The Battle of Tomochic: Memoirs of a Second Lieutenant (Library of Latin America)

Frías, Heriberto

ISBN 10: 0195117433 / ISBN 13: 9780195117431

Published by Oxford University Press, 2006

About this Item

This is the fictional narration of a military campaign ordered by the dictator Porfirio Diaz in October 1892, which resulted in the massacre of the village of Tomochic. The work is narrated by an eyewitness, the author, and written in collaboration with the editor of a newspaper. Translator(s): Jamison, Barbara. Series: Library of Latin America. Num Pages: 208 pages, black & white illustrations. BIC Classification: 1KLCM; 2AB; BT; FV; HBJK; HBLL; HBTZ. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 209 x 140 x 15. Weight in Grams: 297. . 2006. paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780195117431

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Battle of Tomochic: Memoirs of a Second Lieutenant (Library of Latin America)
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication Date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195117433
• ISBN 13: 9780195117431
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Tomochic is a controversial and celebrated example of Mexican fiction. Tomochic is the fictional narration of the 1892 military campaign that resulted in the massacre of the small village of Tomochic, located in the Tarahumara mountains and ordered by the dictatorial regime of Porfirio Díaz. The work is narrated by an eyewitness, the then second lieutenant, Heriberto Frías, and written by him in collaboration with Joaquin Clausell, editor of the newspaper which published it in serial form between March and April of 1893. For a period after the series' publication, the author chose to maintain anonymity. It was expressly this stance which excited more public interest than any other Mexican writer of the 19th century and which eventually led to a drawn out trial to uncover the identity of the author and to implicate him. For, although it is a work of fiction, the general plot of the work, involving a confrontation between a professional army and a handful of citizens, was too similar to the actual massacre as to not be seen by Porfirio Díaz as a reprovement of himself and his regime. As a piece of literature, the novel is also admired for its incorporation of two important trends of the nineteenth century-history as literature and the war novel.

About the Author

Antonio Saborit is at National Institute of Anthropology and History in Mexico City.