Cuentos naturales. (Natural Tales)

By staff -- Críticas, 11/15/2007

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the publication of Fuentes’s La región más transparente del aire (1958; Where the Air Is Clear), Alfaguara is compiling 34 of the author’s short works with a new format and under Fuentes’s supervision. This anthology includes some of the author’s most realistic stories: “Vieja moralidad” (“Old Morality”), “Las dos Elenas” (“The Two Elenas”), “Un alma pura” (“A Pure Soul”), “Malitzin de las Maquilas” (“Malitzin of the Factory”), “La sierva del padre” (“The Priests’s Slave”), and “La línea de la vida” (“The Line of Life”). Even though this anthology does not contain any analysis or introduction to Fuentes’s writing [such as Fondo de Cultura’s compilation, Obras Reunidas I: Fundaciones Mexicanas (“Collected Works I”)], it still is an especially revealing collection because the stories here showcase important topics prevalent in Fuentes’s literary works: criticism of false morality, a portrayal of the disappointments of the Mexican Revolution, a satire of wealthy Mexican families, etc. For instance, in “Las dos Elenas,” the main character, Elena, is a liberated and rebellious woman, daughter of extremely conservative and wealthy parents who have to deal with her “crazy” open-mindedness. A great twist in the plot reveals that Elena’s mother (the other Elena) is actually sleeping with her daughter’s husband. In “La línea de la vida,” prisoners of the Mexican Revolution escape from jail only to have their leader, now fighting against the revolution, send them back to prison. The flawless prose and the amazing use of language make this compilation essential for bookstores, although libraries might prefer Fondo de Cultura’s collection.—María E. Cruz, New York City