Product Description
El libro es un estudio de la llamada "novela total," en boga en Latinoamérica durante las décadas del sesenta y setenta. Se analizan sus presupuestos ideológicos y artísticos a la vez que las razones que llevan a su cuestionamiento o abandono en la novelística más reciente. Según el autor, este cambio refleja el colapso de las utopías de unidad o totalidad, característicos de la modernidad, y el fin del papel del escritor latinoamericano como portavoz del todo social. El libro se centra en el análisis de la narrativa de tres autores peruanos, en particular de tres novelas que ilustran la crisis de las visiones totalizadoras en el Perú: El zorro de arriba y el zorro de abajo, de José María Arguedas; Los geniecillos dominicales, de Julio Ramón Ribeyro, e Historia de Mayta, de Mario Vargas Llosa. ... Read more

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What does literature reveal about a country s changing cultural identity? In History, Violence, and the Hyperreal by Kathryn Everly, this question is applied to the contemporary novel in Spain. In the process, similarities emerge among novels that embrace apparent differences in style, structure, and language. Contemporary Spanish authors are rethinking the way the novel with its narrative powers can define a specific cultural identity. Recent Spanish novels by Carme Riera, Dulce Chacon, Javier Cercas, Ray Loriga, Lucia Etxebarria, and Jose Angel Manas (published from 1995 to 2008) particularly highlight the tension that exists between historical memory and urban youth culture. The novels discussed in this study reconfigure the individual s relationship to narrative, history, and reality through their varied interpretations of Spanish history with its common threads of national and personal violence. In these books, culture acts as mediator between the individual and the rapidly changing dynamic of contemporary society. The authors experiment with the novel form to challenge fundamental concepts of identity when the narrative acknowledges more than one way of reading and understanding history, violence, and reality. In Spain today, questions of historical accuracy in all foundational fictions such as the Inquisition, the Spanish Civil War, or globalization collide with the urgency to modernize. The result is a clash between regional and global identities. Seemingly disparate works of historical fiction and Generation X narrative prove similar in the way they deal with history, reality, and the delicate relationship between writer and reader. ... Read more

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This series of full-color board books, with both English and Spanish on each page, will intrigue youngsters while helping them build vocabulary and an awareness of the world around them.

The books feature charming illustrations and thoughtfully chosen words, offering an enchanting introduction to vocabulary. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

good book
My 1 yr old and 3yr old both love these books.My 3 yr old now u/s that there is spanish and english and is starting to say the spanish words right. ... Read more

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Provides vocabulary in Spanish and English, grouped by different activities and topics and accompanied by simple illustrations. ... Read more

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This study of Don Juan treats literary representations and various critical and theoretical interpretations in order to undertake a systematic examination of the many questions surrounding the character. On the one hand, it might be argued that Don Juan threatens society, since he is supposedly an agent of social anarchy. On the other hand, given his intriguing sexual accomplishments, he could be viewed as a positive expression of life itself. Rather than addressing or answering these question, James Mandrell shows what is at stake in the asking of such questions and, moreover, what is at stake in any and all representations and considerations of Don Juan.After a discussion of the ways that Don Juan's seductive powers infiltrate and influence the interpretations of texts of which he is a part, Mandrell continues with close readings of key Spanish literary works ranging form the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries. All of these works involve interrelated issues as regards Don Juan: the worldly uses and abuses of language; the power of literature to engender and embody other literary texts; seduction and its psychological and social subtexts; and society in relation to Don Juan as well as Don Juan's role in society. Ultimately, these notions are tied into the concept of honor as it works in literature and society. Mandrell concludes with a study of modern adaptations of Don Juan and his story in various theories of culture, society, and economic organizations. In light of these readings, Don Juan emerges as a figure who not only bears specific patriarchal myths but as one who embodies and acts out their meanings.What emerges is a view of Don Juan as a positive social force in patriarchal society and culture, as well as a force operative at the level of desire as it is made manifest in language. As a result, this study reveals that Don Juan should not be treated as an innocent or outmoded cultural artifact. Instead, he is a character whose story and vicissitudes are still significant in the context of our twentieth-century world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A modern look at Don Juan
This book was worth the read and I recommend visiting the author's web site. The characterization of Don Juan in this story is convincing and realistic. He had a code that he refused to violate, which makes him better than mostmen. He never seduced a woman who didn't want it. ... Read more

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A STRIKING REASSESSMENT OF THE DON JUAN MYTH A literary tour de force, this extraordinary novel is told in single-minded pursuit of double meanings, but it is serious play. LARVA is a rollicking account of a masquerade party in an abandoned mansion in London. Milalias (disguised as Don Juan) searches for Babelle (as Sleeping Beauty) through a linguistic funhouse of puns and wordplay recalling Joyce's Finnegans Wake. A mock-scholarly commentary reveals the backgrounds of the masked revellers, while Rios' allusive language shows that words too wear masks, hiding an astonishing range of further meanings and implications. LARVA revives a Hispanic tradition repressed for centuries by introducing the English tradition of puns, palindromes and acrostics (a word puzzle in which certain letters in each line form a word or words) and establishes Rios as the most accomplished successor (in any language) to Joyce. ... Read more

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"If the devil exists, he is personified in the protagonist of "La Fiesta del Chivo", the latest novel by Mario Vargas Llosa. The novel is based on the last days and the assassination of one of the most tyrannical and bloodthirsty dictators of Latin American, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. The author recounts the story of Urania Cabral, a woman who fled from Trujillo's regime in Santo Domingo as a young child and returns to confront a terrifying past. A passionate story combining anger and bewilderment. It is almost unthinkable to accept the brutal happenings as real; it is easier to believe that they were only possible in the mind of the author. Description in Spanish: En La Fiesta del Chivo asistimos a un doble retorno. Mientras Urania Cabral visita a su padre en Santo Domingo, volvemos a 1961, cuando la capital dominicana aun se llamaba Ciudad Trujillo. Alli un hombres que no suda tiraniza a tres millones de personas sin saber que se gesta una maquiavelica transicion a la democracia. Vargas Llosa, un clasico contemporaneo, relata el fin de una era dando voz, entre otros personajes historicos, al impecable e implacable general Trujillo, apodado el Chivo, y al sosegado y habil doctor Balaguer (sempiterno presidente de la Republica Dominicana). Con una precision difícilmente superables, este peruano universal muestra que politica puede consistir en abrirse camino entre cadaveres, y que un ser inocente puede convertirse en un regalo truculento. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (69)

Two Thumps Up!
Amazing novel about the life and death of Leonidas Trujillo. I couldn't put the book down.

Brilliant
Urania, the daughter of one of Trujillo's cronies, returns to her native Santo Domingo after many years of absence.She holds a secret that had prevented her to visit her native country.Vargas Llosa narrates a short period of stagnation and corruption in the Dominican Republic. The Trujillista era is one of infamy and vileness, in which psychopaths and murderers offered the dictator their wives and daughters for orgies and sadistic acts of deflowering in exchange for political favors. Thus the tittle of Chivo--or goat--which denotes the sexual undertones of his parties. In his usual style, the book is undoubtedly more fiction than history, yet it is obvious that the author did ample research on the period. In spite of the repugnance readers may feel toward the fictional characters, Vargas Llosa does not make a direct judgment of this abominable time. The metaphor for the period is revealed when we learn Urania's secret of what happened at "La fiesta del Chivo."

Muy mala
Soy Dominicano pero no pienso en el libro como historia sino como novela me parecio mala para alguien que entienda la forma de hablar y pensar de los dominicanos no me toco en lo mas minimo la encontre vacia, no emotiva, increible, lo siento pero no es una novela es una junta de cosas casi historicas pero sin trama, sin pasion

Compelling, disturbing picture of a ruthless dictator and his downfall
Mario Vargas Llosa writes some of the most engaging and compelling prose I've encountered. In this novel, he interweaves several stories surrounding the life and death of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina (known as "the goat"), the dictator of the Dominican Republic from 1930 until 1961. For the first half of the book, he alternates between three narratives. One is a day in the life of an aging Trujillo, still brutally controlling as he gradually loses control of his own body. The second tells the story of a group of revolutionaries who have plotted and prepared to assassinate Trujillo. And the third, the most engaging narrative, follows a middle-aged woman who has returned to the Dominican Republic after a several-decade absence to face her demons regarding a disturbing encounter involving her, her father, and the Goat.

Vargas Llosa's characters are compelling and well developed (in some of the assassins' back stories, I felt they were a little too well developed). The author powerfully captures the spirit of this repressive period, the inner workings of the regime, and the bitterness that followed its fall. The first half is engaging, but the second half really takes off, building to multiple (disturbing) climaxes. This book is not for the faint of heart: in the latter half, I encountered three hauntingly graphic scenes, two of torture and one of a sexual assault. (I'm glad that I read the novel in Spanish; it helped dampen the explicitness.) And yet, these atrocities aren't gratuitous inclusions: from my limited knowledge, they reflect true aspects of a terrible regime and of some of the horrors that go on in parts of today's world.

Another marvelous (but easier and not disturbing) piece of historical fiction regarding this time and place is Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies, which tells the story of three freedom fighters and sisters under the Trujillo regime. Also, the Complete Review offers passages from (and links to) several insightful professional reviews of the English translation of La Fiesta del Chivo. I recommend the passages, but don't read the full reviews until after you read the book: several of them include significant spoilers (www.complete-review.com/reviews/vargas/fiestac.htm).

Buenisimo
Simplemente una de las mejores obras que he leído en mi vida. Mi conocimiento de la historia de la Republica Dominicana es muy basica, mas eso no fue obstaculo para vivir y sentir esta gran obra. Fabuloso. ... Read more

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This Spanish version of the book Animal Giants provides an introduction to some of the world's largest animals. ... Read more

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Recommended Books in Spanish for Children and Young Adults: 2004-2008, whether used for the development and support of an existing library collection or for the creation of a new library serving Spanish-speaking young readers, includes 1,231 books in print that deserve to be read by Spanish-speaking children and young adults (or those who wish to learn Spanish). These books have been selected because of their quality of art and writing, presentation of material and appeal to the intended audience, and support for informational, educational, recreational, and personal needs of Spanish speakers from preschool through the 12th grade. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not sure what the confusion is..
I'm not sure why the previous reviewer was confused. Here is the first sentence of the book's description, above:

"In her latest compilation, Schon evaluates 1231 reference books, fiction, and nonfiction, mainly published in the last five years."

"Evaluates" is what it says here. And, a minor point, it says "her", which also shows that the reviewer didn't read the description. How in heaven's name would there be the text of over one thousand books in one volume?

I must add that I haven't read the volume; my review is here merely to even out what seems to me an unfair judgment of the book. Now, with a neutral rating, I hope that someone will post a review of the contents.

DONT BUY THIS
This book IS NOT what it says.These ARE NOT books in Spanish for children.This is just somebody who has researched Spanish books for children and what you are buying ARE NOT the actual books, but his recommendations.There is no description so you don't know what you have bought until you pay $40.I am pursuing a refund. ... Read more

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This is a brand new grammar and communication book for first year students of Spanish. It offers a comprehensive workbook format that provides the tools and practice necessary for a solid foundation in Spanish.' ... Read more

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Modern Spanish Grammar Workbook, Second Edition, is an innovative book of exercises and language tasks for all learners of European or Latin American Spanish. The book is divided into two sections:
* Section 1 provides exercises based on essential grammatical structures
* Section 2 practises everyday functions (e.g. making introductions, apologising, expressing needs)
A comprehensive answer key at the back of the book enables you to check on your progress. Implementing feedback from users of the first edition, this second edition now features:
* Graded exercises: Level 1 for beginners; Level 2 for more advanced students.
* Cross-referencing to the related Modern Spanish Grammar, Second Edition, for each and every exercise.It can be used both independently and alongside the Modern Spanish Grammar, Second Editionalso published by Routledge. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Don't mismatch with workbook!
I have in my hands Modern Spanish Grammar Workbook 2nd edition ISBN: 0415273064
which, according to the back cover, goes with Modern Spanish Grammar 2nd edition ISBN:0415273048

I have in my hands Modern Spanish Grammar A Practical Guide 2nd edition ISBN: 0415273048
which, according to the back cover, goes with Modern Spanish Grammar Workbook 2nd edition ISBN: 0415273064

I can't explain the different ISBN of this book:
Modern Spanish Grammar A Practical Guide 2nd edition
ISBN-10: 041527303X
ISBN-13: 978-0415273039

I wonder what workbook it matches? ... Read more

Product Description
Hola, amigos!So, you want to learn Spanish but don't know where to start?Start aquî, with The Everything KIDS' Learning Spanish Book. Packed with sections of fun facts, tips, and silly Spanish phrases, you'll be speaking Spanish before you can say pronto!
With this book, you'll learn how to say all of the following in Spanish:

Product Description
As the descendants of Mexican immigrants have settled throughout the United States, a great literature has emerged, but its correspondances with the literature of Mexico have gone largely unobserved.In Bordering Fires, the first anthology to combine writing from both sides of the Mexican-U.S. border, Cristina Garc’a presents a richly diverse cross-cultural conversation.Beginning with Mexican masters such as Alfonso Reyes and Juan Rulfo, Garc’a highlights historic voices such as “the godfather of Chicano literature” Rudolfo Anaya, and Gloria Anzaldœa, who made a powerful case for language that reflects bicultural experience. From the fierce evocations of Chicano reality in Jimmy Santiago Baca’s Poem IX to the breathtaking images of identity in Coral Bracho’s poem “Fish of Fleeting Skin,” from the work of Carlos Fuentes to Sandra Cisneros, Ana Castillo to Octavio Paz, this landmark collection of fiction, essays, and poetry offers an exhilarating new vantage point on our continent–and on the best of contemporary literature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Addition to Read about Mexicans
Got this book for Mexican History & Culture Course. Pretty good additions with the other two books read in the course. ... Read more

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Regresemos a una era remota, a una sociedad cuyas tierras han sido arrebatadas y sus almas aplastadas por el imperio espanol, el mas poderosos del mundo. El pueblo azteca ha sido conquistado y la sangrienta rebelion indigena reprimida. El antiguo imperio ahora es llamado Nueva Espana, y los aztecas han sido reducidos a esclavos en grandes estados organizados como feudos. Los conquistadores espanoles gobiernan como reyes: someten a los indigenas a trabajos forzosos y las mujeres han pasado a ser de su propiedad. En esta colorida y apasionante epoca, en medio de tumultos y rebeliones, un joven mendigo mestizo, por cuyas venas corre la sangre de la realeza espanola y azteca, debe develar el secreto mortal que esconde su linaje paterno y reclamar los derechos que corresponden por nacimiento. En la linea de sus aclamadas novelas historicas Azteca y Otono azteca, Gary Jennings nos lleva nuevamene a viajar a traves de la crueldad, la valentia, el erotismo y la opresion de una civilizacion ya desaparecida. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Muy bueno
Esta es la historia de Cristobal el Bastardo, híbrido de dos razas la blanca española y la india americana, abandonado y despreciado por ambos, educado desde su más tierna infancia por un sacerdote que le esconde su verdadero origenque tras ser asesinado en oscuras circunstancias lo obliga a llevar una vida de auténtico lépero, a vagar, espiar, mendigar, robar e inclusive a vivir una serie de aventuras que lo llevan desde las profundidades de las minas de plata hasta los más exquisitos salones de Sevilla y Ciudad de México, desde la mas absoluta miseria y esclavitud a la mayor opulencia palaciega.
Una novela muy interesante que nos da un paseo por la Nueva España colonial donde las costumbres, estilos de vida, razas, religion, sistema administrativo y demás detalles de la colonia están presentes en esta história-crónica, todo esto matizado con fragmentos de la literatura del Siglo de Oro español.Un libro idóneo para aquellos que disfrutan y gustan de la literatura de corte histórico.

Larga HIstoria ... Pero Cautivadora
Primer libro que leo de este autor, dificil de leer al principio pero una vez familiarizado con la trama aunque muy larga es facilisimo de leer

Un maravilloso paseo por la conquista de mexico a traves de los ojos de el hijo de una india con un español, lo que significaba ser el producto de esta relacion. Un viaje maravilloso por la riqueza cultural de nuestro pais ... Read more