Myself with Others (Magill Book Reviews)

At a glance:

Known primarily as a novelist consistently at the vanguard of contemporary Latin American literature, Carlos Fuentes proves with this collection of English-language essays that a good novelist is also a good reader, not just of books but of contemporary culture as well. The ten essays in this book are divided into three sections. The first (called “Myself”) is autobiographical and traces Fuentes’ development as a writer, revealing his literary explorations as a student, as well as his acquaintance with prominent European intellectuals. The second and longest section of the book (“Others”) offers a wide range of literary essays. The third (“We”) is political, consisting of his commencement address at Harvard; characteristically incisive and thought-provoking, it offers a sharp corrective to current American policies toward Latin America.

The literary essays wander through a seemingly diverse group of writers, crossing wide boundaries of traditions and times: Miguel de Cervantes, Denis Diderot, Nikolai Gogol, Milan Kundera, as well as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jorge Luis Borges, and the filmmaker Luis Bunuel. Fuentes’ remarkable achievement is that he seems to travel almost a straight (although somewhat dense) path through these diverse figures, synthesizing them into an earnest discussion of reality, time, and responsibility in the novel. His approach makes each author seem contemporary; like the best kind of critic, Fuentes can return the reader to familiar works with new and penetrating insight. This is a book that, for the intellectually undernourished reader caught in a world of cacophonous minimarts and political absurdities, can simulate a vacation in Paris, where from heady discussions in sidewalk cafes one can actually believe that ideas really matter. MYSELF WITH OTHERS is neither easy nor casual reading, however, and may not be for everyone.

Sources for Further Study

Booklist. LXXXIV, February 15, 1988, p. 953.

Booklist. LXXXIV, May 1, 1988, p. 1471.

Cosmopolitan. CCIV, April, 1988, p. 54.

Kirkus Reviews. LVI, February 15, 1988, p. 218.

Kirkus Review. LVI, March 1, 1988, p. 338.

Library Journal. CXIII, April 15, 1988, p. 81.

Los Angeles Times Book Review. April 17, 1988, p. 3.

The New Republic. CXCVIII, June 27, 1988, p. 28.

The New York Times Book Review. XCIII, July 17, 1988, p. 22.

The New Yorker. LXIV, May 16, 1988, p. 110.

Publishers Weekly. CCXXXIII, March 4, 1988, p. 93.

Time. CXXXI, May 16, 1988, p. 95.

The Times Literary Supplement. June 17, 1988, p. 672.

The Wall Street Journal. May 10, 1988, p. 36.