The Post-Boom in Spanish American Fiction (SUNY Series in Latin American and Iberian Thought & Culture) - Softcover

Shaw, Donald Leslie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0791438260 ISBN 13: 9780791438268

Publisher: State University of New York Press, 1998

Synopsis

Provides a clear account of the issues in Spanish American fiction in the last quarter-century by attempting to answer questions on the Boom, Post-Boom, and its relation to Postmodernism.

What happened in Spanish American fiction after the Boom? Can we define the Post-Boom? What are its characteristics? How does it relate to the Boom itself? Is Post-Boom the same as Postmodernism or something quite different? Shaw traces the emergence of a different kind of writing which began to displace the Boom in the mid-1970s and has flourished ever since. More reader-friendly, more concerned with the here and now of Latin America, the writers of the Post-Boom have explored new areas of Spanish American life and incorporated characters from new social groups, especially young working-class and lower middle-class figures with their distinctive “pop” culture and freewheeling life-style. Shaw suggests that, while some Boom writers have moved toward the Post-Boom, Post-Boom narrative is distinctively different from that of the older movement and cannot be readily assimilated into Postmodernism.

About this title

About the Author

Donald L. Shaw is Brown-Forman Professor of Spanish American Literature at the University of Virginia. He is the author of several books, including most recently Antonio Skarmeta and the Post-Boom, Borges’ Narrative Strategy, and Alejo Carpentier.

Review

“The scope, originality, and lucidity of this volume make it an essential companion for the specialist reader and student of contemporary Latin American fiction alike.” ― Forum: For Modern Language Studies

“The book evinces very solid and thorough research on the topic of the Post-Boom in general and on individual writers in particular (Isabel Allende, Gustavo Sainz, Luisa Valenzuela, Antonio Skarmeta, Rosario Ferré). Its structure is straightforward: a general introduction/definition of the term is followed by chapters focused on specific writers exemplifying the multifarious tendencies of the Post-Boom.” ― Elzbieta Sklodowska, Washington University

“The author makes a clear distinction between the Boom and the Post-Boom. He meticulously maps the characteristics of each of the literary movements and gives lucid examples to support his findings. His scholarship is exhaustive; he leaves no stone unturned.” ― Margarita Vargas, State University of New York at Buffalo

“The book abounds with fresh, innovative insights, such as the way D.L. Shaw elucidates the kind of neo-realism that informs the works of the Post-Boom. Further, the exposure of conflict and inconsistency in the work of David Vinas, and the analysis of the works of Manuel Puig, which qualify him as writer of the transition between Boom and Post-Boom, are brilliant expositions, offering entirely new insights. This is the case also, and most particularly, with the analysis of the work of Antonio Skarmeta. D.L. Shaw is the expert on this pivotal writer.” ― Harriet S. Turner, University of Nebraska―Lincoln.

About this edition

• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0791438260
• ISBN 13: 9780791438268
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 230