Customer Reviews

The Fat Man from La Paz: Contemporary Fiction from Bolivia

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This is one of the best collections of short stories i've ever read. It contains all kinds of stories. Funny, sad, historical, etc. One thing applies to them all. They are all very good. I've been to Bolivia, talked to a lot of people there, but nobody told me about their terrific writers. Strange! Buy this book. Especialy if you like South American litrature. Thank you Rosario Santos for collecting!

I checked The Fat Man From La Paz out from the library before my trip to Bolivia and am so glad that I did. I found very few books available about Bolivia and this is the only book I found of Bolivian fiction. Fortunately, it is excellent.

The book contains twenty short stories written by various Bolivian writers addressing various themes including racial politics, romance, and Bolivian history. While some of the stories are better than others - I liked the first story the best, and the title storie, The Fat Man from La Paz the least - they each have a distinct voice, and are original and enjoyable reads. The book also contains a excellent forward that gives a little bit of background on each story, great for readers interested in the cultural/political themes important to these writers of 20th century Bolivia.

In short: The Fat Man From La Paz is a great read if you like short stories or Latin American fiction, and even better if you want to learn about Bolivian culture. Read this if you're planning to visit Bolivia: these stories have much more heart than a boring travel guide.