Library of Latin America

Quincas Borba é um romance de Machado de Assis publicado entre os anos de 1886 e 1891, no formato de folhetim, antes de ser lançado definitivamente como livro em 1892. Como os outros livros da Trilogia Realista do Machado de Assis, Quincas Borba utiliza a ironia e paródia para criticar os costumes e filosofia do seu tempo, como o positivismo e cientificismo.

"Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (1811-1888) is one of the major literary and political figures of nineteenth-century South America. An indefatigable nation builder of post-independence Argentina, he is remembered for his zeal in modernizing the nation while serving as President from 1868 to 1874. Of his several autobiographies, the best-known Recollections of a Provincial Past is one of the indisputable classics of Spanish American literature, as well as one of the earliest autobiographies written in the Americas in Spanish." "Written in 1850 during Sarmiento's ten-year exile in Chile, the memoirs describe his childhood and adolescence in an Andean province whose customs were still those of a colony. Sarmiento presents his life as the triumph of civilization over barbarism and measures his wealth and strength by the accumulation of enriching personal and political experiences. Comparing himself to the newly independent Argentina, he claims to be a historically representative individual whose trajectory seves to illuminate contemporary South America."--Jacket.

"Manuel Gonzalez Prada (1844-1918) was one of the leading intellectual and literary figures of Peru. His reputation as an essayist extended beyond national boundaries. At home these essays, along with his potent speeches, influenced generations of young radicals. A powerful political reformer, he founded the Party of National Unity in 1891, was linked to the anarchist movement, and served as Director of the National Library from 1912-1914.". "His writings have had enormous impact on the literary and political life of Peru: taking up the defense of exploited indigenous people, broadsiding the landowning oligarchy, and denouncing the social and political errors of the country. In fact, the radical politics Prada advocated then are still alive and relevant today: Modernization (secularization) of Peru, transformation of a nation through its people, promotion of internationalism (universalism) versus overt patriotism (communitarianism), and condemnation of war.". "This translation is based on the Obras of Gonzalez Prada, edited by Luis Alberto Sanchez. It includes essays, speeches, and polemical writings drawn from two of Prada's only books of prose published during his lifetime, Paginas Libres and Horas de Lucha; in addition to unpublished manuscripts and works previously printed in newspapers and magazines. These writings reveal his most important thoughts on the subject of anarchism, social inequality, indigenous culture, philosophy, and language. Translated into English for the first time, Prada's forceful and persuasive words are gathered here under the thematic headings "Peruvian Problems," "Anarchy," and "Philosophical, Literary, and Linguistic Problems.""--BOOK JACKET.

"In this tragic tale, Clorinda Matto de Turner explores the relationship between the landed gentry and the indigenous peoples of the Andean mountain communities. While unfolding as a love story rife with secrets and dashed hopes, Torn from the Nest in fact reveals a deep and destructive class disparity, and criticizes the Catholic clergy for blatant corruption. When Lucia and Don Fernando Marin settle in the small hamlet of Killac, the young couple become advocates for the local Indians who are being exploited and oppressed by their priest and governor and by the gentry allied with these two. Considered meddling outsiders, the couple meet violent resistance from the village leaders, who orchestrate an assault on their house and pursue devious and unfair schemes to keep the Indians subjugated. After a romance blossoms between a member of the gentry and the peasant girl that Lucia and Don Fernando have adopted, a dreadful secret prevents their marriage and brings to a climax the novel's exposure of degradation."--BOOK JACKET.

Dom Casmurro, publicado pela primeira vez em 1899, é um dos romances realistas mais importantes de Machado de Assis, considerado por alguns sua obra-prima. O livro narra a história de Bento Gonçalves desde sua juventude, abordando temas como religião, adultério e ambiguidade moral.

Long considered a classic in Bolivia, Juan de la Rosa tells the story of a young boy's coming of age during the violent and tumultuous years of Bolivia's struggle for independence. Indeed, in this novel, Juan's search for his personal identity functions as an allegory of Bolivia's search for its identity as a nation. Set in the early 1800s, this novel is narrated by one of the last surviving Bolivian rebels, octogenarian Juan de la Rosa. Juan recreates his childhood in the rebellious town of Cochabamba, and with it a large cast of full-bodied, Dickensian characters both heroic and malevolent, from Juan's wise and self-sacrificing tutor, Brother Justo, to the ruthless colonial general Goyeneche. The larger cultural dislocations brought about by Bolivia's political upheaval are echoed in those experienced by Juan, whose mother's untimely death sets off a chain of unpredictable events that propel him into the fiery crucible of the South American Independence Movement. Outraged by Juan's outspokenness against Spanish rule and his awakening political consciousness, his loyalist guardians banish him to the countryside, where he witnesses firsthand the Spaniards' violent repression and rebels' valiant resistance that crystallize both his personal destiny and that of his country.

"Contains translations of a broad selection of poetry, essays, and speeches illustrating richness and complexity of Bello's thought as a key intellectual figure in the construction of a new political order in postindependence Latin America. Extracted from Obras completas (see HLAS 48:5125), most selections are unabridged. Eloquent yet accessible translations. Jaksić's essay analyzes Bello's blueprint for nation-building, language, education, history, and law, and includes notes and chronology. Highly recommended for the classroom and the general reader"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.

On December 12, 1794, Fray Servando preached a sermon in Mexico City claiming that the Indies had been converted by St. Thomas long before the Spaniards arrived. Because the Spanish cited the "conversion of the heathen" as the justification of their conquest of the New World, Servando's words were deemed subversive. As a result, he was arrested by the Inquisition and exiled to Spain - only to escape and spend 10 years traveling throughout Europe, as none other than a French priest. So began the grand adventure of Fray Servando's life, and of this gripping memoir. Here is an invitation hard for any reader to resist: a glimpse of the European "Age of Enlightenment" through the eyes of a fugitive Mexican friar. Fray Servando's account of Europe is clear-sighted, hilarious and certainly not included in the travel literature of that era. In this memoir, one sees a portrait of manners and morals that is a far cry from the 'civilized' spirit that the Empire wanted to impose on its Colonies. This book takes a look at history from an upside-down perspective, asking this question: who were the real savages, the colonizers themselves, or the supposed "savages" they were struggling to convert?

"Peruvian author Ricardo Palma (1838-1919) was one of the most popular and imitated writers in Latin America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. As head of the National Library in Lima, Palma had access to a rich source of historical books and manuscripts. His historical miscellanies, which he called "traditions," are witty anecdotes about conquerors, viceroys, clergymen, and other notorious characters of Peru's colonial and republican past."--Jacket.

"Excellent translation of a Brazilian classic first published as a serial in 1852-53. Sousa captures the vivacity and wit of the original while effectively evoking mood and historical milieu of free lower classes of Rio de Janeiro in early-19th century. Outstanding accompanying essays"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.

"First published in 1890, and undoubtedly Azevedo's masterpiece, The Slum is one of the most widely read and critically acclaimed novels ever written about Brazil.". "The Slum thrives on two intersecting story lines. In one narrative, a penny-pinching immigrant landlord strives to become a rich investor and then discards his black lover for a wealthy white woman. In the other, we witness the innocent yet dangerous love affair between a strong, pragmatic, "gentle giant" sort of immigrant and a vivacious mulatto woman who both live in a tenement owned by the landlord. The two immigrant heroes are originally Portuguese, and thus personify two alternate outsider responses to Brazil. As translator David H. Rosenthal points out in his useful Introduction: one is the capitalist drawn to new markets, quick prestige, and untapped resources; the other, the prudent European drawn moth-like to "the light and sexual heat of the tropics.""--BOOK JACKET.

"Cecilia Valdés or El Angel Hill is arguably the most important novel of colonial Cuba." When Leonardo, who gets bored with Cecilia after a while, agrees to marry a white upper-class woman, Cecilia vows revenge." "For the contemporary reader Helen Lane's translation of Cecilia Valdes opens a new window on the experience of Spanish colonialism in Cuba and the intricate problems of race relations in the Caribbean. There are the free people of color, the class to which Cecilia herself belonged, the elite European and New World whites, and the slaves, some born in Africa, some born in the New World - all of them represented in this unflinching portrait of the sexual, social, and racial oppression in a slaveholding colonial society."--Jacket.

"The Girondins of Chile tells of the strong influence that the European revolutions of 1848 had in Chile, and how they motivated a young Santiago society with high cultural aspirations but little political knowledge or direction. Benjamin Vicuña Mackenna, a Chilean writer and historian who lived during those days in Santiago, relates the events of the time, events in which he was a participant. He pays special attention to how the 1848 revolutions and their attendant ideas influenced the thoughts and actions of a group of young liberals he called 'Chilean Girondins.'" "When the news of the fall of Philippe d'Orleans and the subsequent installation of the Second Republic reached Chile, there was an explosion of jubilation in Santiago. Now there were no barriers to ideas, Vicuña Mackenna wrote, 'much less to the generous ideas proclaimed by the sincere people of France.' But it only took a few days for warnings and critiques of French events to surface, and when a proletarian revolution took place in June in France, Chilean public opinion became virulently anti-revolutionary. Except, of course, among the liberal youth, the Chilean Girondins, who were headed towards revolution--and sooner than anyone thought." "When revolution came in 1851, Vicuña Mackenna found himself sentenced to death for taking part in the uprising. He escaped, spent some years in exile, and was able to return in 1855. He remained active in politics, yet his account of what happened to the Chilean Girondins in the 1851-52 revolution was not published until 1876"--Jacket.