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University of California Press

About the Book

Fuentes's bold and timely study discusses the origins and nature of the tumultuous events that have recently transformed Mexican politics and society. The rebellion in Chiapas, a rash of assassinations, the break between Presidents Salinas and Zedillo, the continual struggle for democratic self-rule: These and other developments are addressed by one of Mexico's wisest, most influential commentators.

About the Author

Carlos Fuentes, Mexico's leading novelist, is also an essayist and writer of screenplays as well as political commentary. Trained as a lawyer, he was Mexico's ambassador to France in the 1970s. Among his many novels are Terra Nostra, The Death of Artemio Cruz, The Old Gringo and Christopher Unborn.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Paperback Edition
1 : MEXICO: The Face of Creation
2 : ON MEXICAN TIME: Kierkegaard in the Pink Zone
3 : INDIAN MEXICO: A Trip to the Center of the Origin
4 : REVOLUTIONARY MEXICO: History Out of Chaos
S : AGRARIAN MEXICO: The Death of Ruben Jaramillo
6 : THE MEXICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM:
Seeds and Ruins
7 : THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY:
A Diary of 1994
8 : HAPPY NEW YEAR: A Lament for 1995
9 : SO FAR FROM GOD: Mexico and the United States
I0 : RETURN TO ROOTS: Home in Veracruz
II : MY SPANISH HERITAGE
12 : CONCLUSION AND CODA: Mexican Tempi
Index

Reviews

"No one who is interested in Mexico, its past and its future, can afford to miss this brilliant book."—Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.