The Old Gringo
- Book Review,
by Carlos Fuentes
From Publishers Weekly
The premise of this fine, short novel is that Ambrose Biercethe American journalist and writer (The Devil's Dictionary who disappeared in Mexico in 1914, did indeed join revolutionary Pancho Villa's forces, as is generally believed. PW noted that creating the story of Bierce's end enables Fuentes to examine "the borders between men and women, dreams and reality, Mexico and the U.S." Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Clues scattered through this brief but intense novel gradually reveal the identity of the title character, an aging American writer who disappeared in revolutionary Mexico in 1913. Fuentes has made clever fictional use of an actual literary mystery, but his more remarkable achievement here is the portrait of the writer as a father figure to an American governess and to a general in Pancho Villa's army, each of whom has been betrayed by a real father. The tempestuous intimacy between governess and general and the complex relationship each has with the old gringo reflect the links and contradictions between Mexican and American cultures. This is a novel to be savored; it deserves more than a single reading. L.M. Lewis, Social Science Dept., Eastern Kentucky Univ., RichmondCopyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"A dazzling novel that possesses the weight and resonance of myth [and] the fierce magic of a remembered dream."—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
"The fate of Bierce has intrigued Americans since 1914, when he vanished . . . Fuentes has spun an opalescent around the mystery."—Evan S. Connell, Los Angeles Times
"A perfect little gemstone, faceted by a master craftsman."—Charles Larsen, Chicago Tribune Book World
"A narrative of brilliant complexity and sophistication . . . fascinating both for what the author does and how he does it."—The Atlantic
"Cleverly conceived and crisply rendered . . . a haunting novel."—Paul West, The Washington Post Book World
"A Challenging meditation on politics, love and the burden of history itself . . . What lingers most in this profound work are the images that convey the wonderous grandeur of a society in transformation. The Old Gringo is a brilliant fiction, a luminous and compelling chronicle."—Henry Mayer, San Francisco Chronicle
"Sensual and mind-pleasing . . . The Old Gringo [is] the work of an integrated personality, the artist who contains and illuminates all the layers of all times and cultures of a nation."—Earl Shorris, The New York Times Book Review
"Fuentes gives us history as a dream that we might knowingly inhabit."—Jay Cantor, The Boston Globe
"A tribute to the economical power of his art. It radiates authenticity. Fuentes understands the Mexican Revolution as only a visionary can."—Dennis Drabelle, USA Today
Review
"A dazzling novel that possesses the weight and resonance of myth [and] the fierce magic of a remembered dream."—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
"The fate of Bierce has intrigued Americans since 1914, when he vanished . . . Fuentes has spun an opalescent around the mystery."—Evan S. Connell, Los Angeles Times
"A perfect little gemstone, faceted by a master craftsman."—Charles Larsen, Chicago Tribune Book World
"A narrative of brilliant complexity and sophistication . . . fascinating both for what the author does and how he does it."—The Atlantic
"Cleverly conceived and crisply rendered . . . a haunting novel."—Paul West, The Washington Post Book World
"A Challenging meditation on politics, love and the burden of history itself . . . What lingers most in this profound work are the images that convey the wonderous grandeur of a society in transformation. The Old Gringo is a brilliant fiction, a luminous and compelling chronicle."—Henry Mayer, San Francisco Chronicle
"Sensual and mind-pleasing . . . The Old Gringo [is] the work of an integrated personality, the artist who contains and illuminates all the layers of all times and cultures of a nation."—Earl Shorris, The New York Times Book Review
"Fuentes gives us history as a dream that we might knowingly inhabit."—Jay Cantor, The Boston Globe
"A tribute to the economical power of his art. It radiates authenticity. Fuentes understands the Mexican Revolution as only a visionary can."—Dennis Drabelle, USA Today
Review
"A dazzling novel that possesses the weight and resonance of myth [and] the fierce magic of a remembered dream."—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
"The fate of Bierce has intrigued Americans since 1914, when he vanished . . . Fuentes has spun an opalescent around the mystery."—Evan S. Connell, Los Angeles Times
"A perfect little gemstone, faceted by a master craftsman."—Charles Larsen, Chicago Tribune Book World
"A narrative of brilliant complexity and sophistication . . . fascinating both for what the author does and how he does it."—The Atlantic
"Cleverly conceived and crisply rendered . . . a haunting novel."—Paul West, The Washington Post Book World
"A Challenging meditation on politics, love and the burden of history itself . . . What lingers most in this profound work are the images that convey the wonderous grandeur of a society in transformation. The Old Gringo is a brilliant fiction, a luminous and compelling chronicle."—Henry Mayer, San Francisco Chronicle
"Sensual and mind-pleasing . . . The Old Gringo [is] the work of an integrated personality, the artist who contains and illuminates all the layers of all times and cultures of a nation."—Earl Shorris, The New York Times Book Review
"Fuentes gives us history as a dream that we might knowingly inhabit."—Jay Cantor, The Boston Globe
"A tribute to the economical power of his art. It radiates authenticity. Fuentes understands the Mexican Revolution as only a visionary can."—Dennis Drabelle, USA Today
Book Description
The celebrated American writer and journalist Ambrose Bierce mysteriously disapeared in Mexico during its civil war. In this brilliant novel, Carlos Fuentes imagines the fate of Bierce among Pancho Villa's troops and dramatizes the conflict of North America's two cultures locked in deadly embrace.
Language Notes
Text: English, Spanish (translation)
About the Author
Carlos Fuentes, born in Panama in 1928, has received many awards for his accomplishments as a novelist, essayist, and commentator, among them the Cervantes Prize. He is the author of more than twenty books, most recently (in the United States) Inez. Other Fuentes titles from FSG include Aura, The Death of Artemio Cruz, and The Good Conscience. He divides his time between Mexico City and London.
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