Synopses & Reviews
superb and indispensable. . . . this guide should serve to introduce a rich lode to scholarly miners of the Latin American literary tradition. Highly recommended.
ChoiceContaining contributions by more than fifty scholars, this volume, the second of Diane Marting's edited works on the women of the literature of Spanish America, consists of analytical and biographical studies of fifty of the most important women writers of Latin America from the seventeenth century to the present. The writers covered in the individual essays represent most Spanish-speaking American nations and a variety of literary genres. Each essay provides biographical and career information, discusses the major themes in the body of work, and surveys criticism, ending with a detailed bibliography of works by the writer, works available in translation if applicable, and works about the writer. The editor's tripartite introduction freely associates themes and images with/about/for the works of Spanish American women writers; explains the history and process of the collaborative effort that this volume represents; and traces some feminist concerns that recur in the essays, providing commentary, analysis, suggestions for further research, and hypotheses to be tested. Two general essays complete the volume. The first examines the oral testimony of contemporary Indian women outside of the literary tradition, women whose words have been recorded by others. The other surveys Latina writers in the United States, an area not otherwise encompassed in the scope of this volume. Appendixes classify the writers in the main body of the work by birth date, country, and genre. Also included is a bibliography of reference works and general criticism on the Latin American woman writer, and title and subject indexes.
This book addresses the needs of students, translators, and general readers, as well as scholars, by providing a general reference work in the area of Spanish American literature. As such, it belongs in the reference collections of all libraries serving scholars and students of Latin American and women's studies and literature.
Review
Apparently conceived as a sequel to Marting's Women Writers of Spanish America, this title does more than improve on its predecessor: it is a superb and indispensable supplement to Latin American Writers ed. by Carlos A. Sole, which included only 18 women in its 176 entries. The overlap is particularly small because Marting does not consider women from Brazil whereas Portugese-language authors seem to make up most of the entries for women in the larger work. Whatever the perceived problems of her earlier effort, Marting has now produced a well-edited and useful guide to the lives and works of 50 women, supplemented by two essays: `Indian Women Writers of Spanish America' and `Latina Writers in the United States.' Some names will be unfamiliar to many; this guide should serve to introduce a rich lode to scholarly miners of the Latin American literary tradition. Highly recommended.Choice
Synopsis
"Superb and indispensable. . . . This guide should serve to introduce a rich lode to scholarly miners of the Latin American literary tradition. Highly recommended." Choice
About the Author
DIANE E. MARTING is Assistant Professor of Spanish American literature at Columbia University.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Delmira Agustini
Claribel Alegria
Isabel Allende
Albalucia Angel
Maria Luisa Bombal
Marta Brunet
Fanny Buitrago
Silvina Bullrich
Julia de Burgos
Mercedes Cabello de Carbonera
Lydia Cabrera
Nellie Campobello
Julieta Campos
Rosario Castellanos
Madre Castillo
Rosario Ferre
Sara Gallardo
Griselda Gambaro
Elena Garro
Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda
Juana Manuela Gorriti
Luisa Josefina Hernandez
Sara de Ibanez
Juana de Ibarbourou
Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz
Claudia Lars
Marta Lynch
Clorinda Matto de Turner
Maria Luisa Mendoza
Gabriela Mistral
Nancy Morejon
Carmen Naranjo
Silvina Ocampo
Victoria Ocampo
Eunice Odio
Yolanda Oreamuno
Olga Orozco
Teresa de la Parra
Violeta Parra
Cristina Peri Rossi
Alejandra Pizarnik
Josefina Pla
Syria Poletti
Elena Poniatowska
Magda Portal
Armonia Somers
Alfonsina Storni
Marta Traba
Salome Urena de Henriquez
Luisa Valenzuela
Indian Women Writers of Spanish America
Latina Writers in the United States
The Latin American Woman Writer: A Bibliography of Bibliographies and General Criticism
Appendixes
Title Index
Subject Index