Mexican Postcards (Critical Studies in Latin American and Iberian Culture)

Carlos Monsiváis is one of Latin America’s most prescient and prolific social commentators. In this, the first English translation of his work, he presents an extraordinary chronicle of contemporary life south of the Rio Grande, which ranges over pop music, Latino hip hop, film stars such as Cantinflas and Dolores del Rio, the writer Juan Rulfo, life on the border with the United States, boleros and melodrama. Monsiváis’s chronicles are theoretically informed but are crammed with people rather than abstractions. They make points of deadly seriousness in a voice which is laconic, satirical and humorous, and which is often written in the register of his subjects. Monsiváis draws on a deep understanding of Mexico’s cultural histories—popular, mass and high—and notes the fascinating ways in which they interact to transform each other. The conflicts between Mexican and North American culture and between modern and traditional ways of life are constant themes of his investigations. A dazzling mixture of reportage, narrative and biting social criticism, Mexican Postcards is certain to establish Monsiváis’s rightful place in the pantheon of Latin America’s greatest writers. Mexico's leading cultural critic, published for the first time in English. CarlosMonsivais is one of Latin America's sharpest social commentators, rivalling the popularity of Carlos Fuentes and Octavio Paz in his native Mexico. In this, the first translation in book form of his work, he presents an extraordinary chronicle of contemporary life south of the Rio Grande, ranging over subjects as various as Latino hip hop, Delores del Rio, the writer Juan Rildo, boleros, pop music, and melodrama. Monsivais's chronicles are laconic and satirica, taking as a constant theme the conflicts between Mexican and North American culture and between modern and traditional ways of life.A dazzling mixture of reportage and biting social criticism, Mexican Postcards is certain to establish Monsiváis's rightful place in the pantheon of Latin America's greatest writers.
Frontmatter INTRODUCTION Critical Closeness: The Chronical-Essays of Carlos Monsiváis (page ix) 1 Mexico 1890-1976: High Contrast, Still Life (page 1) 2 Identity Hour or, What Photos Would You Take of the Endless City? (page 31) 3 Tradition Hour (page 36) 4 Dancing: The Funky Dive (page 48) 5 Yes, Nor Do the Dead Speak, Unfortunately: Juan Rulfo (page 57) 6 Dolores del Río: The Face as Institution (page 71) 7 Cantinflas: That's the Point! (page 88) 8 Tin Tan: The Pachuco (page 106) 9 The Boy Fidencio and the Roads to Ecstasy (page 119) 10 Millenarianisms in Mexico: From Cabora to Chiapas (page 129) 11 'Red News': The Crime Pages in Mexico (page 148) 12 Bolero: A History (page 166) EPILOGUE A New Catechism for Reluctant Indians (page 196) INDEX (page 197) In this first translation in book form of his work, Latin American social commentator Carlos Monsivais presents an extraordinary chronicle of contemporary life south of the Rio Grande, ranging over subjects as various as Latino hip hop, Dolores del Rio, boleros, and melodrama. Monsivais's chronicles are laconic and satirical, taking as a constant theme the conflicts between Mexican and North American culture and between modern and traditional ways of life Presents a chronicle of contemporary life in Mexico, ranging from popular music, Latino hip hop, the murals of Siquerios, film stars, the painter Frida Kahlo, the writer Juan Ruldo, life on the border with the USA and the organization of Mexico City's urban poor in the wake of an earthquake.