A Hammock Beneath the Mangoes: Stories from Latin America [B1615]

1992 PB with minor wear. This collection of twenty-six stories is "a fine introduction to Latin American literature" (The Washington Post Book World). This splendid collection of stories by twenty-six Latin American authors features the new voices and celebrated masters of one of the world's foremost literatures. Explore the gothic sexual ambiguities of Carlos Fuentes' The Doll Queen, the psychological compression of Clarice Lispector's Love, or the baroque pyrotechnics of Machado de Assis and Adolfo Bioy Casares. Discover the parodically hard-boiled detective fiction of Ana Lydia Vega and some decidedly soft-boiled criminals in Rubem Fonesca's Lonelyhearts. From erotic comedies by Isabel Allende and Jorge Amado to the playful labyrinths of Guillermo Cabrera Infante's London streets or Armonia Somers' roomful of clocks, A Hammock Beneath the Mangoes reveals the virtuosity of Latin American literature at its finest, and provides an illuminating journey into dreamlike and unexpected worlds.

From recent-ish Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "This is one of my all time favorite reads. This is the collection that made me fall in love with magical realism and Jorge Luis Borges. I come back to these stories time and time again. Borges' The Circular Ruins and Carlos Fuentes' The Doll Queen are my favorites of the bunch. But really, there are so many enjoyable stories. I was hooked from the first story, The Dead Man. I just loved that feeling it pulled from me, because it was one I hadn't experienced from any other read up to that point. But no spoilers. Latin American literature is what's up :)"; "I love this collection of stories.... some are ok, some are those that you remember for a lifetime. Great introduction to several authors I had not known before."; "It's a great mix of literary styles and of authors I have since enjoyed as they have published more works. Various styles are explored with mysticism, allegory, political commentary, especially socialism, some horror, a 'Benjamin Button' style story, quite a bit a levity, and some just super weird. Some of my favorites: The Dog Will Have Its Day; Toad's Mouth; The Corset. No, I didn't care for all of them, but it's a great collection and terrific way to connect with writers globally. And I gathered more insight by reading the short biographies of each author before their story."; "This compilation of short stories translated from 26 Latin American authors during the late 19th and early 20th centuries has been my go-to reading material for more than a year whenever new reading material is scarce. As would be expected from such a wide range of authors from various countries and cultures, some of the stories I liked a lot, some not so much. But all are creative, literary, and worth the time."