Rulfo, Juan - Rulfo, Juan 1918–
Rulfo, Juan 1918–
A Mexican novelist and short story writer, Rulfo has only two books to his credit, yet his terse, objective narratives have earned him the reputation of being, next to Carlos Fuentes, the most important living Mexican author.
[Scant] lives find a driving force. Tapping it at the source has been Rulfo's achievement. His sketches are quick probes. It is the small touches that count. He has weaknesses as a storyteller. Excessive poetization freezes some of his scenes. His characters are sometimes too sketchy to deliver their full human impact. They are creatures of primeval passion, entirely defined by their situation. Because of their lack of inner resource, ultimately they inspire little more than pity. And that is the danger. We are often on the verge of falling into pathos. But the attentive reader will go beyond that. There is a deeper grain running through the stories. To live, in Rulfo, is to bleed to death. The pulse of the...
[The entire page is 1102 words long]
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