A sensitive, haunting novel of the period in Mexico when Cardenas
as President, was backing the Indians in putting into effect the
land laws which had long been a travesty of unobservance. The story
is told through various members of the Arguello family:- the girl
child of seven, who sees much but understands little; Cesar, head
of the family, his interests deeply rooted in the ranch and its
life-bitterly resentful of the spirit of revolution rife in the
countryside and determined to defeat it at Chactajal, his ranch;
Zoraida, his wife and chattel, who felt herself beneath him;
Ernesto, the bastard son of Cesar's brother, brought in as a blind
to teach the Indians of the ranch who could understand no word of
Spanish; Matilde, a neurotic cousin, whose passion for Ernesto
proved her downfall. The period is the late 1930's, when the
strange blend of ignorance and superstition with arrogance and
stubborn refusal to change bring disaster to the overlords- and
little of benefit to the peons. It is a story of atmosphere and
mood, slight in plot, but leaving an indelible impression of the
gradual disintegration of the old ways as the new ways conquer
something they cannot handle. Very successful when published in
Mexico, this seems unlikely to reach anything more than a very
limited public here. (Kirkus Reviews)
Rosario Castellanos is Mexico's most important modern woman writer.
Her towering achievement in the novel, poetry, essay and drama has
produced an art, says Publishers Weekly, "both mesmerizing and
beautiful." "The Nine Guardians, Castellanos' masterwork, is an
acknowledged classic of Latin American and women's literature.
Still timely and haunting in its presentation of sexual and
political tensions, the novel is set in Chiapas, a center of
poverty and unrest in Mexico today. The magic and malice of warring
god and men crowd this story of Mexico's turbulent revolution and
its aftermath, evoking brilliantly the landscape, society and
emotions of Latin America's remotest regions. The narrator, a
seven-year-old girl, watches wide-eyed as the old order breaks
down, an order where land-owning families and their male heirs
would dominate a region both politically and sexually. Into the
child's world of nursery tales, Mayan magic and Christian
superstition come new and powerful dangers.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
