We have a variety of interviews discussing books on Latin America. James Dunkerley chooses his best books on Latin American history, Patricio Navia chooses his best books on Latin American politics, and William LeoGrande his best books on US relations with Latin America. John King chooses his selection of the best Latin American novels. Oscar Guardiola-Rivera chooses his best books on the rise of Latin America.
On individual countries:
Regina Marchi chooses her best books on the Latin American celebrations of the Day of the Dead.
The Best Colombian Novels, recommended by Pilar Quintana
Colombian novels shot to international prominence after the publication of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, which told the story of his small, Colombian hometown by mixing in fantastical elements. The novel spoke to readers around the globe and García Márquez would go on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Here, contemporary Colombian novelist Pilar Quintana introduces us to the works of this ‘genius’ as well as some of the other great novels of Colombian literature.
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1
The Skeleton at the Feast
by Elizabeth Carmichael and Chloë Sayer -
2
The Days of the Dead
by John Greenleigh and Rosalind Beimler -
3
Día de los Muertos: A Cultural Legacy, Past, Present & Future
Curated by Linda Vallejo and Betty Brown -
4
On the Path of Marigolds: Living Traditions of Mexico's Day of the Dead
by Ann Murdy -
5
El Corazon de la Muerte
by Oakland Museum of California
The best books on The Day of The Dead, recommended by Regina Marchi
The best books on The Day of The Dead, recommended by Regina Marchi
As long as they live in our memories, family members and loved ones who have died remain with us. That’s what is celebrated on the Day of the Dead, an indigenous Latin American tradition that survived both Catholic missionaries and the modernizing state to flourish in recent years, featuring in more than one Hollywood blockbuster. Regina Marchi, a professor at Rutgers University and author of Day of the Dead in the USA, talks us through the origins, evolution and contemporary celebrations of the Day of the Dead.
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1
Recollections of Things to Come
by Elena Garro, translated by Ruth L.C. Simms, illustrated by Alberto Beltrán -
2
Cartucho
by Nellie Campobello, translated by Doris Meyer -
3
Balún Canán
by Castellanos Rosario -
4
Pedro Páramo
by Juan Rulfo, translated by Margaret Sayers Peden -
5
Aura
by Carlos Fuentes, translated by Lysander Kemp
Five of the Best Classic Mexican Novels, recommended by Ave Barrera
Five of the Best Classic Mexican Novels, recommended by Ave Barrera
We asked the award-winning Mexican novelist Ave Barrera—whose latest book, The Forgery, has recently been translated into English—to recommend five classic Mexican novels. Here she discusses her choices, which include books by Juan Rulfo, Elena Garro and Nellie Campobello.
The Best Caribbean Fiction, recommended by Alexia Arthurs
From the humorous and dark stories of a young V. S. Naipaul to recent coming-of-age novels, set in a cut-throat Jamaican holiday resort or American’s urban battlefields, Alexia Arthurs explores the myriad expressions of Caribbean identity in fiction
The best books on Cuba, recommended by Oscar Hijuelos
In 2011, two years before his death, Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Oscar Hijuelos told us about books that evoke the land of his parents, from a noirish take on contemporary Havana to the cabaret scene of pre-Castro Cuba
The best books on Latin American Politics, recommended by Patricio Navia
Political scientist Patricio Navia discusses how the identity of Latin America is inextricably bound up with its colonial history, why Latin American voters elect left-wing leaders, and how social inclusion is necessary for Latin America to realise its full potential
The Best Latin American Novels, recommended by John King
From magical realism to political upheaval, John King, Professor Emeritus at Warwick University, recommends five essential works of Latin American fiction – and reveals what Jorge Luis Borges was like in person.
The best books on U.S. relations with Latin America, recommended by William LeoGrande
U.S. government adviser and Dean of the American University School of Public Affairs leads a book-bound tour that takes us from the Bacardi dynasty in Cuba to American military interventions in Central America
The best books on Latin American History, recommended by James Dunkerley
Professor James Dunkerley at Queen Mary’s, University of London, says that ‘Latin America’ is a term that only dates from the 1830s. He chooses five books that illuminate the cultural and political history of the continent.
Edwidge Danticat on Haitian Literature
The acclaimed Haitian author chooses five must-reads from the riches of Haitian literature – including 19th-century poems by a ruler’s daughter.
The best books on Brazil, recommended by Larry Rohter
The former Rio de Janeiro bureau chief for the New York Times, Larry Rohter, discusses five books that explore the strain of tragedy lurking just beneath Brazil’s ‘happy’ image.
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1
The Secret History of Costaguana
by Juan Gabriel Vásquez -
2
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
by Junot Díaz -
3
The Many-Headed Hydra
by Marcus Rediker and Paul Linebaugh -
4
Of Divine Warning
by Jane Anna and Lewis R Gordon -
5
Time for a Visible Hand
by Stephany Griffiths-Jones, Jose Antonio Ocampo & Joseph Stiglitz
The best books on The Rise of Latin America, recommended by Oscar Guardiola-Rivera
The best books on The Rise of Latin America, recommended by Oscar Guardiola-Rivera
The author and academic says the global financial meltdown has shattered the apparently sophisticated, but in fact conceptually hollow, foundations upon which “self-regulated” markets were built
The best books on Jamaica, recommended by Ian Thomson
From two 19th century journals, to historical fiction, to reportage on Jamaicans living in London in the 1950s to the island’s music, British travel writer Ian Thomson, author of The Dead Yard: Tales of Modern Jamaica, recommends a broad range of books that shed light on Jamaica.
The best books on Haiti, recommended by Christian Wisskirchen
As a country that was created after the first and only successful slave revolt in history, Haiti looms large in the popular imagination. Here, Christian Wisskirchen, founding member and former chair of The Haiti Support Group, recommends five books that reveal much about Haiti and what makes it special, and its fascinating and often traumatic history since independence in 1804.
The best books on Argentina and Psychoanalysis, recommended by Chris Moss
Journalist and author Chris Moss recommends books to help us understand the Argentine people and their mindset.
The best books on Mexico, recommended by Hugh Thomson
Explorer, film-maker and writer, Hugh Thomson, picks the best books on Mexico, from the revolution in 1910, to the conquistadors, to gold mines, to the fatalism of Mexico and more.
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1
The Pinochet Regime
by Carlos Huneeus -
2
Battling for Hearts and Minds: Memory Struggles in Pinochet’s Chile, 1973–1988
by Steve J Stern -
3
Fear in Chile: Lives Under Pinochet
by Patricia Politzer -
4
Heading South, Looking North: A Bilingual Journey
by Ariel Dorfman -
5
Victims of the Chilean Miracle: Workers And Neoliberalism In The Pinochet Era, 1973–2002
by Peter Winn
The best books on Pinochet and Chilean Politics, recommended by Alan Angell
The best books on Pinochet and Chilean Politics, recommended by Alan Angell
Marshalling one of the first ever televised coups, Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet’s legacy is fraught. While some apologists try to justify the dictatorship on economic grounds, his time in office saw innumerable human rights abuses. Alan Angell, Emeritus Fellow in Latin American Politics at the University of Oxford, considers the regime of “a very cruel man.”
The best books on The Andes, recommended by Michael Jacobs
The respected author and prominent Hispanist examines the history and people of The Andes. Selects and reviews five great reads, including classics from Isherwood and Hemming
The best books on Pirates, recommended by Adrian Tinniswood
People see in pirates what they want to see, says historian and author Adrian Tinniswood. He recommends five fascinating books about pirates.