Octavio Paz, Nobel laureate, poet and one of the best writers of essays in the Spanish language, can give people seriously interested in learning about Sor Juana invaluable information in this beautifully researched book. Everything that is really known about her biography (not anachronistic twentieth-century storytelling and fantasy) is here; and, very importantly, authoritative background information on Colonial Mexican history and culture, social organization, religious practices and norms, and reading materials and habits. Sor Juana is a complex woman, a great reader and thinker that has to be understood in context. This book provides this, and also a sensitive and informed reading of her work. It is also a very good read. Modern-day fictional accounts are deceptive and will short-change you. Don't fall for them. This book is the real thing.

This book by the Nobel Prize winner Octavio Paz is a great account of the life of one of the best writers of Hispanic literature. Sor Juana created astonishing poems about life, love, and people. It is a pity that only little is known about the facts of her life. As with Shakespeare, must of what we know about her comes from her literary legacy. Octavio Paz is able to solve some of the mystery that surrounds Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz.

Octavio Paz is clearly the Hispanic Tocqueville of our times! Except he mixes poetry with prose and his writing has a lucidity which marks him as one of the foremost critics and commentators of our age. His analysis of the ailments of our hedonistic society and times is on target as are his dissections of the Soviet world before its collapse. Although his forays into the Far East could benefit from more exposure to the history and culture of the area, his examples of Jesuit influence in the reign of the Manchu Emperor Kangxi are a demonstration of his erudition. Highly recommended for those who enjoy a good essay on society but at the same time appreciate fine prose and sharp edged analysis! A masterpiece by this Nobel laureate!

"Eagle or Sun?" is a collection of prose poems by the great Mexican poet Octavio Paz. Several of the short pieces represent a sort of hybrid form between the poem and the essay; others seem to represent a melding of the poem and the short story. Although Paz can be obscure, and even somewhat indulgent, at times, "Eagle or Sun?" is marked by flashes of brilliance which make it an important piece of 20th century literature.

Some of the book's highlights included section X of "The Poet's Works," a nightmarish vision of language gone awry; "The Blue Bouquet," which is undoubtedly one of the greatest horror stories ever written in any language; and "My Life with the Wave," a surreal fantasy story that is rich in irony. "Eagle or Sun?" may not be easy reading, but it is a rewarding and memorable work from one of Mexico's most important writers.

A superb collection of early writings from 1949-50, Paz explores Mexico from three fronts, past, present and future. Influenced by Surrealists his prose is vivid and colorful as he explores the relationship between language and poet, reality and language and his vision of the past. His exploration of the apocalytic future, as foretold by the Aztec calendar stone is haunting. The world lost a great poet but his works live on for future generations.

Best poetry and a good translation. As "A Draft of Shadows" (translated by Weinberger also), it worths the reading. These books both are the best Paz's poetry... light on the other side... beating.

Paz's technical, highly informative swan song, as he wound down his amabassadorial stint, is at once distant, respectful...and oddly wistful. One can picture him, gazing contemplatively out of the window, as his train wisks him through the Indian countryside, his elbow on the sill, head in hand...A rather grand, respecful Goodbye, with just a hint of saddness and yearning...which is what this book represents. Paz's envious, strangely misplaced attempts to compare his native Mexico to the country-of-his-dreams (India) seem a bit desperate and even clumsy at times. One could sense Paz's wish: "If only my Mexico were as majestic, grand and enigmatic..." Or atleast had as many software startups per capita. Perhap's Paz will convert to Hinduism by his 85th birthday. An informative, (too) reverent, but decent piece of work...Almost has the mood and (deliberate) distance of Langston Hughes' "Big Sea", but far more exacting, patient and academic in its use of the english language and (again) far more technical...A lot of starch in this one. A worthy edition to one's own library - or to Paz's works, in general. SP

Kudos to Paz for discoursing on India's nationhood, religion and caste. Uncertainty is the underlying theme in this book. Unlike Mexico, India proves to be a bigger (and alien) challenge to Paz's analytical and intellectual ability and at the start of the book the reader wonders - will this be the Indian Labyrinth of Solitude?

Paz's love for India and his desire to find answers to (paradoxical?)questions engages him in a duel that is serendipitous for him and cahallenging yet enjoyable to the reader. His bafflement is typical in a land where 'one man's ceiling is another man's floor'. You can contest every assertion he makes - but wait! A few paragraphs later he himself is left questioning his earlier assertions. What starts out as an exercise in 'jnana yoga' (comprehension through knowledge) in the end turns out to be a discourse without conclusions. But as Paz mulls and ponders, his vexations and observances transform itself into a wonderful literary offering of bhakti- an expression of love and admiration for India and its richness and complexity - an offering of devotion that supersedes comprehension.

Octavio Paz has recorded his experience in India in a great way. I simply call it poetic. Because of the great distance between Mexcio and India, there has been very little interaction between these countries. The linguistic difference has not helped either. Therfore a book by Paz on India from his eyes as a Mexcican, is welcomme addition to the literature. It is definitley a book to have and cherish.

This is NOT an autobiographical essay, although you might suppose so after the opening story of his exile to California and then later back to Mexico where he was treated as a stranger. This episode serves more as a kernel from which grows his political and social education and experience. Paz briefly traces his political growth from childhood to maturity, through Mexico, the Yucatan (which he points out is so very different from the rest of Mexico), Paris, Spain, India, etc... The editor does his best to provide background history, but be warned that Paz assumes you have the same strong knowledge of Mexican history that he does. I though the highlight was his piercing conclusion about the evil in ourselves, "Evil is human, exclusively human. But not all is evil in humans. Evil nests in their awareness, in their freedom. In there also lies the remedy, the answer to evil... to fight evil is to fight ourselves. And that is the meaning of history."

The writing is clear throughout -- Paz writes well in prose form as well as poetry. A bit hard to follow sometimes, but aren't all intellectual journeys?

The agile synthesizing mind at the height of its powers: Skip the 'Labyrinth' and go straight to this.

Once again Octavio Paz expresses his love and passion for India and things Indian but this time through his poetry. They style is fluid, sensual and evocative, add to it a plethora of colorful imageries.

A Tale of Two Gardens is a collection of poems dealing with Nobel laureate Octavio Paz relationship with the great nation of India. He made many trips there over the years. Paz was also the Mexican ambassador to India. (He resigned the position in 1968 to protest government assault on protesters.) There were still later sojourns to India afterwards. Mutra is a really strong poem. It is a flower that grows with each subsequent reading. Few cities have ever been so aptly honoured. Another of the poems I like is The Balcony. Wind From All Compass Points is another standout. The whole collection is a grand achievement. India is the most enduring civilization on the planet. It is only fitting that one of the most enduring poets of the twentieth century should write a poetic tribute. These poems were written over a period of forty years. The love and passion Paz feels for Indian culture and peoples is recurrent in these poems. This was truly his second home. It was the second garden so to speak. And from this love of India came a great gift of poetry for the rest of the world to read and know.

great prose n essays: this guy truly understands th human condition; mexican or otherwise .. also this book contains one of my favorite poems, a little ditty on insomnia, heres an excerpt: "no estoy vivo ni muerto: despierto estoy, despierto en un ojo desierto" -octavio paz

This volume contains the full text of the 1990 Nobel Lecture of Octavio Paz, together with an English translation by Anthony Stanton. As a meditation from the mind of one of Mexico's greatest poets, this book is a valuable contribution to Latin American studies.

Paz begins by reflecting on the unique aspects of the literatures of the Americas. Then, after a brief autobiographical transition, he discusses his life-long pursuit of that elusive phenomenon known as "modernity."

Although Paz has great insights, his words do tend to oversimplify issues at times. In his reflection on the literature of the Americas, for example, he acknowledges only the great national literatures written in Spanish, English, Portuguese, and French. Reading it made me want to exclaim, "What about the rich tradition of oral literatures in Native American languages? Or the creole literatures of this hemisphere? What about those American writers who have composed their works in Yiddish and other "marginal" languages?" (This criticism is ironic in light of the fact that Paz mentions Nahuatl, a native Mexican language, in passing towards the end of the address). This complaint aside, Paz remains provocative and compelling.

And his address yields a wealth of memorable, epigram-like insights. Consider this one: "Poetry, in love with the instant, seeks to relive it in the poem, thus separating it from sequential time and turning it into a fixed present" (p. 16).

All things considered, this is a significant text from one of the indispensable figures in the literatures of the Americas.

Anthologies are the way to go when you want to discover new (or old) poets with minimal risk. Anthologies give you a sampling of many different poets and then you decide which ones you really like.

This is a method I have used to explore the wide range of world poetry out there. It gives me a taste of many poets without having to purchase a thousand books. Having financial limits, this is greatly beneficial.

"Mexican Poetry" is a collection of poems translated by Samuel Beckett and edited by Octavio Paz. These two Nobel Laureates have provided us with nearly 400 years of poetry beginning in 1521 and ending in 1910. This comprehensive book includes 35 different poets and provides a great overview of the great poetry produced by Mexico.

Paz, being a Mexican poet has great insight into the poetic history of his country. He endeavors to include poets from the entire four century span. He also writes a fine introduction to place proper historical perspective to the many poets included here.

The collection features poets such as Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz who is an early model of a feminist heroine. Her beautiful poems still resonate over three centuries later. It also has works by Bernando de Balbuena, Juan Ruis de Alarcon, Alfonso Reyes and Juana de Asbaje. This book will instill in one a sense of the breadth and range of Mexican poetry. It is a great way to familiarize oneself with a great poetic tradition that is often overlooked.