This collection of photographs from the author's two visits to Mexico are quite striking. Cartier-Bresson knows his craft well, and yet I feel a slight disappointment in the book, as I had hoped that his range of subject matter would be a little more varied, and perhaps show a few more pictures of the countryside. This collection of photos is nice, but consists mostly of shots of a sociological nature, from the poor classes of Mexican society. I understand that this is Cartier-Bresson's personal photo essay, but perhaps he could have widened his scope of Mexico to have included a wider array of subject matter. I do like the pictures, there just should have been more of a variance of them. If you like Cartier-Bresson, his book of India is simply fantastic.

this is a very touching and intimate look at everyday life, but Cartier-Brenson's experienced eye has also captured the powerful light that alludes to heat, the mood of poverty, and the history that pervades this country. At different points this volume is disturbing, humorous, spiritual, and abstract. a masterpiece.

There is a consistant light which runs through Cartier-Bresson's work. It is the late afternoon light or the early morning glow, that enters his leica. We see it in the streets, behind the waitress in the Mexican bar as she leans unknowingly towards Cartier-Bresson's lens. It's surrounded by this light that Cartier-Bresson feels most at home, even in Mexico. Mexican notebooks is full of all Cartier-Bresson's hallmarks; real people in real situations. Circumstance and the click of his shutter fixes them in their descisive moment. This is a collection no photojournalist should be without.

Carlos Fuentes had a brief but tempestuous affair with actress Jean Seberg over thirty years ago. The encounter seems to have marked him, for this book is a barely disguised roman a clef (where Diana Soren = Jean Seberg) about his relationship. It is like one of those European stories where the man gives up everything to follow some vixen, including his money, family, and peace of mind. Luis Bunuel (who actually appears in this novel as a character) created the ultimate masterpiece of the genre with his film THAT OBSCURE OBJECT OF DESIRE.

Jean Seberg has come down to us today as a tortured sado-masochistic saint who still has the power to beguile men. Film posters and stills featuring her and her movies command a premium in today's cinememorabilia market; and I know several collectors who seek out anything they can find depicting her. Perhaps, what Marilyn Monroe was for the 1950s, Jean Seberg was for the 1960s.

Why Fuentes wrote this novel in the way he did puzzles me. If I were as obsessed as he was, I would still feel queasy about exposing the dirty bedsheets and underwear to the gaze of the public. To me, love -- however brief or unhappy -- is a gift of the gods; and by spiting it, one shows oneself to be somehow unworthy. Fuentes has flouted a gift whose memory I would have locked away in the deepest recesses of my being and thrown away the key.

If, however, Fuentes feels himself to have been traduced by his relationship, like Charles Swann at the end of Proust's SWANN'S WAY after his recognition of Odette's unfaithfulness, I could understand his need to exorcise this "expense of spirit in a waste of shame."

Instead, I see both the anger and the gratefulness simultaneously. As a result, DIANA THE GODDESS WHO HUNTS ALONE leaves me with a feeling of unease, as if the author did not know his own mind and went off in several emotional directions at once.

The result is a very well written book that in the end does not quite jell. One can't worship at the shrine and spit at it at the same time.

In "Diana, the Goddess Who Hunts Alone," the reader will discover a compelling tale by one of the masters of contemporary fiction. This novel by Carlos Fuentes has been translated into English by Alfred Mac Adam. Taking place primarily in 1970, the book tells the story of a tempestuous love affair between the narrator, who is a Mexican novelist, and American actress Diana Soren.

The novel captures the turbulence of the era being portrayed. Such phenomena as the Black Power movement and FBI surveillance of suspected "radicals" are woven into the narrative. Particularly interesting is the way that real people appear as characters in the book; the other characters have encounters, and sometimes conversations, with such figures as William Styron, James Baldwin, and Tina Turner. The novel is superbly written, and deals with such fascinating topics as national identity, racial identity, obsession, paranoia, creativity, political radicalism, fidelity, and Hollywood mythmaking.

One interesting note: The character of Diana Soren appears to be based on a real-life person, actress Jean Seberg. I recommend that those who are fascinated by Fuentes' novel do a little research on Seberg's life. Finally, I give "Diana" high praise as an outstanding example of the art of the novel.

Diana by Carlos Fuentes is an exceptional book! Fuentes uses vivid descriptions like in his other books, but this one is much easier to follow. He has the ability to captivate the reader and make the reader part of his story.

Las buenas conciencias es una novela de juventud para ser leída por jóvenes. Al menos así creo yo que se le saca mayor provecho a la trama: un joven de buena familia, Jaime Ceballos, vive con todas las comodidades pero siente una gran inquietud existencial. Esta sensación de vacío se ve contrapunteada por el amigo de Ceballos, pobre pero con gran inquietud por aprender y vivir. Gracias a la técnica narrativa, el lector se siente identificado con Ceballos y cuestionamiento de la vida burguesa y vacía que vive con su familia. Buena lectura.

Las Buenas Conciencias first appeared in 1959, after the resounding success of La Región Más Transparente (1958). For those who were longing to read another Fuentes' frenzied exercise of style, the new book turned out to be quite disappointing. The author tried to justify this "failure" by classifying his work as a cathartic novel, a very simplistic overview for such a complex narrative, where the rich intertextual strata interfere with the apparent linearity of fictional discourse.

From Benito Pérez Galdós' main works (Fornunata y Jancinta; Nazarín) Fuentes extracted some human profiles and existential experiences, besides, of course, the critical insight that lingers in spanish realism inheritance. Just as Pérez Galdós, Fuentes focuses his attention on the petit bourgeois evolution, but his Guanajuato is far from the tumultuous and transitionary life of that Madrid painted by the spanish writer in his books. We must say, however, that Fuentes succeeded in adapting Pérez Galdós' conceptions of an individual and a collective unconscious, through which fiction displays the struggle of two enduring forces: the dynamic of personal fantasy and the stagnation of social values that preshape reality.

Other intertextual instances contribute to the formation of a new Jaime Ceballos. Rosseau's Confessions, the Mémorial de Sainte Hélene, by Las Cases, some readings that reveal the immanent duality of literature: a powerful tool for denouncement but also a dangerous vehicle of alienation. Jaime "feels" before "thinking", learns how to cultivate high but imaginary sentiments. So did one of his favorite heroes: Julien Sorel, from Le Rouge et le Noir. In despite of the due structural dissimilarities, the reader can easily recognize the many analogies which relate one book to the other. Beyond the mere episodic resemblances, the link that connects these two novels is a disturbing analysis of historical process, by use of moral and psychologic investigation, in order to emphasize - as René Girard points out (Mensonge Romantique et Vérité Romanesque) - the fight of "passion" against "vanity", of "exception" against "norm".

Finally, the presence of Goya in this precious, intricate fictional tapestry. The allusion to the Ydioma Universal (Universal Language), frontispiece for the second version of Sueños (1797), summons in Las Buenas Conciencias the same acute criticism that prevails in Goya's works, to whom painting has always been as eloquent as literature.

But, since Jaime Ceballos' desperate fight for transformation is set up into a rite of abstract aims, Las Buenas Conciencias must end as it begins: as an anguishing cycle, where only Literature and Art can provide the fictional and real human beings with an extra and truer life.

I was put off by this book for a few years before I got around to reading it because of the odd nature of Frida's drawings and doodlings, inks spillls morfing into "art" and in general the seemingly difficult text to follow. All this changed upon a recent trip to Mexico, amongst the tranquil backdrop of Mismaloya and unforgetable sunsets in this tropical paradise I was able to whip through this book. The serenity of the place helped me get through Frida's chaos. After reading her own insights and feelings about life I wanted more. Her bizarre life, filled with more theatre and characters than a Fellini film, more physical and mental agony than most humans can endure is one that deserves her own thoughts, although at times they are convoluted. Whether she was under the influence(many of her last years she was doped to mask the pain) or not is irrevelant because the text is spellbinding with illustrations that captivate the imagination, taking the reader along a surrealistic journey as only Frida can. It is a grotesquely beautiful book, rich in imagery , both literally as well as illustrated in the unique style of Frida Kahlo, reflective of the pain and suffering she lived, both self inflicted and her own fate. It is quite simply, Frida in her own words. The book is a handsome collection of thoughts and drawings by one of the greatest Latin American artists of the twentieth century. The author takes the liberty of interpreting each page, giving her perspective concerning the thoughts of Frida in a very helpful manner. The first part of the book is the diary, in writting and print and as colorful and bold as Frida was, whereas the second part is the type written text of the Frida's hallucianatory ramblings and drawings. This proves to a beneficail companion to reading each page, first by Frida followed by the clearer typed "translation" in thesecond part of the book. Without the type written text some sections are nearly impossible to decipher. The various sketches are shown in their embyonic stages and would later become part of her major works are truly amazing. If you are a lover of the works of Frida Kahlo this is a fine book to add to your collection of Kahlo memorabilia. This book is a perfect companion to Hayden Herrera's definitive biography. Incidently, my desire for more of Frida in her own words (this one is in Spanish mostly)was quenched recently by finding a book entitled "Escritura" by Frida Kahlo that is series of poems, letters and notes selected by Raquel Tibol. I highly suggest reading both if you are a Kahlophile.

This very intimate book accomplishes what no bio can: show us inside Kahlo, via her own ramblings and disorganization and odd illustartions and ink spills and lines, and drawings, etc. It is a weird highway to the inner mind of the goddess of 20th century art.

With a movie in the works ..., Kahlo is sure to solidify her position as the top-of-the-art-food-chain Latin American artist of the century (Georgia O'Keefe considered her the best female artist of the 20th century) and make her iconic face even more famous.

Kahlo deserves this position because she painted honestly and brutally. She painted her memorable Jewish-Austrian-Spanish-Mexican face, single eyebrow and slim moustache in stark honesty; she had many lovers of both sexes (when such a course of sex exploits was practically unknown); she grabbed her Mexicanity with a fierce pride and ferocity that would not be in vogue until decades after her death (Kahlo was born in 1907 and died in 1954) and yet during her life she was just the wife of a very famous Mexican muralist and a champagne Communist who partied with the Fords and Rockefellers while marching with the workers down the wide avenues of Mexico City. It is thus ironic that it is Kahlo, whose astonishing life and unique paintings are now the subject of lawsuits between governments and collectors, has taken the limelight from her talented womanizer husband and is rightfully considered one of the best artists of the 20th century, period. This is a nice addition and a must read for Kahlophiles.

This book gives an interesting view of the person who was Frida Kahlo, in her own very personal words and images. It is a bit sad that something so private has been made rather accessible, but it is good for lovers of Kahlo's art. The book is inspiring; it is quite creatively stimulating with the lush, free images and round scrawls in many colours. The introduction by Carlos Fuentes is well-written, and I especially liked his description of seeing Frida Kahlo at a Wagner opera. The essay by Sarah Lowe is likewise good. The reproductions of the diary pages look very good and clear (though since I haven't seen the originals, I'm just assuming they are accurate), the size of the pages is large enough, and the colours are all very vivid. The commentary is in a separate section from the diary reproduction, which is nice because you can look uninterrupted at the diary part, and not have to worry about what it all means. It does make for a lot of flipping back and forth when reading the commentary and referring back to the diary page, even though the page discussed is reproduced in black and white (very small) in the commentary. The commentary is rather sparse, and not all the pages of the diary are discussed. All in all a fascinating read.

Carlos Fuentes true epic surrendered me to tears...Laura Diaz whether a fictional character of Frida Kahlo's assistant, brought me an Argentine born individual to great emotional depts...It is a lyrical novel, which tells truths beyond truths...Carlos Fuentes writes and depicts all of his characters with great intellect, knowledge of the times, and incredible perspective...Was totally aghast at the comment by one of our reviewers that stated that this book was not historically correct and that Carlos Fuentes is a shameful communist...Au contraire, readers, Carlos Fuentes is a poet and a latin, and therefore tells the truths about our countries and the US with a very objective eye...Since the Where the Air is Clear by him as well, no other book has touched my inner being and left me completely breathless...It is a book that is both timeless and reflective, emotional and philosophical...and most of all one of the most satisfying performances by Carlos Fuentes...Viva Carlos Fuentes, un autor con tanta sabiduria!!!

I would suggest that readers re-read his beautiful prose more than once and refer to this book throughout their lifetime, it is filled with the passion, pulse of individuals who are citizens of the world...

Thank you, thank you...Carlos, for a great magnificent book...

This is a novel of great depth, written by a man who has lived his life observing, thinking, asking questions, considering and writing. His great talent lies in speaking for many: for fathers, mothers, sons, lovers, passionate revolutionaries and for each of us.

The Years With Laura Diaz, is as great a mural and testament, and as real and colorful as the Diego Rivera mural that graces its cover. Just as the great mural tells the history and stories of a people, so this magnificently written work shows us the colors and contrasts that richly color our world. Do check out our Guest Reviewer Deborah D/M's full review.

Carlos Fuentes takes us on a sweeping journey of the 20th century as he reveals the history, culture, and political life of Mexico and the world. Fuentes draws on his own family history to weave a tale of love and tragedy and of extraordinary people whose lives and work influenced their times. Laura Diaz, the heroine both normal and unusual in her roles as wife and mother--lover and artist, waltzes through the years with grace and vitality. Her honesty and common sense approach to life make her an example for the many lives that she touches. She married a dashing young man in the labor movement andwas thrown into the political mainstream that coursed through Mexico City in the early part of the century. She also was the lover of more than one dashing and famous man as she joined the high life of Spanish-European society that existed in Mexico City. Diego Rivera and Frieda Kahlo became friends of hers, and she traveled with them to the United States as Diego painted his famous--and infamous--series of murals celebrating the workers. As a friend of Frieda's, Laura was able to tell the tragic story of the famous painter and her struggle with health and tragedy. The figure of Santiago, first the murdered brother of Laura and later her son and grandson, symbolizes the heroic persona who fights for what is right only to be cut down before his prime. Laura holds her love of these three in her heart, and eventually it sustains her through her life and into her new career. That in later life she became a famous photographer of the poor and downtrodden is indicative of the love she has for the three Santiagos, and for her husband and lovers, all of whom where involved in the people's movement. This novel encompasses all that is important in life, and it celebrates the courage and vitality of those who are willing to spend their lives for other's causes. The tracing of Mexico's history from revolution, corrupt politics and visionary idealism, interwoven with Laura's life, is fascinating, and leaves the reader with a better understanding not only of Mexico bul also of the human spirit.

In this somewhat allegorical novel of early 19th century Latin American history, Fuentes attempts to produce a hybrid historical and philosophical novel. The protagonist is a young Argentine revolutionary and romantic whose travels take him throughout Latin America during the revolts from Spain. The allegory is the protagonist's pursuit of a woman whom he glimpsed only briefly and whom he has wronged. The result is not really successful, partly because characters and narrative seem to switch from one mode to another without good integration of the philosophical and historical elements Fuentes is attempting to combine. Oddly, the book suffers from being too short. It would have been much better to incorporate the philosophical elements into a longer and more naturalistic historical novel, a la Tolstoy's War and Peace. This book also contains some magical realist elements, which seem engrafted into the novel and consequently incongruous. Interesting but not very rewarding reading.

Bustos being a intrepid person along with Dorrego and Varela, tried to understand and at the same time change the political system that was being experienced back in that time when the spaniards ruled the latin american country Agentina. they fought with an intellectuall manner instead of the brutal, trying to get more knowledge about the political issues even though it was prohibited. They were succesful.

Primero no se dejen engañar por la foto que sale en el cover, cualquiera diria que se trata de una novela de la revolución, aunque tiene una relación con esa ultima, la novela trata de los cambios de Mexico despues de la revolución. Y aunque contiene cuatro relatos, estos no son totalmente independientes, sino que los cuatro diferentes relatos tienen personajes en comunes. Ese tejido lo hace muy bien Carlos Fuentes de manera que uno queda pendiente en el siguiente relato a quien va a refenciar y ver otro punto de vista. Definitivamente comprenlo.

Fuentes writes better better fiction than lectures; however, the essay on Quixote is an interesting rumination on what is surely one of the great works of fiction. Does Cervantes' book represent the onset of modernity? Fuentes makes this suggestion and others.

Carlos Fuentes is a major author in Mexican literature, with notable successes in history and fiction. In this book of 266 pages, he introduces us to the lives of a spectrum of persons living on both sides of the Mexican Border, particularly with Texas. He speaks with authority about the historical injustices involved in the American conquest of Texas, the War on Mexico, and our continuing hostile dependency on each other. The Americans need cheap labor and the Mexicans need jobs. In nine vignettes (chapters), he gives us a glimpse into the lives of various persons on both sides of the border. The Mexicans come North to go to school legally or to do menial work illegally or legally. The message in this book is quite clear. We want the Mexicans when we need them to do tasks cheaply that our own labor force will not do. We do not want the Mexicans when they become dependent on us and stress our social system for such things as health care or education. Carlos Fuentes points to the type of economic slavery that this creates, not much better than the era of slavery which Abraham Lincoln fought against. Fuentes achieves some balance in showing also the internal corruption of Mexico, and the many ways that they miss opportunities to improve themselves. The vignettes are funny, sad, passionate, and sometimes lacking in clear focus. Some characters fade into and out of various chapters creating a fabric of impressions about the life on the border. The reader has to relax and let the images flow past, with the poetic inserts by Fuentes about the various conflicts. This is clearly not his best book but in some ways it perhaps reveals more of his own most heartfelt conflicts which accumulated while he spent many years as a child and young adult in the USA. It is a particularly good book to read while you are traveling near the Mexican border and can get your own impressions of this SCENE.

Carlos Fuentes is without doubt one of Mexico's most prolific writers. The fact that his novels are filled with social- political commentary makes him controversial. Some people like their novels without the authors views, others love it as they like the added "realism". Fuentes makes no qualms about his views and his portrayl of Mexicans on both sides of the border and the huge differences in cultures which create conflicts. The concept of this book is interesting but falls a little short on substance. Nine chapters detailing different peoples lives on both sides of the border and how they are interelated. The loose interweaving of the characters lives on both sides of the border are accurate and hence disturbing to some readers. The story centers around one powerful Mexican, Leonardo Barroso and various other people on both sides of the border who are loosely connected. The beauty of this book is in the authors insight into the vast differences between Mexico and the U.S. and how this plays out on his characters. Fuentes is a master of language and his imagery is magnificent. His use of language creates a world that takes on a new life as he transports the reader into his world. An example is one of his characters missing life in Mexico " Not a single tile, not one adobe brick-only marble, cement, stone, plaster, and more wrought iron, gates behind gates, gates within gates, gates facing gates, a labyrinth of gates, and the inaudible buzz of garage doors that opened with a stench of old gasoline, involuntary urinated by the herds of Porsches, Mercedes, BMWs that reposed like mastodons within the caves of the garages". Fuentes is a master at drawing vivid paralels as he creates images of Woolworths contrasted with mercados, or his symbolism of the Vatican and Washinton DC or his tirade on American TV pop culture filled with references to Elvis and filled with such diverse topics as Pat Boone, Charles and Diana jewelry from the Home Shopping Channel, credit cards, CD's with greatest hits, and my favorite, diet milkshakes. For people who live along the border this book is a riot at times and at others reflective of a sad and tragic love story, the relationship between cultures in the US and Mexico. As a character in the book reveals on a tatoo on his lower lip, We Are Everywhere. An excellent book for all interested in what makes these two countries "so far from God so close to heaven".

A fascinating look from numerous perspectives at the increasingly intermingled Mexican and U.S. frontier. The short stories range from life in the oppressive border factories pumping out goods for America to the lives of those who control this commerce, to workers entering the U.S. for menial jobs, both with a visa in relative comfort and with nothing to lose in the deserts along the Rio Grande. This book is ten times more informative, realistic, and well-written than most of the works shoved down a student's throat in any type of ethnic literature or sociology course concerning these issues. Highly recommended book by Latin America's most overlooked great author, Carlos Fuentes.