Voces sin fronteras : antología Vintage Español de literatura mexicana y chicana contemporánea /

The Argentine author Cortázar, who was born in Brussels and resided in France until his death in 1984, was an educator, writer, translator, and Tolkienesque inventor of words. His classic novel Rayuela (Hopscotch) can be read straight through or by following a convoluted series of instructions. He was also noted for his involvement in the political life of Argentina. Inspired by an essay he wrote titled "Some Aspects of the Short Story," this anthology gathers some of Cortázar's favorite stories, as listed in that article and in other places, by other authors from around the world, [e.g., Jorge Luis Borges (Argentina), Truman Capote (United States), and Leon Tolstoy (Russia)]. Each tale has its singular merits and is a well-considered addition to the collection. A "Notes on the Authors" section offers a brief biography on each writer. Recommended for bookstores and libraries looking to expand their Spanish-language collections of short stories from around the world.-Marie St. Pierre, Casper, WY * El séptimo velo.(The Seventh Veil)De Prada, Juan Manuel.This year's winner of the Premio Biblioteca Breve (see article in the 02/15/07 issue), awarded by Spain's Editorial Seix Barral, is an epic novel that combines history, romance, and aspects of the thriller and will appeal to a variety of readers. Set mainly during World War II, the engaging plot follows Julio in his quest to find his biological father, Jules Tillon, who abandoned Julio's mother, Lucía, when she was pregnant. Jules suffered from temporal amnesia when he met Lucía, and Julio eventually discovers that he was a hero of the French Resistance. Jules's is a story of treason and faith in times of war that sheds light on the personal drama of the French during World War II. De Prada's novel explores diverse points of view on the conflict through extremely strong characters-e.g., adamant Communist Marcel; Olga, a resentful Russian prostitute; and Döbler, a cruel Nazi-that struggle to adapt to and survive in an invaded country. Though de Prada's work doesn't exhibit the same literary complexity of previous Seix Barral winners-such as Jorge Volpi's En Busca de Klingsor (Planeta, 2002; In Search of Klingsor, Fourth Estate, 2004) [see also our review of No será la Tierra, 10/15/07], which is also set in World War II-his use of language is extraordinary, creating powerful images throughout. Highly recommended for bookstores and libraries.-María Elena Cruz, New York CityLa batalla del calentamiento. (The Battle of the Warming)Figueras, Marcelo. In his fourth novel, which is titled after an old children's song, Argentinean writer, filmmaker, journalist, screenwriter, and blogger Figueras (Kamchatka; Alfaguara, 2003) takes on the horrors of Argentina's dictatorship (1976-83) and its effect, packaging it all as a modern-day fable with incursions on the fantasy genre and an incessant stream of pop culture references. The result is an ambitious though uneven fresco-size allegory of Argentina's recent history. Teo, a giant "as tall as [NBA basketball player] Yao Ming," is an explosives expert haunted by his past. After fleeing a menacing Latin-speaking wolf, he meets Pat Flannigan, a harsh but captivating woman who is herself running away from her past, along with her daughter, Miranda, who has magic powers. The three settle in the remote town of Santa Brígida, where every year the transgressive party of Sever (in which everything is literally upside down) takes place. The description of Santa Brígida's extravagant dwellers-a candy maker, a Mapuche laborer, an entire hippie colony-takes most of the book's 550 pages, a prelude to the revelation of Teo's, Pat's, and Miranda's disturbing stories. Figueras successfully develops catchy tales and characters, but his incessant attempts to be witty impair his effort: random digressions (on God, philosophy, family, the weather...), quotes (whether erudite or from rock n' roll lyrics), and frequent asides to the "perceptive reader" aim toward humor but often fall flat. Recommended for bookstores with an interest in current Argentinean writers.-Carlos Rodríguez Martorell, Corona, NY (Bordering Fires: The Vintage Book of Contemporary Mexican and Chicana and Chicano Literature)García, Cristina, ed.García [Soñar en cubano; Random House Español, 1993 (Dreaming in Cuban; Ballantine, 1992)], a National Book Award nominee and recipient of the Guggenheim scholarship and the Whiting Writers' Award, is a Cuban native raised in New York City. Here, she compiles the literary works by Mexican, Chicano, and Latin American writers. These short stories portray common social obstacles that Latin Americans face when migrating to the United States, as well as their struggles with identity, culture, religion, traditions, and nationality. Some are excerpts taken from longer stories, such as Juan Rulfo's Pedro Páramo, while others are short poems such as Jimmy Santiago Baca's "Meditaciones del Valle Sur: Poema IX," which narrates Eddy's tragic story. Considered a problem child, Eddy took his own life, an act of rebellion against injustices society made him face. In Gloria Anzaldúa's Cómo domar una lengua salvaje ("How To Tame a Wild Language"), the author explains that communicating in Spanish can be difficult for speakers in this country because they must adopt the language's numerous dialects (e.g., Spanglish, Mexican Spanish, Tex Mex, Pachuco, Chicano Spanish), depending on whom they are addressing. The book is divided into five parts: "Early Influences" (e.g., Alfonso Reyes, Juan Rulfo); "Chicano Voices #1" (e.g., Gloria Anzaldúa, Rudolfo Anaya); "Contemporary Mexican Voices" (e.g., Carlos Fuentes, Octavio Paz); "Chicano Voices #2" (e.g., Sandra Cisneros, Ana Castillo); and "New Talents" (e.g., Ignacio Padilla, Ángeles Mastretta). This book, which includes six works translated by the renowned Valenzuela, is similar to Anzaldúa's Borderland/La Frontera (Aunt Lute Books, 1987), which includes short stories, poems, and excerpts of other works. Highly recommended for bookstores with a readership interested in Latino/Mexican issues.-Ana K. Bonfante, Berwyn, IL (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.