Carlos Monsiváis: Culture and Chronicle in Contemporary Mexico (Hardcover)

by Linda Egan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
For four decades, Carlos Monsiv is has been one of Mexico's most popular and prolific writers, comparable to Spain's Jos Ortega y Gassett for the sheer volume, as well as the important social commentary, of his work. Yet his five collections of literary journalism (cr"nicas) on the social, cultural, and political structures of modern Mexico have remained unknown to American readers and scholars until the present. Egan (Spanish, Univ. of California, Davis) here presents the first English-language critique of Monsiv is's work. Divided into two parts, the book examines Monsiv is first as a journalist and theorist and then as an author. In the first section, Egan shows that Monsiv is not only chronicles the news but also participates in it as a social reformer. In the second section, she scrutinizes Monsiv is the author by carefully analyzing his first five books. Egan's textual divisions cause some repetition, but her exhaustive treatment of the work of one of Mexico's most important writers and social commentators justifies her valiant undertaking. Recommended for academic libraries and larger public libraries containing selections of Monsiv is's work. Nedra C. Evers, Sacramento P.L, CA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"An outstanding, comprehensive study . . . an enlightening and coherent view of the overall significance of the body of Monsiváis's work." -- Mary K. Long

"Egan has succeeded . . . in understanding his writing in the context of an immanent theory of Mexican culture." -- Ignacio Corona

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 276 pages
• Publisher: University of Arizona Press (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816521379
• ISBN-13: 978-0816521371
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,902,776 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reading Monsivais from the US, October 11, 2001

By A Customer

Carlos Monsivais is perhaps THE most important and widely read cultural critic in Mexico. This basically means that readings of his work can be either highly productive or highly mediocre. Linda Egan, fortunately, falls into the first category. its main virtue is that it is the first book length study of Monsivais' work written in English, and also it is the first study to consider all of the disperse Monsivais bibliography, which includes an overwhelming number of texts published in newspapers, journals, magazines and some other elusive media. Egan's reading basically focuses on the role of Monsivais' work within the constitution of a Mexican culture. It serves well its purpose, since its excellent writing makes this book a great introduction for those not familiar with Monsivais. Also, its deep research, interesting insights and careful readings will definitely consolidate Egan's book as the authoritative reference to Monsivais's work. I would have given the book five stars if I haven't found both things that bothered me. First, the book does not take into consideration important essays about Monsivais written in Mexico, such as the two Evodio Escalante includes in his book "Las metaforas de la critica" or the praising essay written by Christopher Dominguez Michael in "Servidumbre y grandeza de la vida literaria". Also, in the introduction, Egan makes an enormous mistake. She claims that Monsivais's column, "Por mi madre bohemios" is named like that because it is some sort of mock inside a patriarchal society. Actually, this assertion only means that Egan ignores the actual source of the column's title, which is the most known verse of the 19th century poem "Brindis del bohemio", a poem widely known in the Mexican popular culture, which, by the way, is one of the most antifeminist poems in Mexican tradition. Monsivais includes it because the poem has been regarded as ridiculous in the Mexican elite and quoting it has a sense of mock, just as the quotes with which Monsivais constructs his column. Other than that, the book is pretty solid and a must have for anyone interested in Mexican culture.