The City of Kings (Discoveries Series) [Paperback]

Rosario Castellanos (Author), Yvette E. Miller (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Discoveries Series | Publication Date: January 1, 1993

stories, Mexico, tr R Rudder & G de Arjona

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

These short stories, first published in Mexico in 1960, show Castellanos to be a first-rate writer whose understanding of Mexican culture is as disturbing as it is engrossing. Using the city of Ciudad Real--the eponymous City of Kings, once glorious but now "a vain, empty shell"--as a unifying element, she explores how racism, hunger, religion and money become weapons for the rulers of a society built upon the domination of native peoples. An elderly woman bludgeons an Indian to death, but calms her fears that his spirit will haunt her by thinking, "How could a spirit possibly appear if the body belonged to an Indian, and not to a rational person?" A proud native tribe and its protective spirit are exterminated by Spanish oligarchs and their descendants. A baby dies of hunger, yet the doctor who allows it to happen proclaims it a victory in getting Indians to understand the value of "white" medicine. A subtle paradox inhabits these unrelenting stories: Castellanos (1925-1974) was herself a wealthy ladina or white woman of mixed (European and indigenous) ancestry. She manages her exposure of the racist underpinnings of society brilliantly; more than 30 years after these stories were written, the inhumanity they portray continues to chill the soul.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This collection of ten interwoven, chronologically consecutive short stories set in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico, was first published in Spanish as Ciudad Real in 1960. Castellanos focuses on the exploitation of the indigenous population by the ladinos (whites) and the deep-seated racism and blind prejudice of both groups. The exploitation of women, especially the indigenous women, is a major theme. The individual tales range from stories of the conquered to a chronicle of the journey of a North American Protestant missionary. A prolific writer in many genres, Castellanos (1925-74) is part of the Mexican "Generation of 1950" and is considered one of Mexico's leading feminist authors. Many of her works have been translated into English, including her first novel, The Nine Generations ( LJ 1/1/60) and Another Way To Be ( LJ 10/1/90). City of Kings will be a major addition to collections containing Mexican literature in translation.
- Mary Margaret Benson, Linfield Coll. Lib., McMinnville, Ore.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 143 pages
• Publisher: Latin Amer Literary Review Pr; First edition. edition (January 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0935480633
• ISBN-13: 978-0935480634
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,913,259 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.