Product Description
Since the age of nineteen-the year of his first solo exhibition-Fernando Botero has delighted his audience with the joyfully rotund figures that populate his canvases. Like any great artist, he was compelled to paint the female form. More than 100 of his greatest works devoted to the theme of women are collected in this oversized, deluxe volume, the design of which was overseen and directed by the artist himself. This book includes fifty unpublished works, numerous archival photographs, and vellum inserts printed with images made by Botero especially for the book.

Botero never works from live models, as he feels it limits his creativity. The women in his work are inspired by the women he has known throughout his life-the vivacious neighborhood characters from his native Colombia. In the early 1950s, he left Colombia to study the paintings of great artists, such as Diego Velázquez and Piero della Francesca, all of which made a lasting impression on the artist.

Accompanying the work of this incomparable artist is an introduction by one of the most respected Latin American writers of today, Carlos Fuentes.
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Customer Reviews (2)

Had to have it!
Archetypical composition that is autobiographical beyond words is Botero.When you've finished reviewing this beautiful book you will know Botero better than many of your friends and possibly some of your relatives.

Beautifully bound, a real treasure.

Botero-Women
A preferred selection for us and delivered in excellent condition.
We are VERY pleased. ... Read more

Product Description
A detailed vision of the powers and miseries of Mexican politics. It is the year 2020, in a Mexico without telecommunications or computers because the United States (owner and exclusive supplier of everything) has punished them. This is also the year in which the presidency is being disputed, in other words, it will be decided who will seat in the Seat of Power to never leave it. The winner, the Anointed one, hides an amazing secret that he must conceal at all costs.

Description in Spanish:
El Presidente Lorenzo Teran, un hombre bueno pero abulico. Su intrigante jefe de Gabinete, Tacito de la Canal. Su calculador secretario de Gobernacion, Bernal Herrera. Mondragon von Bertrab, el severo secretario de la Defensa, portador de un terrible secreto. El jefe de la policia, Cicero Arruza, que no tiene enemigos porque los ha matado a todos.
Y dominandolo todo, Maria del Rosario Galvan, operadora politica y sexual suprema que un dia le dice a su joven amante, Nicolas Valdivia: Tu seras presidente de Mexico.
Te ponen en el pecho la banda tricolor, te sientas en la Silla del Aguila y ¡vamonos! Es como si te hubieras subido a la montana rusa, te sueltan... y haces una mueca que se vuelve tu mascara... la Silla del Aguila, es nada mas y nada menos que un asiento en la montana rusa que llamamos La Republica Mexicana. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

La política sin caretas ...
Carlos Fuentes nos regala una mirada a un futuro no tan lejano, desde la perspectiva de los círculos del poder, y especialmente de la política mexicana. Pero va más allá. Es una mirada que se puede extrapolar a las distintas formas del poder político en Latinoamérica, sus intrincadas relaciones, la traición de guante blanco, la hipocresía soslayada.

Un mundo donde incluso la virtud pública y la ética, representadas por Séneca, esconden bajezas personales, miedos y temores. Los diversos relatos son un reflejo de vidas reales, de seres humanos, no de figuras "inmaculadas e intocables".

El recurso de las "cartas" intercambiadas entre los distintos personajes es una apuesta arriesgada, que en sí no da un sustento mayor a la historia (gatillada por un contexto geopolítico y una argumentación tecnológica que hace perder un nivel de credibilidad), que puede confundir por el grado de detalle difícil de encontrar en el género epistolar, pero que es marginal frente a la fuerza de los personajes, los relatos y las relaciones.

Un aspecto interesante son las referencias a las teorías políticas de base. En eso, Carlos Fuentes se da ciertas licencias para destacar sus profundos conocimientos de la teoría política.

Un libro muy recomendable.

Doloroso
This book seemed like nothing more than a weakly masked excuse for Mr. Fuentes to show off his political knowledge and to voice his own political views. The plot was weak at best and the style was absurd.

What I am talking about is that the book is written as a series of letters back and forth from the characters of the story. Maybe this sounds like a clever idea, but the problem is he had no idea how to pull it off, but tried it anyway. The majority of letters are completely unconvicning as letters. In order to make up for the fact that the book contains no direct narrative or dialogs, he has the letter writers describing events in a style and level of detail that would never occur in an actual written letter. This includes telling the letter recipient of conversations by including the word for word dialog along with various literary embelishments, and providing historical background that the reader of the letter would not have needed, obviously to give the reader of the book that back ground. He should have just written it in the normal way and it wouldn't have had the absurd effect that it did.

Finally all of the characters wrote in more or less the same style. While they possessed diferent sets of values and intentions, they all seemed to have about the same personality (perhap that of Mr. Fuentes?).

Worst book I've read in years.

Radiografía
El tema de la última novela del escritor mexicano, Carlos Fuentes, sin duda es apasionante: Como represaliaal rechazo del gobierno mexicano a la política exterior norteamericana, el gobierno estadounidense "accidentalmente"deja a México sin sátelite de comunicación, así en pleno año 2022, el vecino alsur de la frontera queda incomunicado sin teléfonos ni Internet,regresando al siglo XIX y al furor epistolar de personajes tan maquiavélicos que harían quedar a los de Relaciones Peligrosas de Laclos, como la Caperucita Roja y Peter Pan, con el agravante de que no están tratando sólo de pasión sino de poder, en esta correspondencia está en juego la sucesión a la presidencia mexicana, y a todos los bienes, riquezas y traiciones que ella conlleva.

Diversos personajes entre ministros, consejeros, ex presidentes, secretarios, jefes de policías, queridas, se cartean los unos con los otros como si fueran señoritas del siglo XIX, para expresar sus emociones y también sus ambiciones. Se tejen artimañas, complots, asesinatos, se declaranodios y deseos carnales sin ningún pudor, y aunque a veces el tono de las cartas es excesivamente narrativo lo cual rompe el efecto de género epistolar,las triquiñuelas políticas de los remitentesson una radiografíaperfecta de la historia contemporánea de latinoamerica. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a collection of four long novellas, originally published in 1981, about characters from the lowest to the highest echelons of society in Mexico City. They offer an insight into the development of Mexican society since the 1910 Revolution, tracking the rise of the new bourgeoisie and the political/social tensions and violence of the late 1960s and early '70s. In one story a youth is torn between his drug-baron father and his grandfather who was a hero in the 1910 Revolution; in another, a young man is recruited from his shanty town to become a fascist para-military thug. The introduction, in English, surveys the life and work of Carlos Fuentes, and offers substantial analyses of the stories and their historical background. This edition also has a vocabulary aimed at A-level and first-year undergraduate students, including many Mexicanisms found in the text. Suggested essay titles and themes for discussion should make this a useful classroom text.spanish Description:La Ciudad de Mexico es un espacio mitico, ambiguo y luminoso, es el escenario del presente volumen y el protagonista velado de los cuatro relatos que lo conforman. Sus personajes transitan por espacios y momentos tragicos y festivos, como ellos mismos: un general nostalgico ante la revolucion mexicana, cada vez mas corrompida; una anciana olvidada y su oscura relacion con un nino paralitico de las vecindades del centro; un solteron acaudalado que no alcanza a comprender la pobreza ni la desaparicion del mito fundador de su status, y un lumpen que, mientras traba un combate con las palabras, termina como guardaespaldas de quien le ha causado tanto dolor… Todos ellos comparten el territorio doloroso, caotico y resentido de la ciudad. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Una novela bien tejida
Primero no se dejen engañar por la foto que sale en el cover, cualquiera diria que se trata de una novela de la revolución, aunque tiene una relación con esa ultima, la novela trata de los cambios de Mexico despuesde la revolución. Y aunque contiene cuatro relatos, estos no son totalmenteindependientes, sino que los cuatro diferentes relatos tienen personajes encomunes. Ese tejido lo hace muy bien Carlos Fuentes de manera que uno quedapendiente en el siguiente relato a quien va a refenciar y ver otro punto devista. Definitivamente comprenlo. ... Read more

Product Description
Witnesses of Time collects Flor Garduño's remarkable pictures where the sacred and symbolic are revealed in daily life. In remote corners of Central and South America, native Indians continue to practice ancient rituals as they have for millennia. Their rites embody a distinct worldview and a unique perception of time. The result of travels through ritual towns in Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador, Witnesses of Time encompasses landscape, architecture, ceremonies, tableaux, and individual portraits. Figures in Garduño's evocative images become clues to the spirituality of the Indian cosmos. Landforms hint at other as unseen orders of being. Common acts take on an extra dimension through their ritual associations, in communities that still retain their ties to the environment. Complemented by an introduction by the renowned Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes, Witnesses of Time is a tribute to a fascinating way of life, portrayed with an unparalleled grace.Introduction by Carlos Fuentes.Hardcover, 11.75 x 11.75 in./166 pgs ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Flor Garduno:Witness Of Time
This is a good photo book.I liked the technique and subject material.I have great respect for one who can create great photographs with limited surroundings.Her talent shows.

If you like Alvarez Bravo
This is a useful backfill to knowledge of FG. If you have seen her fotos at galleries in the southwest and need a cheap way to more become familiar with her oeuvre, this is a good book for you. She is another of Alvarez Bravo's assistants (including Graciela Iturbide and Lola Alvarez Bravo).The fotos in this book are heavily reminiscent of those of Alvarez Bravo. The brief essay by Carlos Fuentes doesn't add much beyond name-weight to the work.

Witness of Time by Fuentes
The book is a great book...however, my complaint and disapointment was that a 4 X 6 card inserted either from the seller or distributor was in the book which then became imprinted on 1/3rd of the pictoral/photograph pages.

Very, very disapointed about that choice.
Jerilynn Hanson

Sentinels to the Passage of Time
Flor Garduno is a mystical artist. She travels about the Americas pausing to observe and conserve rituals of the sacred and profane nature as embodied in the native peoples of Mexico,
Guatemala, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador.At times her photographs may seem stark or frozen in time or posed to minimize interaction with the surrounding landscape/homescape, but this technique only adds to the mystical element Garduno celebrates.

There is something timeless in these moments of ancient ritual, as though Garduno wants us to revere the passage of time as reliquaries for 'lost' civilizations.Yet her subjects and objects are extant: there is no gathering of elements from museums to authenticate these images.These are people and places that time passes by with respect and with reverence.

Some of the beauty of this portfolio is Garduno's concentration on the landscape as an equally important component of her travels.She captures the land of these remote regions in a manner that regards its holiness, its sanctity, its durable presence despite the shift of the winds and the ravages of weather.

This is a book for contemplation.The photographs are accompanied by an illuminating essay by none other than the brilliant Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes. This is a book that is highly recommended for personal libraries as well as for deeply thoughtful gifts.Grady Harp, March 05
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Product Description
It is New Years Eve, 1969. The narrator, an internationally renowned writer in his forties and a self-proclaimed Don Juan, meets the beautiful American movie actress Diana Soren at a party and is fascinated by her elusive charm. But infatuation becomes doomed pursuit as Diana spurns him and flees into an intrigue of paranoia and sexual jealousy. An extraordinary exploration of love, lust, betrayal, and humiliation, Diana is also a powerfully affecting novel about a vital moment in the chronicle of our times, a crucial intersection of history and art; salvation was no longer to be found in literature, and love was thwarted by the very forces that nourished it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

unconvincing
I simply was not convinced by this book! very disappointing, especially since i love jean seberg. but her character is ravaged and the prententious prose gets in the way too! a glorious opportunity wasted.

Spite or Obscure Object of Desire?
Carlos Fuentes had a brief but tempestuous affair with actress Jean Seberg over thirty years ago. The encounter seems to have marked him, for this book is a barely disguised roman a clef (where Diana Soren = Jean Seberg) about his relationship. It is like one of those European stories where the man gives up everything to follow some vixen, including his money, family, and peace of mind. Luis Bunuel (who actually appears in this novel as a character) created the ultimate masterpiece of the genre with his film THAT OBSCURE OBJECT OF DESIRE.

Jean Seberg has come down to us today as a tortured sado-masochistic saint who still has the power to beguile men. Film posters and stills featuring her and her movies command a premium in today's cinememorabilia market; and I know several collectors who seek out anything they can find depicting her. Perhaps, what Marilyn Monroe was for the 1950s, Jean Seberg was for the 1960s.

Why Fuentes wrote this novel in the way he did puzzles me. If I were as obsessed as he was, I would still feel queasy about exposing the dirty bedsheets and underwear to the gaze of the public. To me, love -- however brief or unhappy -- is a gift of the gods; and by spiting it, one shows oneself to be somehow unworthy. Fuentes has flouted a gift whose memory I would have locked away in the deepest recesses of my being and thrown away the key.

If, however, Fuentes feels himself to have been traduced by his relationship, like Charles Swann at the end of Proust's SWANN'S WAY after his recognition of Odette's unfaithfulness, I could understand his need to exorcise this "expense of spirit in a waste of shame."

Instead, I see both the anger and the gratefulness simultaneously. As a result, DIANA THE GODDESS WHO HUNTS ALONE leaves me with a feeling of unease, as if the author did not know his own mind and went off in several emotional directions at once.

The result is a very well written book that in the end does not quite jell. One can't worship at the shrine and spit at it at the same time.

A gripping tale of obsession
In "Diana, the Goddess Who Hunts Alone," the reader will discover a compelling tale by one of the masters of contemporary fiction. This novel by Carlos Fuentes has been translated into English by Alfred Mac Adam. Taking place primarily in 1970, the book tells the story of a tempestuous love affair between the narrator, who is a Mexican novelist, and American actress Diana Soren.

The novel captures the turbulence of the era being portrayed. Such phenomena as the Black Power movement and FBI surveillance of suspected "radicals" are woven into the narrative. Particularly interesting is the way that real people appear as characters in the book; the other characters have encounters, and sometimes conversations, with such figures as William Styron, James Baldwin, and Tina Turner. The novel is superbly written, and deals with such fascinating topics as national identity, racial identity, obsession, paranoia, creativity, political radicalism, fidelity, and Hollywood mythmaking.

One interesting note: The character of Diana Soren appears to be based on a real-life person, actress Jean Seberg. I recommend that those who are fascinated by Fuentes' novel do a little research on Seberg's life. Finally, I give "Diana" high praise as an outstanding example of the art of the novel.

Great book!
Diana by Carlos Fuentes is an exceptional book!Fuentes uses vivid descriptions like in his other books, but this one is much easier to follow.He has the ability to captivate the reader and make the reader part of his story.

Hot lusty tale of a woman in control of her lust!
Carlos Fuentes, Diana, The Goddess Who Hunts Alone is a great book about lust. Lust of a man for a woman.A man who generally gets everything he wants, marriage and a multitude of affairs without consequence.This book details a passionate affair between two excentric people with the female in total control.I didn't put it down until it was read ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A scholarly and diverse analysis
The latest in the extensive Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations series, Carlos Fuentes' The Death of Artemio Cruz is an anthology of essays by learned scholars discussing the finer points of the novel "The Death of Artemio Cruz" (1962) by contemporary Mexican author Carlos Fuentes. This novel about the legacy of the Mexican Revolution, as told from the perspective of Artemio Cruz on his deathbed, expresses a core search for Mexican identity in the wake of promises, failures, and hopes following the Revolution. Essays address issues of fathers and sons, comparisons between The Death of Artemio Cruz and Citizen Kane, the expression of memory and time, and much more. A scholarly and diverse analysis of a Mexican literary classic, recommended for college library and international literary studies shelves. ... Read more

Product Description
Fuentes's bold and timely study discusses the origins and nature of the tumultuous events that have recently transformed Mexican politics and society. The rebellion in Chiapas, a rash of assassinations, the break between Presidents Salinas and Zedillo, the continual struggle for democratic self-rule: These and other developments are addressed by one of Mexico's wisest, most influential commentators.Amazon.com Review
This collection of essays by Carlos Fuentes, Mexican intellectual,man of letters, and erstwhile diplomat, seeks to place his country's currentconvulsive state in a wider historical perspective. He discusses the MexicanRevolution of 1910 as a liberating moment, counterbalanced by a tendencytoward a centralized authoritarianism that created the monolithic rulingparty, the Partido Revolucionario Institucional, or PRI. Fuentes considersthat the PRI was a progressive force originally, but that it became corruptedby the Mexican ruling class' elevation of Anglo-American forms of government,and the application of "savage capitalism" to the detriment of theMexican people. Fuentes also talks about recent events, including theassassination of his friend, Luis Donaldo Colosio, the PRI presidentialcandidate, and he includes an exchange with Subcommander Marcos, theZapatista leader. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Relevence Then and Now of History
Carlos Fuentes, along with Octavio Paz is considered to be one of theliterary giants of contemporary Mexico. Old enough to have lived throughthe PRI's (Mexico's governing party)stronghold on Mexican politics, Fuentesshares his insights and expounds on such diverse topics as the mythology ofPre-Columbian Gods to modern Christianity, all the while tying everythinginto an historical description of Mexico and it's ruling party. He touchesupon La Malinche and Cortes as the parents of modern Mexico. He discussesNAFTA and the future of Mexico including President Zedillo's influence onMexico and it's international impact. The reading, at times can become abit dense and esoteric but for anyone interested in the politics of Mexico,with an historical perspective, will find this essential reading. In orderto understand the present and future, a solid understanding of the past isneeded, according to Fuentes, as he covers all the major time periods ofMexico's past. This book is especially crucial to understanding theimpending changes that may be brought about with the election of thecountries first non-PRI president in the countries existence. Fuentescontends that the authoritarian government of modern Mexico is linked tothe Aztec administrative structures established centuries ago. His writingstyle is spellbinding and you feel as though a professor is imparting someof his knowledge. According to Fuentes, we must heed Gellner's warning fromhis book Reason and Culture. "We cannot escape a contingent ,history-bound culture, and we caannot vindicate it either". Fuenteshas hopes for democracy in Mexico and just maybe with the demise of thePRI, his dreams, and the Mexican peoples may be realized.

Beautiful and insightful overview of Mexican history
This is a wonderful introduction to Mexican history, from the Conquest to the Zapatistas, from a writer almost more comfortable with poetry than prose. Fuentes is the rare intellectual who also speaks out for justice; herecently called upon the Mexican government to stop the militarization ofChiapas and to hold open peace talks.Every American should know at leastas much about Mexico as is in this slim and easy to read volume.Salud!

a clown in his costume
as usual, Fuentes plays the "every-man" of Mexican letters. He writes a fast book with anecdote with the intent of selling issues fast. A quick buck is not always a good one: same for a good BOOK. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Third World spy thriller
Released as a translated to English novel in 1978 as a follow up to the monster epic historical fantasy "Terra Nostra," Fuentes displays his versatile written skills with adept perception. This is acaptivating spy novel that features many characters but focuses on Felix Maldonado who is a low level Mexican bureaucrat. Maldonado is portrayed as a sort of everyman who suddenly finds himself thrust into bigger than life circumstances. On a day when the president of Mexico is making an appearance Maldonado, who was looking forward to the day suddenly finds himself being involved unvoluntarily into an assassination plot. He is declared dead and given a new identity, a sly bit of writting to create another faceless citizen of Mexico. From here the novel takes off into twists and turns to unravel the mystery and Maldonados and others role in the assassination attempt. The introduction of a diverse cast of characters with intriguing backgrounds adds to the mystery. The secret agents,the seductive women, the Mexican politicians and Maldonado's love for three different Jewish women all intertwine to create a story of infidelities and political Arab-Mexican intrigue. Fuentes is his usual self, posturing political convictions via his characters to create a a rich story that has multiple meanings beyond the spy story. The masquerade and unveiling of characters is brilliant. This is another in a long line of superb novels by Carlos Fuentes. The information written over twenty five years ago is as relevenat as the headlines coming out of the Middle East today. The tension of the Middle East and the seemingly hopeless better future clash in this novel like the current political situation. Catch this novel for a good spy mystery ride through the Third World.

Not always credible, but powerful
Hydra Head is amystery story,an immersion into a corrupt political world, and an exploration of different kinds of attraction between man and woman.Surprisingly, Fuentes in the latter part of the book ties up all the loose ends of the complex mstery.However, neither the characters, nor their motivation as it relates to the Mexican oil reserves, are realistic.The characters probably are not meant to be entirely realistic, Fuentes is more interested in their impact on the reader, and I was OK with most of them, Felix's spymaster/friend being an exception.Still, I wish the strategic interest in the exact amount and location of the oil reserves made more sense; e.g. reserves do not help alleviate shorter term oil shortages, unless they are in a place like Saudi Arabia where production can be ramped up quickly.The motives for the attack on the President made less sense to me thanwould a simple desire for more power. Despite that, "Hydra Head" is an interesting, powerful novel. ... Read more

Product Description
Mediante un nuevo lenguaje que aspira a formular la definitiva contemporaneidad de la obra, Fuentes emprende la tarea de convertir la utopia y la epica en otra cosa y elaborar un mito a partir de elementos reales. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

La Doña, approximation to a biographical novel.
In an occasion the author had plans to take Zona Sagrada to the screen.The novel narrates the relation mother-son of a famous actress (Claudia) woman of strong and castrante character.The novel bears a relation to events from the real life of the Doña.The nobody best one to interpret to Claudia whom Maria Felix.The own Maria agreed in making the film, after reading the novel the one that found fascinating.To its son Enrique it interested to him to make the paper of Guillermito, (Myth) son of Claudia.This idea it did not like the Doña, and brought like pretext that the personage of Guillermito was the central figure and had to change it because she wanted to be the central star.Magnificent pretext so that his son was not affected his image with the personage of Guillermito, a codependent, uncertain being, and with Oedipus Complex irresoluto. The project was not carried out, when the Doña regrets so that it remained without making.. According to account could occur in time, a film based on this novel that had been a risky project for the personal life of the Doña and her son. ... Read more

Product Description
In Carlos Fuentes, Mexico, and Modernity, Maarten van Delden argues that there is a fundamental paradox at the heart of Fuentes's vision of Mexico and in his role as novelist and critic in putting forth that vision. This paradox hinges on the tension between national identity and modernity. A significant internal conflict emerges in Fuentes's work from his attempt to stake out two different positions for himself, as experimental novelist and as politically engaged and responsible intellectual.

Drawing from his fiction, literary essays, and political journalism, van Delden places these tensions in Fuentes's work in relation to the larger debates about modernity and postmodernity in Latin America. He concludes that Fuentes is fundamentally a modernist writer, in spite of the fact that he occasionally gravitates toward the postmodernist position in literature and politics.

Van Delden's thorough command of the subject matter, his innovative and sometimes iconoclastic conclusions, and his clear and engaging writing style make this study more than just an interpretation of Fuentes's work. Carlos Fuentes, Mexico, and Modernity offers nothing less than a comprehensive analysis of Fuentes's intellectual development in the context of modern Mexican political and cultural life.

"This lucid book clearly delineates the features of an entire epoch in the intellectual life of Mexico. Its analysis provides a key to understanding one of the major authors of our time and one of the leading characters in twentieth-century Latin America."-Alberto Ruy Snchez

"Maarten van Delden's insight into Carlos Fuentes is a triumph of scholarship. This challenging study is cause for celebration."-Walter Abish ... Read more

Product Description
Scripta Humanistica. 2007. 446 p.
This volume is the only study to encompass all of Fuentes' writings, including short stories, novels, theatre and essays, from his earliest short stories of the mythic and fantastic, Los días enmascarados, to his unique and enigmatic autobiographical dictionary En esto creo (2002), and his most significant narrative in the twenty-first century, La Silla del Águila (2003). Designed for the students of Latin American Literature as a comprehensive guidebook, for enthusiasts of Comparative Literature and Ethnic Studies, and specialists in Latin American Literature, Lifting the Obsidian Mask provides a highly readable, illuminating and invaluable exploration of Fuentes' complex and uncompromising, paradoxical, and fascinating art. ... Read more