Latin American Science Fiction Writers : An A-to-Z Guide
- Book Review,
by Darrell B. Lockhart (Editor)
From Booklist
Lockhart, an assistant professor of Spanish at the University of Nevada, Reno, has edited this volume on Latin American science fiction writers and a companion volume on mystery writers. Both volumes trace the development of their genres over roughly the past 100 years, with selective biocritical coverage of 70 writers in Science Fiction. The scope is broadly defined in both cases: Science Fiction includes authors who only incorporate partial elements of the conventional model in their texts. Latin America spans countries of the Americas that are Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking but excludes Hispanic, Latino, or Chicano authors from the U.S. The majority of authors are associated with Argentina, Mexico, and Cuba. Alphabetically arranged author entries written by scholars feature the country of association, a narrative with biographical information that summarizes the author's literary contribution and impact on the genre, and a bibliography of primary and critical sources. Length of the narrative varies and can be anywhere from a couple of paragraphs to seven pages. All titles include English translations. Both volumes feature introductory essays on the genre and information on the contributors, many of whom are affiliated with Latin American universities. The volumes conclude with an index (mostly authors and titles) and a bibliography of literary anthologies and criticism by country.Despite the occasional inclusion of well-known names, authors are more often little known in the U.S. and not found in standard English-language literary sources such as Gale's Literature Resource Center database, nor are they in specialized sources such as Latin American Writers (Scribner, 1989). Occasionally, a well-known name associated with the genre is excluded, for example, Macedonio Fernandez, missing from the science fiction volume. Both the science fiction and mystery volumes definitely fill a void. Recommended for libraries serving Latin American studies programs. Susan Gardner
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
[T]his guide provides a valuable foundation for study of an underexamined body of literature. Recommended. Academic collections.Choice
Book Description
Many readers are unaware of the vast universe of Latin American science fiction, which has its roots in the 18th century and has flourished to the present day. Because science fiction is part of Latin American popular culture, it reflects cultural and social concerns and comments on contemporary society. While there is a growing body of criticism on Latin American science fiction, most studies treat only a single author or work. This reference offers a broad overview of Latin American science fiction. Included are alphabetically arranged entries on 70 Latin American science fiction writers.
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