Synopses & Reviews
In
The Hispanic Condition, Ilan Stavans offers a subtle and insightful meditation on Hispanic society in the United States. A native of Mexico, Stavans has emerged as one of the most distinguished Latin American writers of our time, an award-winning novelist and critic praised by scholars and beloved by readers. In this pioneering psycho-historical profile, he delves into the cultural differences and similarities among the five major Hispanic groups: Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Central and South Americans, and Spaniards.
Masterfully interweaving historical, literary, and political references with his personal experience, Stavans discusses the divisions within a common heritage; customs of music, love, sex, marriage, and religious belief; the role of the intellectual in society; ideological struggle; and the hopeful visions of the future at the core of a civilization rooted in the trauma of the past.
Review
“Savvy and engaging. Stavans is an inventive interpreter of the contemporary cultures of the Americas.” Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Review
“A landmark study that explores with defiance and originality the convoluted Latino identity.” Majorie Agosin, Wellesley College
About the Author
Ilán Stavans nació en México, en 1961. Cursó estudios de posgrado en la Universidad de Columbia, y ahora tiene la cátedra Lewis-Sebring de cultura latina y latinoamericana en Amherst College.
Ilan Stavans is Lewis-Sibring Professor of Latin American and Latino Cultures at Amherst College. His books include On Borrowed Words, The Riddle of Cantinflas,and The Oxford Book of Jewish Stories.He has been a National Book Critics Circle Award nominee and the recipient of the Latino Literature Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship, among other honors. His work has been translated into half a dozen languages. Routledge published The Essential Ilan Stavansin 2000, and his memoir On Borrowed Wordswill be published in the Fall 2001.