Latin American Fiction: A Short Introduction

The emergence of modern narrative from Spanish–speaking Latin America represents one of the key cultural developments of the twentieth century. This account introduces readers to modern Latin American fiction in its cultural and political contexts, and to debates about how to read it. The author examines the phenomena of the New Novel and the Boom, as well as the related phenomenon of Magical Realism, placing them within the wider context of narrative production since Independence and more recent developments since the 1970s. He combines an overview of the evolution of Latin American writing with detailed analyses of key texts from authors such as Mario Vargas Llosa, Gabriel García Márquez, Jorge Luis Borges and Isabel Allende. Other areas covered include nation–building narratives, national and regional fictions, Indigenism, modernismo, the Post–Boom and Hispanic American fiction in the USA.

1. Beginnings: Narrative and the Challenge of New Nations. 2. National Narratives: Regional and Continental Identity. 3. The Rise of the New Narrative. 4. The Boom. 5. After the Boom. 6. Hispanic American Fiction of the United States. 7. Culture Wars: Ways of Reading Latin American Fiction. Notes. Further Reading. Index

Philip Swanson is Professor of Hispanic Studies at the University of Sheffield. He has published widely in the area of Spanish and Latin American studies, including books on the New Novel, the Post–Boom, Gabriel García Márquez and José Donoso. He has taught in universities in Europe and the USA.

"Elegantly written, comprehensive and yet succinct, Professor Philip Swanson’s Latin American Fiction: A Short Introduction offers a magisterial account of the development of Latin American fiction … This is an authoritative introduction by the UK’s leading expert on the Latin American novel." Stephen Hart, University College London <!––end––> "A probing, inquisitive and refreshing approach to Latin American literature, which also takes into account its presence in the United States." William Luis, Vanderbilt University "A good overview that outlines the main movements and the ways in which the genre has evolved that provides a good foundation for the study of this region′s diverse fictional legacy." The British Bulletin of Publications