Best Classic and Contemporary Mexican Books to Read
The Best Classic and Contemporary Mexican Books to Read Right Now:
Mexican Culture
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We love to share our culture, both historic and contemporary there is a wide array of literary classics that one could fill a library with. The list of amazing Mexican books could go on indefinitely into the future, but we wanted to provide you with our most current selection for your pleasure. Join us as we break down some of our favorite pieces of contemporary and classical Mexican literature.
Classic and Contemporary Mexican Books - Our Selection:
The Labyrinth of Solitude and Other Writings - Octavio Paz
El Laberinto de La Soledad is one of Octavio Paz’s most famous works, it is both a critically acclaimed masterpiece and intimate Mexican staple. Paz reflects on the identity of Mexico and its’ cultural values that move our history. A philosophical inquiry into perspective, patriarch, historical trauma and identity - this work resonates through history with a pulse of revolutionary discourse that dissects the collective cultural imaginary.
Signs Preceding the End of the World - Yuri Herrera
A contemporary novel by a promising author that captivates the reader throughout the slim yet deep story. Influenced by Juan Rulfo’s Pedro Paramo - another classic piece of Mexican history, the narration leads the reader through a journey of discovery beyond the self - into topics of family, resolve, migration, and mythology. This work both in English and Spanish will captivate and keep your attention even after the first read.
Confabulario - Juan José Arreola
This scathing inditement on the daily lives and wrongdoings in personal living. Juan José Arreola captivates through humor and sharp language in telling imaginative stories through various people, professions and vignettes. This book touches on love, life, hypocrisy, follies and essentialist emotions of the human spirit. This mythological caricature of humanity will delight and keep you guessing with ingenuity and imagination.
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Asunder by Chloe Aridjis
A breath of beauty flows through this critically acclaimed work by London based Mexican Writer Chloe Aridjis. Following the release of her first novel “Book of Clouds”/ El Libro de las Nubes as a French graphic novel - Asunder offered a unique follow up that tells the events of the life of Marie, a guard at the National Gallery in London. Exploring the relationships between fragility and destruction, creation and loss, life and death - this beautiful work richly and prosaically rugs at the heart strings.
El Eterno Femenino - Rosario Castellanos
Mexico (and the world) would never be what it is without strong women. The Mexican writers that have impacted history include Rosario Castellanos as she transcends cultures and borders through her lyrical prose and poignant language. El Eterno Femenino (The Eternal Feminist) is a theatrical and satirical work broken into three significant acts that follow Lupita, a young woman on the verge of marriage. This work published in 1976 demystifies historical stereotypes as an integral work of Mexican feminism.