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.

General Simon Bolivar (1783-1830), called El Liberator, and sometimes the "George Washington" of Latin America, was the leading hero of the Latin American independence movement. His victories over Spain won independence for Bolivia, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Bolivarbecame Columbia's first president in 1819. In 1822, he became dictator of Peru. Upper Peru became a separate state, which was named Bolivia in Bolivar's honor, in 1825. The constitution, which he drew up for Bolivia, is one of his most important political pronouncements. Today he is rememberedthroughout South America, and in Venezuela and Bolivia his birthday is a national holiday.Although Bolivar never prepared a systematic treatise, his essays, proclamations, and letters constitute some of the most eloquent writing not of the independence period alone, but of any period in Latin American history...

"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.

Memórias póstumas de Brás Cubas é um romance escrito por Machado de Assis, desenvolvido em princípio como folhetim, de março a dezembro de 1880, na Revista Brasileira, para, no ano seguinte, ser publicado como livro, pela então Tipografia Nacional como Memorias Posthumas de Braz Cubas. O livro tem como marcas um tom cáustico e novo estilo na obra de Machado de Assis, bem como audácia e inovação temática no cenário literário nacional, que o fez receber, à época, resenhas estranhadas. Confessando adotar a "forma livre" de Laurence Sterne em seu Tristram Shandy (1759–67), ou de Xavier de Maistre, em Memórias Póstumas rompe com a narração linear e objetivista de autores proeminentes da época, como Flaubert e Zola, para retratar o Rio de Janeiro e sua época em geral com pessimismo, ironia e indiferença — um dos fatores que fizeram com que fosse amplamente considerada a obra que iniciou o Realismo no Brasil, ainda que com elementos livres e próprios a Machado de Assis. — [Wikipedia]( (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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.

"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.