Juan Rulfo's collection has seventeen short stories set in the arid countryside of Jalisco in Mexico, after the Revolution and the Cristero War. The characters are poor farmers, widows, bandits and soldiers, living amid drought, violence and loneliness. In "Tell Them Not to Kill Me!" a man begs for his life after a murder committed decades ago, while "Luvina" describes a village where the wind never stops and the people have given up. The stories are brief and spare, with a poetic tone, and they influenced writers such as García Márquez.
It's for readers who want to understand where Latin American magical realism began. The stories are short, so you can read them in small sittings, and they stay in the mind.
Deep, contemplative, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1953
- Language
- EN
