Product Description
album de familia esta compuesto por cuatro relatos que nos enfrentan a situaciones vitales de una serie de personajes poco comunes en la tematica de la autora. El lector no puede escapar a una prosa que incita a la risa pero que, en definitiva, es un sintoma claro de angustia al presenciar la leccion de cocina de una recien casada al participar en una reunion dominguera en que se plantean todo tipo de relaciones sexuales y sociales, al contemplar la ceguera de una madre a la anormalidad que ella misma propicio en sus hijos y, por ultimo, al asomarse a los mundos y submundos, plagados de ira y envidia, de ciertas damas intelectuales. ... Read more

Product Description
"When people reread her vork it will become evident that nobody in her time had as clear a consciousness of the twofold condition of being a woman and a Mexican. " --José Emilio Pacheco Thinker, writer, diplomat, feminist Rosario Castellanos was emerging as one of Mexico's major literary figures before her untimely death in 1974. This sampler of her work brings together her major poems, short fiction, essays, and a three-act play, The Eternal Feminine. Translated with fidelity to language and cultural nuance, many of these works appear here in English for the first time, allowing English-speaking readers to see the depth and range of Castellanos' work. In her introductory essay, "Reading Rosario Castellanos: Contexts, Voices, and Signs," Maureen Ahern presents the first comprehensive study of Castellanos' work as a sign or signifying system. This approach through contemporary semiotic theory unites literary criticism and translation as an integral semiotic process. Ahern reveals how Castellanos integrated women's images, bodies, voices, and texts to feminize her discourse and create a plurality of new signs/messages about women in Mexico. Describing this process in The Eternal Feminine, Castellanos observes, ". . . it's not good enough to imitate the models proposed for us that are answers to circumstances other than our own. It isn't even enough to discover who we are. We have to invent ourselves." ... Read more

Product Description
A masterpiece of contemporary Latin American fiction, Rosario Castellanos' Book of Lamentations tells of an uprising of Mayan Indians in the Mexican state of Chiapas. Based on episodes from actual Mayan uprisings in 1712 and 1868, the novel merges a wealth of historical information and local detail into a vision of the nature of oppression that is universal in scope.Amazon.com Review
Thirty years before the Zapatista uprising in Chiapas broughtthis little-known corner of Mexico to the world's notice, Mexicanauthor Rosario Castellanos created a similar rebellion in her 1962novel The Book of Lamentations. Castellanos has framed herstory, which is set in the 1930s, around an actual 1860s uprising ofMaya Indians against the Chiapan white ruling class. History andfiction meld seamlessly, mainly because conditions in the ChiapasCastellanos knew as a child hadn't changed much in the intervening 70years; as late as the 1920s, impoverished Indians still served asmules, carrying white landowners strapped to their backs.

The book's title is apt; Castellanoscasts an unflinching eye on the effects of oppression, ignorance, andmisery. The central characters, motivated variously by desperation,superstition, or ambition, may not be admirable, but they are all toohuman. In the end, a rebellion culminating in the grisly crucifixionof a child is doomed to failure. Although The Book of Lamentations isnot a pleasant book, in an age where history seemsincreasingly to be repeating itself in Asia, in the Balkans, in Mexico, andelsewhere, it is a deeply instructive one. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

a fiction of magical realism and mystical poetry
This is one of the masterpieces of Latin American fiction. The plot tells of the uprising of the Maya Indians in the Southern MExican state of Chiapas. The book adopts a panoramic sqweep of a Diego Rivera mural weaving together dozen of characters, plot lines, and perspectives in a tour-de-force of narrative structure that builds to an inexorable conclusion as unflinching as it is devastating. Based on episodes from the actual Maya uprising of 1712 and 1868 - transposed in time to the 1930s - the novel merges a wealth of historical informantion and local detail into a vision of the nature of oppression that is universal in scope. As the New York Times Book Review noted of Rosario Castellanos (who was killed in car accident while serving as Mexican ambassador in Israel in 1974: "As a Mexican woman raised to submission, Castellanos understood the psychology of the reluctant or self-defeating rebel, or the victor who sides with her tormentor. There's nothing forces in the parallel she draws between oppressed woman and oppressed races. It's all part of an ugly social nexus she unravels in fluent, decorous prose. Castellanos wrings poetry from a local rumor, in scenes that achieve the mystical, tormented quality of Spanish paintings of the crucifixion." Here we have a book of genius: calling her the Mexican Garcia-Marquez is not a stretch in the least.

Great story, probably better in the original Spanish
This is one of those hidden gems that I was forced to read for a school class. The characters are touching, if a little distant because of the way it is written. The horror at the end of the book builds slowly, and its insights into the clash between the indiginous people of Mexico and the conquering Spanish class was illuminating to me. Throughout the book I had the idea that the translation was kind of poor, I'm not sure what prompted that thought, but I wish my Spanish was good enough so that I could read the original.

A powerful epic
I had only vague knowledge of the history of the Chiapas region of Mexico before I read this novel, which tells the story of a fictional uprising (based on a couple of real ones) with many stunning similarities to the Zapatista uprising of 1994.But you don't need to be interested in the social and political history of Chiapas to appreciate this novel -- indeed, too much awareness may cause you to miss the book's many fine qualities beyond its political prescience.

Castellanos masterfully weaves the lives of numerous people together in a narrative which is often captivating.Keeping the characters straight is only a problem at first, for soon you have in your head a remarkably clear picture of them all.I found myself caring equally for the fates of characters I knew would clash with each other, and this is one of the great accomplishments of the novel.

Some of the language and imagery, based on Mayan mythology, gets obscure and occasionally tedious, but this is a minor complaint, for the majority of the tale is stunningly clear and suspenseful.The book is filled with Mexican and Mayan words, which may seem off-putting at first, but their sense can usually be discovered through the context and a glossary of the most obscure words is provided at the end of the book.I found myself enjoying having some of the words left untranslated, for it strengthened the immediate poetry in the writing, and the sense of place inherent throughout.There are also an introduction and an afterword which provide useful information about Castellanos and the history of Chiapas.

History as Poetry
Those who did not learn from the cenruries-old history of the Chiapas are now repeating it.The book is depressing and disturbing, because the outcome will not change - especially since the latest revolt has been preempted by socialist/communist rebels. The case for the Chiapas Indios seems hopeless, now and in the future. The poetry brought to this account is overwhelming. Everything comes alive, stark and brilliant. It is sad that the author had to die so young. In reading the book, it helps to know some Spanish. A glossary at its end could be helpful.

Ashocking, enlightening novel of an uprising in Chiapas.
I have just had the pleasure of reading one of the mostexciting and challengingbooks that I willread thisyear, and it's only January.The book is titled The Book of Lamentationsandit was written in 1962 by thenow deceased Rosario Castellanos. Ithas only recently been translated by Esther Allen, for reasons that are now completely obscure to me, since after reading it, you'll wish you could have read it years ago.
This bookis ostensiblyabout a fictional uprising in Chiapas that took place shortly after the land redistribution attempts by the PRI were begun in the 1930s.But to see itas only that is to miss the deeper levels of the book. It is also about the inherent inequalities of perception that challenge us, both from within and without our social groupings.
The main conflict is over the role of the government in overseeing the destruction of the fincas inChiapas. When the agent of the government arrives to redistribute the land back to the peasants and destroy the system that always left the Tzotzils of the region overworked and permanently impoverished in their villages, he encounters the entrenched resistance of the landed Ladino gentry.
Meanwhile, in the villages of the countryside, where the Indians live, there is a religious revival, and not of Catholicism, but of the pagan religion that has never been fully destroyed in the area. This part of the book appears to be based on an episode in the Yucatan uprising of the 1850's, but is actually a deeper analysis of the role of the directly inspired mystic as a critique of the establishedtraditions.
When the Indians finally begin their revolution, it is started by one of the most shocking events in the book. Yet, with the author's skill and courage at facing the event, one does not cringe or turn away from it, but acknowledges it in the same way that the engineer who witnesses it does: "more out of fascination than of fear."
The book examines closely the role of religion in fostering and in destroying revolution. Near the end, the book contains a conversation between the atheist governor of the region and the archbishop. While one might hope for a longer, and more full description of their conversation, the episode rings true, as we always wish for more answers in these areas than we can get.
The book holds no character up for esteem, all are there for your perusal as they are. If you are looking for a hero you will not find one here, it is populated by real people with the real faults and weaknesses that we all have.
If, on the other hand, you want to read a book that carries with it a timeless quality, one that will challenge you and force you to come to terms with the ethical ambiguities that plague us all, this book will dominate your thoughts for some time after you have put it down ... Read more

Product Description
Rosario Castellanos (1925-1974) hace una muy personal incursion en Mujer que sabe latin... (1973) en el polemico y actual tema del feminismo. En este campo, Castellanos es una rival temible, pues combate con las armas del ingenio, de la ironia y resplandeciendo de sentido. ... Read more

Product Description
Years after the author's death, the manuscrip of thisnovel was discovered by her friends, revealing a different RosarioCastellanos, more ironic, more sarcastic. Rito de Iniciacin reflectsseveral births as a writer, as a woman, as an independent person, asan erotic being... Each of these births is painful, dramatic, andviolent and is narrated in a light, witty, and humorous way. ... Read more

Product Description
The Nine Guardians is crowded with the magic and malice of warring gods and men. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Racial and sexual oppression in Depression-era Mexico
Originally published as "Balun-Canan [Nine Stars]" (referring to the ancient Mayan villages in Chiapas, Mexico, where this novel is set), this thickly plotted, autobiographical novel describes a wealthy family during the 1930s, fifteen years after the Mexican Revolution.

The novel is bookended by lengthy sections told by the landowner's daughter--a never-named seven-year-old girl who resembles Castellanos herself. (The author was also raised on her family's ranch in Chiapas, her brother died young, and she lived a relatively isolated existence under the aloof custody of her father and his overprotective wife.) These chapters introduce the family and the inhabitants of the town of Comitan, as seen through the eyes of the girl, and describe peripherally the ongoing tensions between Mexicans of Spanish descent and those of Indian blood, between the wealthy landowners and the reform government, and between men and women.

While the first and third sections carry the emotional weight of the novel, the middle, longest section contains the "meat" of the plot, told mostly in the third person--although some events are seen from the vantage point of individual characters. The family members travel to their ranch, Chactajal, where the hostilities between opposing social forces finally burst into the open. Goaded by legal reforms introduced by the national government, the Indian workers, almost inevitably, rebel against labor conditions that can be described as close to slavery. Caught in the middle is Felipe, the landowner's illegitimate nephew, whose blood guarantees him certain rights but whose birth prevents him from acquiring any status.

Anyone who knows much about the author's political career will understand that her sympathies lie with the Indians (and with the women), yet she masterfully avoids painting either side as entirely virtuous or villainous. On the one hand, some of the Indians stoop to desperate, even criminal, measures to escape their drudgery; on the other hand, even the mule-headed, racist landowner (who, of course, represents the author's father) seems defeated by forces far out of his control. By the end of this sensitive, heartfelt, and melancholy novel, everyone is a victim of the systemic oppression endured by Mexicans of all races and both sexes.

Very emotional book.
This book was at first very complicated becasue of the way it changes it's setting or happenings, but once you get to the 5 or 6 chapter things beggind to make lots more sense.There is lots of feeling in it's was ofdescribing the thoughts that people are having, there is lots of warmth inthis little girl who is the main character.This is the type of book thatcould be read only by those readers who really want to read not just flippages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A frequently dark collection of poems
"The Selected Poems of Rosario Castellanos" is a bilingual collection of the work of this important woman poet of Mexico. This is a bilingual edition, with Castellanos' Spanish originals and the English versions on facing pages. The poems have been translated by Magda Bogin, who co-edited the volume with Cecilia Vicuna.

Castellanos' work has a somber, introspective quality. Many of her poems are about death, pain, or sadness. Many of her lines demonstrate a rather dark world view. Example: "We give life only to what we hate" (from "Destiny"). Her language is at times romantic and sensuous, at times cynical: "Don't trust a man in love: he's hungry, / all he wants is to devour" (from "Celestina's Advice"). She sometimes uses memorable imagery: "On the lips of the wind I shall be called / a tree of many birds" ("Two Poems").

I found Castellanos' poetry to have a psychological quality that reminded me of the work of two other Latin American women poets: Julia de Burgos (Puerto Rico) and Alfonsina Storni (Argentina). Those interested in Latin American poetry should seek out this volume. ... Read more

Product Description
Una cultura milenaria sojuzgada y oprimida durante siglos clama por su derecho a existir, un grito que capta finalmente la atencion del mundo, cuando externa la otra cara de la historia, la que denuncia las condiciones miserables en que han sobrevivido los tzotziles, los tzeltales, los lacandones, los chamulas desde el dia en que el pie de los caxlanes, los hombres blancos, pisaron sus tierras. A esta version que solo una aguda percepcion podria escuchar, ya sea por su pasion conmovida, o por su valentia que todo testimonio arroja, responde la lucida escritura de Ciudad Real (antiguo nombre de San Cristobal de Las Casas), el primer libro de cuentos de Rosario Castellanos, que, junto con las novelas Balun Canan y Oficio de Tinieblas, conforma la trilogía indigenista mas importante de la narrativa mexicana del siglo XX. Con esta serie Rosario Castellanos obtuvo en 1961 el Premio Xavier Villaurrutia. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

getting to know Chiapas
Ciudad Real/city of Kings
In Ciudad Real, Rosario Castellanos creates a unique,beautiful and realistic quilt, sewing small stories about the life and death of the Chiapas people. It's a necesary book to those who care about people and it's history. ... Read more

Product Description
One of the most unfathomable aspects of Castellanos' work is the parade of female deformities within it, a record of the pain of women's oppression in its varying forms, and the female body as a site of shame, disease, disfigurement and pain. ... Read more

Product Description
A member of Mexico's privileged upper class, yet still subordinated because of her gender, Rosario Castellanos became one of Latin America's most influential feminist social critics. Joanna O'Connell here offers the first book-length study of all Castellanos' prose writings, focusing specifically on how Castellanos' experiences as a Mexican woman led her to an ethic of solidarity with the oppressed peoples of her home state of Chiapas. O'Connell provides an original and detailed analysis of Castellanos' first venture into feminist cultural analysis in her essay Sobre cultura feminina (1950) and traces her moral and intellectual trajectory as feminist and social critic. An overview of Mexican indigenismo establishes the context for individual chapters on Castellanos' narratives of ethnic conflict (the novels Balún Canán and Oficio de tinieblas and the short stories of Ciudad Real). In further chapters O'Connell reads Los convidados de agosto, Album de familia, and Castellanos' four collections of essays as developments of her feminist social analysis. ... Read more

Product Description
A masterpiece of contemporary Latin American fiction, "Oficio de Tinieblas" draws on two centuries of struggle among the Maya Indians, the white landowners, and the conflicted mestiza class in the Chiapas region of Southern Mexico. The novel transposes historical events to the Chiapas of Castellanos's own childhood in the 1930s, and explores, too, the struggle of Mexico's women for independence from the British oppression of their husbands and lovers. ... Read more

Product Description
Este volumen es el primero de tres en los que se reunen los articulos periodisticos de Rosario Castellanos que no habian sido recopilados anteriormente, o bien, que si fueron alguna vez publicados en antologias, se trata de ediciones agotadas desde hace tiempo. ... Read more

Product Description
Mexico, tr Palley ... Read more

Product Description
Gabriela Mistral, Cecilia Meireles, and Rosario Castellanos were three of the most important Latin American women writers of the 20th century. Prolific, contentious, and widely read and discussed from Spanish America to Brazil, they pushed the boundaries of what it meant to be women poets from the 1920s to the 1970s. Karen Pena explores how these three writers used poetry to oppose patriarchal discourse on topics ranging from marginalized peoples to issues on gender and sexuality. Poetry was a means for them to redefine their own feminized space, however difficult or odd it could turn out to be. In this study, we see how Gabriela Mistral travels to Mexico and finds the countryside a way to declare her own queer identity; many years later we find her re-imagining a frightening feminine space where she contests the terrible fate of Greek heroines. In Cecilia Meireles, we discover a writer at odds with her femininity, who declares herself androgynous. Like Mistral, she too travelled extensively, and we see her arguing against the wealth of capitalism and industrialization when she travels to the United States in 1940. Rosario Castellanos straightforwardly argues for women's procreative rights in almost all of her poetry. And in an illuminating re-reading of Mistral, Castellanos allows the shadow of her predecessor to vocalize the tragedies of the inability to control woman's reproductive choices. ... Read more