Conjunctions and Disjunctions

One of the great minds of the 20th century explores the duality of human nature in all its variations in cultures around the world.pFascinated by the polarity of being, Paz has boldly attempted to write a ""history of man."" Unlike countless other histories that simply chronicle civilizations and cultures, Paz's work explores the human heart, the meaning of human nature, and the duality that exists within all beings, and, it would seem, all things. Ranging across cultures and centuries, he here explores opposites and contradictions that brilliantly illuminate our view of the ancient, and modern, world.

Octavio Paz (1914-1998) was born in Mexico City. He wrote many volumes of poetry, as well as a prolific body of remarkable works of nonfiction on subjects as varied as poetics, literary and art criticism, politics, culture, and Mexican history. He was awarded the Jerusalem Prize in 1977, the Cervantes Prize in 1981, and the Neustadt Prize in 1982. He received the German Peace Prize for his political work, and finally, the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1990.