Torment and Tequila in Belle Epoque Mexico: Four Short Works of Fiction by Jos Lpez Portillo y Rojas [Paperback]

This captivating collection of translated short works by Jos? L?pez Portillo y Rojas, one of Mexicos most significant literary figures, explores themes of social frustration, loss, and heartache in late-nineteenth-century Mexico.

Torment and Tequila in Belle Epoque Mexicois the first English-language collection of selected fiction by the influential Mexican author and political figure Jos? L?pez Portillo y Rojas (18501923). His distinguished career spanned the late nineteenth century to the tumultuous years of the Mexican Revolution.

L?pez Portillo y Rojass prose is characterized by rich vocabulary and fluid progression, offering readers moments of deep reflection. The stories boast finely drawn characters and evocative settings, including that of the authors native Jalisco. He adeptly addresses the grand issues of Porfirian times, seamlessly blending social and personal themes of suffering, ambition, desire, and betrayal, and anchors his stories in the realities of human experience.

Three masterfully translated short stories and one novella make up the collection, beginning with The Lottery Ticket, a critique of social hypocrisy that follows a dreamer whose fortunes slip through his fingers at the hands of his own family. The Mirror explores the eerie depths of grief and guilt, echoing the gothic brilliance of Edgar Allan Poe. Nieves is a gripping novella of love and power in which a young womans fate becomes entangled in a decaying estate and a brewing rebellion. The Bracelet, examines the tragic weight of the past, as a locked piece of jewelry seals the fate of an engaged couple. These translations offer an unforgettable glimpse into one of Mexicos most brilliant minds and restore L?pez Portillo y Rojas to his rightful place in Mexican literary history.

Torment and Tequilain Belle Epoque Mexico presents the first English-language collection of fiction by Jos? L?pez Portillo y Rojas, lc6