American descent living in the United States, who often may speak only English." The essays are compiled from other Magill resources: Cyclopedia of World Authors, Fourth Revised Edi0 tion (2004), Critical Survey of Literature series, and Identities and Issues in Literature 0 (1997). Each signed entry begins with the author's name, birth date and place, and death date and place, as appropriate. Next is a complete and current list (to 2005) of the author's work by genre and in chronological order. The biographical sketch follows and includes a pronunciation guide for the author's name. Black-and-white portraits are included for most authors. Each essay also includes the Masterplots entry for the author's most recognizable work and a sidebar excerpt of several sentences from that work. The entry ends with a bibliography of secondary sources of information. More than 120 authors are profiled, among them familiar names such as Isabel Allende, Jorge Luis Borges, Sandra Cisneros, Laura Esquivel, and Gary Soto. Each volume has a table of contents as well as a list of the contents in all the volumes. The third volume includes general essays on different aspects of Latino literature. A list of other authors who were not profiled is sorted by country of origin, with titles of a few works. The bibliography in volume 3 is sorted into 11 categories such as race, politics, sexuality, and women's studies. Other reference aids include a separate list of electronic resources; a chronological list of authors; and indexes by genre, geographical location, person, title, and subject. Most public and college libraries will need this set, as will high schools that teach multicultural literature and where literary research is required. --Robin Hoelle Copyright 2006 Booklist

This latest Magill's reference set, edited by the editors at Salem Press, features 122 essays about Latino novelists, short-story writers, poets, and playwrights of the Western Hemisphere who write in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Here the term Latino refers to either Latin American writers or to authors from the United States who hail from-or whose ancestors hail from-Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking countries in the Western Hemisphere. Each entry contains a photo, a quote from well-known works by the author, biographical information, a listing of the author's works, and critical analysis. Most of the authors are from the United States, an understandable bias in an American publication. However, this bias does lead to the regrettable omission of many well-known Mexican and South American writers, who are (or were) mainstream in their countries and certainly deserve to be covered. They include, for example, Uruguayan poet Delmira Agustini, Cuban folklorist Lydia Cabrera, Brazilian novelist Paulo Coehlo, Mexican essayist Carlos Monsiv is, Peruvian playwright Ricardo Palma, Mexican novelist Maria Luisa Puga, and Mexican philosopher Jos? Vasconcelos. In addition to the biographies, seven essays describing and detailing genres of drama, poetry, long fiction, and short fiction as they relate to Latino or Latin American literature enhance the study of those literatures. The indexes are divided by author, genre, title, subject, and geographical area. Also included are names of Latino writers not anthologized, a list of electronic resources, and a lengthy bibliography. Bottom Line Despite omissions, this set may prove to be a useful research tool for students, teachers, and librarians. Recommended for academic and public libraries.-Nedra Crowe-Evers, Sonoma Cty. Lib. Syst., CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 9 UpâÇôDonâÇÖt bother to ask if Latino literature actually exists (as opposed to Brazilian, Chilean, or Mexican literature), just get this set and put it on your reference shelf. Covering 122 writers of all genres, these volumes offer information on individuals who might be hard to locate otherwise. âÇ£LatinoâÇ  is defined here as any writer living in the Americas who speaks or descends from parents who speak a romance âÇ£(hence 'LatinâÇÖ)âÇ  language. ThatâÇÖs a fairly broad qualifier, including authors as diverse as Gary Soto and Gabriel García Márquez. The majority of the people covered are 20th-century writers; however, the editors have included about a dozen authors from the 19th century and three representing earlier centuries (historical representation is not this setâÇÖs forte). As an introduction, Notable is quite satisfactory. The clear, easy-to-read biographical profiles (three to seven pages each with large, black-and-white portraits of many of the subjects, and extensive bibliographies) give a sense of the writersâÇÖ lives, their importance as literary figures, and sometimes samples of their work. Each entry includes a âÇ£What to ReadâÇ  box that recommends and discusses a particular work. Volume three ends with seven essays on Latino writers and their genres: drama, fiction, poetry, etc. The appendix lists additional figures by country, electronic resources, and more. Libraries owning Gary F. SoleâÇÖs Latin American Writers (Scribner, 1989) or Linda Metzger and Alan RyanâÇÖs Hispanic Writers (Gale, 1999) may not need this set, but for others looking to fill an empty spot in their collections, this should do nicely.âÇôHerman Sutter, Saint Agnes Academy, Houston, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.