The New Dramatists of Mexico 1967–1985

The New Dramatists of Mexico 1967–1985
Author: Ronald D. Burgess
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Total Pages: 213
Release: 2021-12-14
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 0813194431

In 1976 a dozen hopeful young Mexican dramatists – most of them studying with Emilio Carballido – began staging plays, primarily in small, out-of-the-way theater, and publishing them, mostly in university magazines with limited distribution. Until now, more than twenty years later, there has been no comprehensive study devoted either to this original group of writers or to those who followed in the same generation, and no central source of information about them or their production. Although they continue to produce more plays every year, they represent a lost generation. Ronald Burgess now offers the first extensive study of this group of playwrights and their work. Included is discussion of over 200 plays by more than 40 writers, but the work of nine key playwrights is examined in depth. Most of these dramatists concern themselves with the state of Mexico today, reacting to current social conditions with depictions ranging from violence to guarded hope to anguished hopelessness. Many look to their nation's history and culture for explanations. In his illuminating study, Burgess places this theatrical generation in the context of contemporary Mexican society and literature, employing a wide variety of analytic approaches to highlight essential characteristics of these representative authors.

Mexico

Mexico
Author: Don M. Coerver
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 648
Release: 2004-09-22
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1851095179

A concise overview of 20th- and 21st-century Mexico, this volume explores the political, economic, social, and cultural history of the world's largest Spanish-speaking country. From NAFTA to narcotics, from immigration to energy, the ties that bind our nation and Mexico are varied and strong. Mexico uncovers the real Mexico that lies behind the stereotypes of tacos, tequila, and tourist hotels. Compiled by leading scholars of Mexican history and society, its more than 150 entries examine the nation in all its fascinating contradictions and complexity. This concise yet thorough study, covering the last 100 years of Mexican history, is the only one volume, A–Z reference work available to students, scholars, and readers curious about one of the world's most diverse and dynamic societies. What was the Mexican Revolution all about? Who are the Zapatistas? And why do Mexicans celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Mexicans are America's largest immigrant group and Mexico is America's favorite tourist destination. Yet we need to learn more and understand better our fascinating neighbor to the south. Mexico—comprehensive and accessible—is the best place to start.

Latin American Women Writers: An Encyclopedia

Latin American Women Writers: An Encyclopedia
Author: María Claudia André
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 1653
Release: 2014-01-09
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1317726340

Latin American Women Writers: An Encyclopedia presents the lives and critical works of over 170 women writers in Latin America between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries. This features thematic entries as well as biographies of female writers whose works were originally published in Spanish or Portuguese, and who have had an impact on literary, political, and social studies. Focusing on drama, poetry, and fiction, this work includes authors who have published at least three literary texts that have had a significant impact on Latin American literature and culture. Each entry is followed by extensive bibliographic references, including primary and secondary sources. Coverage consists of critical appreciation and analysis of the writers' works. Brief biographical data is included, but the main focus is on the meanings and contexts of the works as well as their cultural and political impact. In addition to author entries, other themes are explored, such as humor in contemporary Latin American fiction, lesbian literature in Latin America, magic, realism, or mother images in Latin American literature. The aim is to provide a unique, thorough, scholarly survey of women writers and their works in Latin America. This Encyclopedia will be of interest to both to the student of literature as well as to any reader interested in understanding more about Latin American culture, literature, and how women have represented gender and national issues throughout the centuries.

Theatre of the Borderlands

Theatre of the Borderlands
Author: Iani del Rosario Moreno
Publisher: Lexington Books
Total Pages: 311
Release: 2015-05-27
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 0739168673

Theatre of the Borderlands: Conflict, Violence, and Healing is an enlightening and encompassing study that focuses on how dramatists from the Northern Mexico border territories write about theater. The plays analyzed in this study are representative of the most important Northern Border playwrights whose plays’ themes present the US-Mexico Borderlands in a socio-historical and political context. The most important themes observed include topics that engage in discussions of: the indigenous, Border crossings, heroes and folk saints, the city of Tijuana, and violence in the Borderlands, to name a few. These themes have led to the birth of the Teatro del Norte movement, a group of determined playwrights insistent on presenting dramaturgical themes that show the bond between their particular geographies, histories, socio-political and economic situations, thereby giving birth to an original voice and new aesthetic of representation. Dealing with the topics already mentioned, and pairing them with more timely ones like immigration reform, namely, this study can serve as an invaluable resource to many interdisciplinary academic settings, and can grant an eye-opening insight to Border relations through several critical readings.

Perspectives on Contemporary Spanish American Theatre

Perspectives on Contemporary Spanish American Theatre
Author: Frank N. Dauster
Publisher: Bucknell University Press
Total Pages: 172
Release: 1996
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9780838753453

"In this collection, nine specialists in Spanish American theatre examine social and aesthetic issues reflected in today's vital drama." "The essays in this volume reflect a pattern of interests rapidly becoming dominant among scholars. Several of them deal with questions of genre or focus on metatheatre and parody, theatrical techniques widespread in Latin America. The majority treat these topics in conjunction with their social context. Dominant themes include the question of whether there can be culture-specific genres, incorporating the extremely varied ethnic and cultural strands of the Spanish American social fabric, or the use (and reinterpretation) of tragic and comic structures and classical myths to express social marginality or demythologize received history. A number of essays focus on the problematic situation of women in Spanish American society and their struggle to achieve equality in a highly traditional culture. At the same time the authors examine the role of women in the theatre, both as protagonists and as creative artists, and their struggle to gain acceptance of nontraditional roles and lifestyles."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Jewish Writers of Latin America

Jewish Writers of Latin America
Author: Darrell B. Lockhart
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 669
Release: 2013-08-21
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1134754272

Jewish writing has only recently begun to be recognized as a major cultural phenomenon in Latin American literature. Nevertheless, the majority of students and even Latin American literary specialists, remain uninformed about this significant body of writing. This Dictionary is the first comprehensive bibliographical and critical source book on Latin American Jewish literature. It represents the research efforts of 50 scholars from the United States, Latin America, and Israel who are dedicated to the advancement of Latin American Jewish studies. An introduction by the editor is followed by entries on 118 authors that provide both biographical information and a critical summary of works. Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico-home to the largest Jewish communities in Latin America-are the countries with the greatest representation, but there are essays on writers from Venezuela, Chile, Uruguay, Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Cuba.

The Theatre of Sabina Berman

The Theatre of Sabina Berman
Author:
Publisher: SIU Press
Total Pages: 206
Release:
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780809389315

The Theatre of Sabina Berman: The Agony of Ecstasy and Other Plays introduces and makes accessible to an English-speaking audience the work of the contemporary Mexican playwright Sabina Berman. The book contains translations of the four plays that established Berman's career: The Agony of Ecstasy, Yankee, Puzzle, and Heresy. An introduction by Adam Versényi provides a critical assessment of each play, a discussion of the specific problems of translation involved, and placement of Berman's work in the larger Mexican and Latin American context. It is evident that Sabina Berman's theatrical acumen matches the depth of her dramatic design whether it is the sheer variety of techniques from song to staged tableau that appear in The Agony of Ecstasy; the physicalization of what it means to be interrogated and to interrogate in Yankee; the final enigmatic image of a soldier alone on stage, silently aiming his firearm at an undefined threat that potentially emanates from the audience in Puzzle; or the manner in which the family narrates its own "heretical" actions in Heresy. It is the combination of theatrical technique with universal themes of self-definition that cuts across cultures and ultimately makes these plays translatable.

Holy Terrors

Holy Terrors
Author: Diana Taylor
Publisher: Duke University Press
Total Pages: 461
Release: 2003-12-24
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0822385325

Holy Terrors presents exemplary original work by fourteen of Latin America’s foremost contemporary women theatre and performance artists. Many of the pieces—including one-act plays, manifestos, and lyrics—appear in English for the first time. From Griselda Gambaro, Argentina's most widely recognized playwright, to such renowned performers as Brazil's Denise Stoklos and Mexico’s Jesusa Rodríguez, these women are involved in some of Latin America's most important aesthetic and political movements. Of varied racial and ethnic backgrounds, they come from across Latin America—Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Peru, and Cuba. This volume is generously illustrated with over seventy images. A number of the performance pieces are complemented by essays providing context and analysis. The performance pieces in Holy Terrors are powerful testimonies to the artists' political and personal struggles. These women confront patriarchy, racism, and repressive government regimes and challenge brutality and corruption through a variety of artistic genres. Several have formed theatre collectives—among them FOMMA (a Mayan women’s theatre company in Chiapas) and El Teatro de la máscara in Colombia. Some draw from cabaret and ‘frivolous’ theatre traditions to create intense and humorous performances that challenge church and state. Engaging in self-mutilation and abandoning traditional dress, others use their bodies as the platforms on which to stage their defiant critiques of injustice. Holy Terrors is a unique English-language presentation of some of Latin America's fiercest, most provocative art. Contributors Sabina Berman Tania Bruguera Petrona de la Cruz Cruz Diamela Eltit Griselda Gambaro Astrid Hadad Teresa Hernández Rosa Luisa Márquez Teresa Ralli Diana Raznovich Jesusa Rodríguez Denise Stoklos Katia Tirado Ema Villanueva

The Other Mirror

The Other Mirror
Author: Kristine Ibsen
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 213
Release: 1997-02-25
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 0313029849

During the last decade, women's narrative has become a recognized force in Mexican letters. The essays in this collection explore the recent work of nine contemporary Mexican women writers. Many of the works have been translated into English; some, like Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate, have become international best sellers. The unprecedented commercial success of these novels has generated mixed reactions: at the same time that the secondary status afforded women's narrative has come to be questioned in many academic circles, some authors are dissociating themselves from women's writing. The essays in this volume address these issues, providing a much needed contribution to the study of women's narrative.