Body of Writing – Figuring Desire in Spanish American Literature

"Original, witty and passionate, Body of Writing is sure to interest Hispanists and non-Hispanists alike. I can think of few Latin Americanists capable of producing readings as energetic and elegant as Prieto's."--Gustavo Perez Firmat, author of Next Year in Cuba and Life on the Hyphen "A most significant contribution to Spanish American literary criticism. Prieto is a gifted scholar with an unusual talent for reading texts."--William Luis, author of Dance Between Two Cultures: Latino Caribbean Literature Written in the United States "Body of Writing is the most advanced piece of criticism on Latin American literature available. Prieto's unique mixture of theoretical sophistication with elegance of mind and style makes him soar above today's cacophonous cackle. I know of no better critic of Latin American literature than him."--Roberto Gonzalez-Echevarria, author of Myth and Archive: A Theory of Latin American Narrative

""Body of Writing" is the most advanced piece of criticism on Latin American literature available. Prieto's unique mixture of theoretical sophistication with elegance of mind and style makes him soar above today's cacophonous cackle. I know of no better critic of Latin American literature than him."--Roberto Gonzalez-Echevarria, author of "Myth and Archive: A Theory of Latin American Narrative"

Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1 Julio Cortazar's perpetual exile 17
2 More than meets the I: Guillermo Cabrera Infante's La Habana para un Infante difunto 75
3 The excremental vision of GGabriel Garcia Marquez 101
4 The Degraded body in the work of Severo Sarduy 135
5 Rewriting the body: renewal through language in the work of Rosario Castellanos 173
6 The body of pleasure in Tununa Mercado's Canon de alcoba 2123
Conclusion 240
Notes 255
Bibliography 275
Index 285