The Mexico City Reader (THE AMERICAS) (Paperback)

~ Ruben Gallo (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In spite of its size, its proximity to the United States, and its extraordinarily vibrant cultural life, Mexico City remains almost invisible as a literary locale to North American readers who do not know Spanish. Rubén Gallo undertakes to fill this gap with his anthology of writings about the city, and he does so with great skill, insight, and verve."—Maarten van Delden, author of Carlos Fuentes, Mexico, and Modernity

"Gathered under topical headings such as The Metro, Eating and Drinking, Corruption and Bureaucracy, Gallo has chosen some of the most engaging and lively chronicles of [Mexico City]."—Jean Franco, author of The Decline and Fall of the Lettered City: Latin America and the Cold War

“A must-read for anyone interested in the social and cultural pulse of modern Mexico City.”—Clara Ricciardi, The Bloomsbury Review

Product Description

Mexico City is one of Latin America's cultural capitals, and one of the most vibrant urban spaces in the world. The Mexico City Reader is an anthology of "Cronicas"--short, hybrid texts that are part literary essay, part urban reportage--about life in the capital. This is not the "City of Palaces" of yesteryear, but the vibrant, chaotic, anarchic urban space of the 1980s and 1990s--the city of garbage mafias, necrophiliac artists, and kitschy millionaires.

Like the visitor wandering through the city streets, the reader will be constantly surprised by the visions encountered in this mosaic of writings--a textual space brimming with life and crowded with flâneurs, flirtatious students, Indian dancers, food vendors, fortune tellers, political activists, and peasant protesters.

The essays included in this anthology were written by a panoply of writers, from well-known authors like Carlos Monsiváis and Jorge Ibagüengoitia to younger figures like Fabrizio Mejía Madrid and Juieta García González, all of whom are experienced practitioners of the city. The texts collected in this anthology are among the most striking examples of this concomitant "theory and practice" of Mexico City, that most delirious of megalopolises.

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Product Details Paperback: 280 pages Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press; 1 edition (July 15, 2004) Language: English ISBN-10: 029919714X ISBN-13: 978-0299197148 Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #407,286 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #67 in  Books > Travel > United States > States > Wisconsin

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Customer Reviews

1 Review 5 star:  (1) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Best narrative modern history of Mexico City, August 25, 2008 By  Hankk (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews Awesome book. This books paints a picture of Mexico City like no other. It's a collection of 30-some essays and reportage. Some have a historical perspective (e.g., the Metro system just after it was built), while others are very recent. This isn't a guidebook, but it will give you a better understanding of the city's underpinnings than a stack of Lonely Planets ever will. Most of the authors are Mexicans; a lot of the essays are famous in Mexico, and appearing in English for the first time. There is a level of authenticity here that is not reached by competing books (e.g., David Lida's 'First Stop in the New World' -- which is more of an American journalist's perspective on things.) The writing is exciting, artistic, and well-chosen.		Ad feedback   Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press; 1 edition (July 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 029919714X
• ISBN-13: 978-0299197148
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #407,286 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #67 in

  Books > Travel > United States > States > Wisconsin

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best narrative modern history of Mexico City, August 25, 2008

By	Hankk (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews

Awesome book. This books paints a picture of Mexico City like no other. It's a collection of 30-some essays and reportage. Some have a historical perspective (e.g., the Metro system just after it was built), while others are very recent. This isn't a guidebook, but it will give you a better understanding of the city's underpinnings than a stack of Lonely Planets ever will.

Most of the authors are Mexicans; a lot of the essays are famous in Mexico, and appearing in English for the first time. There is a level of authenticity here that is not reached by competing books (e.g., David Lida's 'First Stop in the New World' -- which is more of an American journalist's perspective on things.)

The writing is exciting, artistic, and well-chosen.