The Story of Colors / La Historia de los Colores: A Bilingual Folktale from the Jungles of Chiapas (Spanish Edition) (Hardcover)

by Subcomandante Marcos (Author), Domitilia Dominguez (Illustrator)
Key Phrases: Old Antonio

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Were it not for the fame showered upon this title in the wake of the NEA's retraction of funding for it, this Mexican folktale by a Zapatista leader would probably have attracted little attention: its greatest merit, Dom!nguez's vibrantly original art, is subverted by a badly flawed design. The bilingual text is digressive and rough, as if transcribed from an oral telling, and it presumes some common ground that will likely be absent for American readers ("The gods were fighting.... They were very quarrelsome, these gods, not like the first ones, the seven gods who gave birth to the world, the very first ones"). Purporting to tell how the gods created colors, the story tacks on a message about tolerance, equating different colors with different ways of thinking. The art, meanwhile, is full of life, a heady mix of folkloric motifs and a contemporary intensity. Dom!nguez's totemic figures crowd her canvases as if they were performing in a theater, their gestures and poses dramatic and commanding; and her fittingly colorful backgrounds are boldly and kinetically patterned. But the glossy paper flattens the rich, textured surfaces of the paintings; the three-quarter-page reproductions compete with different-colored blocks of text for readers' attention; and an unvaried, static layout discourages close perusal. Readers interested in the controversies surrounding the title will soak up the political commentary on the jacket flaps, which also include a photo of the guerrilla authorAa masked figure garlanded with bandoliers of bullets. All ages.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
K Up-Employing elements of both fable and indigenous pourquoi tale, this story explains the origin of colors in the world and how the macaw acquired his bright plumage. Old Antonio relates that the gods, bored with black and white, go out into the world and collect colors-red from blood, yellow from a child's laughter, etc. The colors combine and make more colors. The gods, needing a place to keep them safe, spot the macaw, and decide on his feathers. And so the bird goes "strutting about just in case men and women forget how many colors there are and how many ways of thinking, and that the world will be happy if all the colors and ways of thinking have their place." The text, colloquial and rolling in both Spanish and English, has rhythm, motion, and a sense of authenticity. Dom!nguez's primitive forms have volume and solidity, along with a kinetic energy that gives them the sense of movement. The figures, structured on a line as pure as that of Picasso, carry the action in the black-and-white sections, but the colors as they are introduced are vibrant and fresh as if they had, indeed, just been found, newly minted. The meld of artwork and text is flawless. This said, some caveats are in order. There are several lovely, natural references to lovemaking, and the accompanying illustration shows a woman and a male god in an unmistakably sexual embrace. Within the context of the story and culture from which it derives, it speaks to a way of life in which sexuality is accepted as a natural and cotidian element. However, in our cultural context, it poses some problems of potential audience. Finally, this publication has received a lot of press because the author is a Zapatista insurgent involved in guerrilla warfare with the Mexican government. The book, however, stands alone as a lovely, integrated folktale with a meaning and message all its own, and is deserving of purchase.
Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press; Bilingual edition (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English, Spanish
• ISBN-10: 0938317458
• ISBN-13: 978-0938317456
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #788,139 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Mexican folktale that vividly depicts the unity of colors, November 5, 1999

By	David Middlekauff ([e-mail]) (Denver, Colorado) - See all my reviews

Subcomandante Marcos uses this folktale as an instrument to teach adults and children alike the importance of all colors. This folktale helps us to understand the present situation in Chiapas since not every color is being respected, i.e. the peoples of color. A well written story with beautiful pictures, a book that should be in every primary school classroom.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rhapsody of a Folktale, August 29, 2004

By	Rogina Ruiz "Gina Ruiz" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Story of Colors / La Historia de los Colores: A Bilingual Folktale from the Jungles of Chiapas (Spanish Edition) (Paperback)

This book is a wonderful folktale from the idigenous people of Chiapas, Mexico. The original text is taken from the communiqué dated October 27, 1994 from Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos to the Mexican People. Originally published in Mexico with illustrations by Domitila Domínguez as La Historia de los Colores © 1996 by Colectivo Callejero, Guadalajara.

The amazing thing about this book is the controversy it caused. On March 9, 1999, the National Endowment for the Arts revoked the funding for the book. This was a clear instance of the NEA revoking funding for issues dealing with cultural diversity. Cinco Puntos Press fought to publish and distribute this book. You can read more about Cinco Puntos' fight for this book by visiting their website:

http://www.cincopuntos.com/storyofcolors.ssd


Told by Subcommandante Marcos, who is the spokesperson for the indigenous army currently at war with the Mexican Government, The Story of Colors is a lovely little folktale written with such virtuosity, that you can imagine sitting at Don Antonio's feet and hear his voice as he tells how colors came to the world. Marcos is known for being a wonderful storyteller and he is at is best in this amazing story of the Colors. The illustrations by Domitilla Dominguez who is indigenous from Oaxaca are beautiful and quite stunning. They perfectly compliment the story and give a fantastic feel to the book. This book is a treasure in many ways. For me, the biggest pleasure of this book is knowing how it was almost kept from us by the NEA.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure in inception & form, September 28, 2003

By	M. Lozano (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Story of Colors / La Historia de los Colores: A Bilingual Folktale from the Jungles of Chiapas (Spanish Edition) (Paperback)

This beautifully written book captures the essence of Old man Antonio's retelling of "La historia de los colores". As you read the book you realize the wonder, joy, respect, & genuine love for nature that is transmitted through the story. The spanish version of the book is written in such a way that you can 'hear' Antonio speak. I loved this book and recommend it to anyone who has a true appreciation for word usage and the beauty of language.