Beginning with the 1979 publication of Alejo Carpentier'sEl arpa y la sombra,the New Historical Novel has become the dominant genre within Latin American fiction. In this at-times tongue-in-cheek postmodern study, Seymour Menton explores why the New Historical Novel has achieved such popularity and offers discerning readings of numerous works.
Menton argues persuasively that the proximity of the Columbus Quincentennial triggered the rise of the New Historical Novel. After defining the historical novel in general, he identifies the distinguishing features of theNewHistorical Novel.
Individual chapters delve deeply into such major works as Mario Vargas Llosa'sLa guerra del fin del mundo,Abel Posse'sLos perros del paraíso,Gabriel García Márquez'sEl general en su laberinto, and Carlos Fuentes'La campaña.A chapter on the Jewish Latin American novel focuses on several works that deserve greater recognition, such as Pedro Orgambide'sAventuras de Edmund Ziller en tierras del Nuevo Mundo,Moacyr Scliar'sA estranha nação de Rafael Mendes,and Angelina Muñiz'sTierra adentro.
In this at-times tongue-in-cheek postmodern study, Seymour Menton explores why the New Historical Novel has achieved such popularity and offers discerning readings of numerous works.
Seymour Menton is a professor of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of California, Irvine.
- Acknowledgments
- Prependix: Chronology of the Latin American Historical Novel, 1949–1992
- 1. Latin America’s New Historical Novel
- 2. Mario Vargas Llosa’s War on Fanaticism
- La guerra del fin del mundo, with a Coda on José J. Veiga’sA casca da serpente
- 3. Abel Posse’s Denunciation of Power
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