A Cultural History of Latin America : Literature, Music and the Visual Arts in the 19th and 20th Centuries (The Cambridge History of Latin America)

Rating:
Summary: Both poor and excellent essays re the region's "culture"
Review: While the latest edition of Leslie Bethell's Oxford "History Of Latin America" series suffers by comparison with others of the series it does provide insight and information on an aspect of Latin America which is often slighted by economic or political analyses of the region. The anthology covers (in order) literature, poetry, Native American art, plastic art, architecture and film. The calibre of the essays varies greatly. Martin's insights into the region's literary trends remind me of Jean Franco's excellent work whereas other sections, such as those on architecture and the plastic, come across as a mere listing of works and their creators. One reason for this is that the various authors were faced with the dilemma of either accurately portraying the region's culture as disparate or tying the various artists together into overall patterns. The authors who sacrificed accuracy were able to analyze in an engaging manner, while those who, correctly, recognized that patterns are few in the region suffered from chaotic and incoherent essays.