My Lost Mexico [Mass Market Paperback]

James A. Michener (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 1993

The best-selling novelist recounts the genesis, development, abandonment, and resurrection thirty years later of his novel, Mexico, in a book that includes a previously unpublished novella, The Texas Girls. Reprint. NYT. PW.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this intermittently interesting portrait of a writer's mind at work, Michener reconstructs the birth of his recently published novel Mexico , which he had originally abandoned in 1961. He blames the novel's derailment on a mocking editorial suggestion by Bennett Cerf, then his publisher at Random House, which caused him to lose control of the story's diverse strands. Misplaced for three decades, the lost manuscript turned up in 1991 and Michener completed the multigenerational saga centering on a three-day bullfighting festival. Discussing the "colossal" writer's blocks he has faced over the years, Michener offers advice to aspiring writers as he describes his many trips to Mexico, divulges his sources of inspiration and relives the writing of Mexico with the aid of reproduced journal pages, workbook entries and photographs.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Invaluable to any aspiring or working author...Marvelous, really!" -- Booklist

"Michener makes history come alive in this engaging slice of Americana and Texas lore..." -- Publishers Weekly --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books (December 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812534379
• ISBN-13: 978-0812534375
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,058,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Text on the Writing Process, February 22, 2000

By 

Top Dragon (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: My Lost Mexico (Mass Market Paperback)

For fans of Michener's book, "Mexico", this is an excellent little companion book to read the behind the scenes, "Making of" book. Lots of photographs, drawings, and copies of hand-written notes, tell the tale of the tale. Very interesting to see how even such a prolific author as Michener struggled to complete his novel of Mexico.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good read, November 8, 2005

By 

Highlanderthal "LONE WOLF" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Lost Mexico (Hardcover)

not our typical Michener book, it is more the making of a Michener book, in this case the making of Mexico, and how he overcame a 30 year writers cramp to do this, well worth the read to any fan of his Mexico novel or to aspiring writers, not for a casual read otherwise.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Worthwhile Read, June 28, 2009

By 

John R. Lindermuth "J. R. Lindermuth, author ... (Coal Township PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Lost Mexico (Mass Market Paperback)

An interesting account detailing how Michener began the novel, 'Mexico,' abandoned the manuscript for 30 years, then came back to complete what became an international bestseller in 1992-93.

Ironically, though I admire Michener as one of Pennsylvania's stellar writers and have read much of his work and love Mexico, its history and culture, I've never read this particular novel. I can't really say why I've neglected this particular book, but I now will have to read it.

The interesting part of this book is how it provides insight into Michener's writing process. He was a prodigious researcher and a hard worker. He often spent 12-15 hours a day at his typewriter. He was a genius at plot construction. Yet his lengthy, complex novels came together on the barest of outlines. The examples he gives of his outlining in this book show that the term to him might be as simple as a single word defining the 'outline' of a chapter. Other elements he refers to as 'outlining' include drawings and photographs which he used to focus his imagination.

Since I haven't yet read `Mexico' I can't comment on the changes he mentions and his reasons for them. Other than the memoir, `The World is My Home,' this is one of the few opportunities to gain insight on Michener's creative process and I found it an interesting and worthwhile read.