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Los de abajo

3.53 of 5 stars 3.53 · rating details · 1,952 ratings · 124 reviews

Durante la Revolución Mexicana, Mariano Azuela fue médico de la facción la que comandaba Francisco Villa, de ahí que algunas de sus más notables obras literarias estén inspiradas por aquellos hechos de armas. Entre todas ellas, Los de abajo, redactada en 1915 en El Paso (Texas), sintetiza admirablemente lo que el ilustre escritor pensaba de la Revolución y cómo vio él mism...more

Paperback, 144 pages

Published August 1st 1997 by Penguin Books Ltd (first published 1916)

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May 06, 2013 Tequila Centinela rated it 5 of 5 stars

Basada en gran parte en las experiencias de sus camaradas y del propio autor, Mariano Azuela, como médico militar bajo el mando de Julián Medina durante la Revolución Mexicana, Los de Abajo es una de las novelas de carácter realista y una clásica del periodo pero se diferencia de otras obras de este género por su sincera crudeza que hasta revela delitos de guerra que cometieron los insurgentes.

La historia tiene lugar durante la Revolución Mexicana y comienza con la llegada de unos federales a la...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Adriana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: latinoamérica

La novela de la Revolución Mexicana no se puede tomar como fuente primordial para construir una verdad histórica por lo azarosa que puede ser la verosimilitud novelística, sin embargo, Los de abajo, una de las primeras novelas sobre la Revolución Mexicana, adquiere gran importancia porque propició el desarrollo de la literatura mexicana del siglo XX, y porque a través de esta obra, es posible conocer una parte del movimiento revolucionario.
Mariano Azuela escribió Los de abajo en 1915, tras habe...more La novela de la Revolución Mexicana no se puede tomar como fuente primordial para construir una verdad histórica por lo azarosa que puede ser la verosimilitud novelística, sin embargo, Los de abajo, una de las primeras novelas sobre la Revolución Mexicana, adquiere gran importancia porque propició el desarrollo de la literatura mexicana del siglo XX, y porque a través de esta obra, es posible conocer una parte del movimiento revolucionario.
Mariano Azuela escribió Los de abajo en 1915, tras haber formado parte de las filas revolucionarias. Su novela es la expresión personal de lo que sucedía en un sector del movimiento revolucionario, sector que aunque no sabía teóricamente porqué se había levantado en armas, sentía el dolor y el coraje de la injusticia, la explotación y la desigualdad en la que vivía.
“Los de abajo” se preguntaron constantemente hasta cuándo iba a terminar la lucha armada, sin embargo se iban dando cuenta que la Revolución ya no tenía vuelta a tras y que -como dijo el insurgente Demetrio Macías en alusión a su lucha- una vez que la piedra se aventó al fondo del cañón, ésta ya no se para y ya en ese camino lo único que vale la pena es, como dijo 100 años antes el libertador Vicente Guerrero y como reivindicarían 80 años después los zapatistas de Chiapas, “vivir por la patria o morir por la libertad”.
A la luz de la ideología revolucionaria, se reconstruyen con realismo cuadros y escenas del movimiento armado en el norte de México. Así, se plasma una visión de país en donde Azuela realiza representaciones que provienen inconscientemente de sus propias imágenes, mitos y costumbres, y del ambiente intelectual y pequeño burgués al que pertenecía.
El médico Mariano Azuela narró la realidad tal cual la percibía; describió a los hombres que para él eran crueles, violentos y malvados -como los que mataban por gusto o los que se robaban a mujeres y caballos- y mostró a los integrantes de un grupo de revolucionarios de la División del Norte como bandidos que saqueaban los bienes materiales de los familiares de caciques, quienes a su vez tenían que irse de su hacienda ante la inminente llegada de esos que llamaban “salvajes”.
También representó al intelectual, que fastidiado de la gente de su condición, reivindicaba la causa de los campesinos y se unía a las filas revolucionarias pero poniendo en tela de juicio las decisiones que se tomaban y pretendiendo aconsejar con sus teorías aunque en batalla corriera a esconderse para salvar su vida.
Fundamentalmente, Azuela criticó de manera irónica o sarcástica, a todo aquel que siendo General, Coronel, o simplemente soldado, no sabía porqué peleaba, ya sea porque no tenía nociones teóricas de las demandas de la Revolución, o por el sólo hecho de solidarizarse con el compadre, como fue el caso del gran insurgente Anastasio Montañés.
La ironía se manifiesta en el triste final de Pancracio y El Manteca, que se apuñalaron después de una partida de naipes. Estos hombres que jugaban apuestas y que siempre fueron valientes, murieron de una forma absurda en vez de morir en batalla como buenos insurgentes.
El sarcasmo sonríe cuando el General Natera le pregunta a Demetrio Macías de qué lado está, si del de Villa o de Carranza, a lo que Demetrio le contesta que va a luchar del lado que diga Natera porque el “aguilita” que trae en el sombrero y que representa el grado de General, él se la dio y por lo tanto hará lo que el General Natera diga.
La prosa de Azuela no es elaborada sino espontánea, plasmó la conmoción que sentía ante escenarios tan hostiles cuando como médico, se incorporó al movimiento revolucionario.
Las ideas que tenía acerca de lo que debía ser la literatura de la Revolución Mexicana no propiciaron a que desarrollara una prosa suntuosa o con una clara intención estilística, de hecho, deformó el lenguaje hasta ridiculizar a los personajes, sobre todo a las mujeres.
Los de abajo es por todo esto una obra relevante que muestra escenas particulares de la Revolución Mexicana y que refleja el espíritu de la creación literaria del siglo XX.(less)

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Jan 10, 2012 Mark Picketts rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So my foray into Mexican writing and history continued with another book suggested to me by the school librarian. The Underdogs was a book on the Mexican revolution and follows a small militia leader through his fall from idealistic revolutionary to thieving general who has become exactly that which caused him to rise up in the first place. Azuela spins this tale brilliantly and we can feel the band's transition as a whole as well as some of the variances from man to man. With the educated and m...more So my foray into Mexican writing and history continued with another book suggested to me by the school librarian. The Underdogs was a book on the Mexican revolution and follows a small militia leader through his fall from idealistic revolutionary to thieving general who has become exactly that which caused him to rise up in the first place. Azuela spins this tale brilliantly and we can feel the band's transition as a whole as well as some of the variances from man to man. With the educated and manipulative "city slicker" (Luis Cervantes) feeling the winds of change and taking his spoils on to a new venture while the more rural personalities are consumed by the violence of the revolution and eventually devoured by it.

The writing does an fantastic job of depicting a rugged, bloody, and macho conflict.

"You ask me why I am still a rebel? Well, the revolution is like a hurricane: if you're in it, you're not a man ... you're a leaf, a dead leaf, blown by the wind." p. 73

"To champagne, that sparkles and foams as the beaded bubbles burst at the brim of the glass, Demetrio preferred the native tequila, limpid and fiery." p. 84

"Soldiers don't sleep in hotels and inns any more ... where do you come from? You just go anywhere you like and pick a house that pleases you, see. When you go there, make yourself at home and don't ask anyone for anything. Whta tthe hell is the use of the revoluition? Who's it for? For the folks who live in towns? We're the city folk now, see?" p. 89

"Don't think it's wrong to kill, because when you kill it's always out of anger. But stealing -- BAH!
...
Of course - there's no use denying it, I've stolen too," Blondie confesses. "But ask any one of my partners how much profit I've got. I'm a big spender and my purse is my friends' to have a good time on! I have a better time if I drink myself senseless than I would have sending money back home to the old woman!" p.127

"Villa? Obregón? Carranza? What's the difference? I love the revolution like a volcano in eruption; I love the volcano because it's a volcano, the revolution because it's the revolution! What do i care about the stones left above or below after the cataclysm? What are they to me?" p.136

There are definite parallels of the Azuela's bandits of the revolution and the Narcos currently receiving so much press. Go and and get all you can, grab whatever is there ... what's tomorrow? Get what you can now.(less)

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Sep 26, 2011 Yorkshiresoul rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Written about events during the Mexican Revolution, this tale follows the exploits of a group of villagers who band together under their local leader Demetrio Macias. The men seemed to have joined the Revolution not out of ideals, but because a side has to be picked, and a poor working man has to be anti-Federal.

Demetrio leads through force of action, but when a Federal deserter, Luis Cervantes, arrives with his city education and, initially at least, his strong sense of ideals for the Revolutio...more Written about events during the Mexican Revolution, this tale follows the exploits of a group of villagers who band together under their local leader Demetrio Macias. The men seemed to have joined the Revolution not out of ideals, but because a side has to be picked, and a poor working man has to be anti-Federal.

Demetrio leads through force of action, but when a Federal deserter, Luis Cervantes, arrives with his city education and, initially at least, his strong sense of ideals for the Revolution, the group find they have a spokesman who can express why they are fighting.

As the war grinds on, Demetrio's band experience some success, but along the way they become corrupted by greed and revenge. Petty killings occur on the flimsiest of pretexts, and robbery and looting become the order of the day. Eventually they come to be feared and hated by the peasentry in turn as the federal soldiers who burn Demetrio's home were hated by them. Cervantes uses the power of his speech to set Demetrio up as a great general, with Cervantes rising in power at his side. The city man though can see which way the wind blows, and as the Revolution begins to turn on those people it was meant to serve, he flees the fighting with his war loot and sets himself up in business.

When the gang eventually return home they can find no peace. Demetrio is asked why he keeps on fighting, but after two years the fighting has come to define his life and he can see no other purpose for it.

The Underdogs chronicles the failures of the Mexican Revolution as it turns on the very people it was meant to serve. In its unflinching treatment of the main characters and Azuela's depiction of men changed by war and greed, it paints a picture which has become more familiar to us in more recent war books and films, particularly those concerning the American involvement in Vietnam.

An interesting read that introduced to me a period of history I knew nothing about, but which makes clear the eternal pointlessness and brutalising nature of war.
(less)

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Apr 09, 2010 Katsumi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: hispano-american

First of all, this is NOT a history book. If you're interested in learning about the Mexican Revolution pick up a history book.
Second of all, you didn't get the point. It's not about the life of rural Mexico, or how people lived, or how they lost their ideals. It's about joining "la bola" the mass of people fighting for no particular reason. The "campesinos" didn't really join the fight because they believed they were getting land and freedom, they joined because they believed in their leaders,...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Morris rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed reading this book. A novel concerning a group of revolutionary soldiers during the Mexican Revolution. The dialog is engaging and realistic, the characters well drawn. Hailed as the best book about the Revolution, The Underdogs, is an honest depiction of life as a rebel soldier. The author rode with Pancho Villa and you can't get more authentic than that. It follows a group of poor and hungry fighters through battles, copius drinking, whoring and looting the rich. Packed with pl...more

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Dec 22, 2009 Shane Westfall rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved reading this one! Several of the criticisms mentioned in other reviews are valid, yet where I felt Azuela excelled was in illustrating the "gray". No saintly protagonists nor sinister bad guys to be found...simply a portrait of real humans embroiled in a conflict where perhaps the only moral difference between the two parties depends on whom one is cheering for. Sure, Cervantes' ride off into the mercantile business seemed a bit of a stretch, but then no more so than Shakespeare relying...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Gerard rated it 4 of 5 stars

Apparently Azuela got even more cynical about the Mexican Revolution in the years after this book was published. Hard to imagine. The punch of this book comes from the believable brutishness of the band of rebels that are the main characters. Real desperadoes. Very effectively contrasted with the slickness of the intellectual ideologue who joins them on their rise in the ranks. Somehow Azuela reminds me of Celine, who was also a doctor during a time of great violence and poverty. But unlike Celi...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Leslie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: college-books

This historical novel concerning the Mexican revolution is at times funny, sometimes thought-provoking, very often shocking, and "full of bewildering contrasts and contradictions. It is at times brutal and tender, revolting and beautiful, exhilarating and depressing, aestheticist and journalistic, revolutionary and counterrevolutionary" (from the Appendix of Pellon's translation). The story follows the trails and feats of one man from the sierra who quickly finds himself escalating on the glory...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Haku Pawa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Haku by: Mi tío

Shelves: cosmogonia-mexicana, belicas, politica, novela-historica, teatro, novela, historia, literatura-mexicana

Un campesino llamado Demetrio Macías nacido en Zacatecas se ve obligado a unirse a las fuerzas revolucionarias que combaten al ejército federal, derrota tras derrota va consiguiendo seguidores y amigos, pero solo cuentan con una vana idea del porque de su lucha. Conoceremos a Luis Cervantes, Camila, "el güero" y demás personajes que acompañan a Demetrio en su lucha.

Los de Abajo es una historia de mariano Azuela de contenido y texto narrativo sencillo conteniendo datos históricos de la revolución...more

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May 29, 2012 Donna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classical-literature, 2011-read, poc-reading-challenge

I picked this slim novel up in the classics section of a local foreign language bookstore, determined to read more significant novels about people of color. The Underdogs suited my needs exactly. It is very short, having been quickly published in a Mexican newspaper around the middle of the revolution, and tells the story of Demetrio Macías, a Mestizo peasant who, through chance, becomes a soldier and leader in Pancho Villa's army.

The novel is written in a very simplistic tone of voice. I think...more I picked this slim novel up in the classics section of a local foreign language bookstore, determined to read more significant novels about people of color. The Underdogs suited my needs exactly. It is very short, having been quickly published in a Mexican newspaper around the middle of the revolution, and tells the story of Demetrio Macías, a Mestizo peasant who, through chance, becomes a soldier and leader in Pancho Villa's army.

The novel is written in a very simplistic tone of voice. I think this may have been due to the lack of advanced literacy among Azuela's readers. The prose is also very detached, always describing the actions and thoughts of the protagonists as if from afar. Characterization is very subtle, and I put down the novel unsure if I had connected with or understood any of the characters in the book.

For one, the ragtag bunch of rebels Macías unites are not nice people on the whole. They give their utmost respect and loyalty to Macías, but in his and Villa's name, they loot, plunder, and rape their way through their own country. They are foul-mouthed, prone to violence, and disrespectful of all others they encounter. They are products of their time, of course. They've been beaten down so long by the Federales that they just want to lash out. Without proper leadership, they flounder.

And Macías just isn't the man to give that strong leadership. He joined the fight because he angered his local cacique and had to flee from his wife and child just to survive. He has some sense of strategy, as his rebels carry out several successful raids on Federales. But after he is gravely injured, he starts to lose fervor for his fight. He begins an affair with a young girl, Camila, who is in her turn enamored with Cervantes, an educated doctor who defected from the Federales.

Azuela is unflinching in his portrayal of the senseless violence that occurred during the revolution. He does not try to romanticize the rebels or even truly support their cause. From the foreword, I learned that Cervantes' story is very similar to Azuela's own. At the end of the novel, Cervantes leaves everything behind and defects to America. As for Macías, he returns to his family, but is defeated and jaded. The new regime that he helped to bring about is essentially no different than the one he helped to overthrow. (less)

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Apr 20, 2011 Pamela rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Los de Abajo es una narración meramente Mexicana puesto que nos relata las peripecias de la revolución Mexicana. La gente de abajo, los pobres, desvalidos, menos afortunados ante los adinerados de la época de un régimen discriminatorio.

A través de este relato experimentamos la vida de unos cuantos mexicanos luchadores por su patria amada de una forma muy salvaje, despreocupada, poco estratégica, pero a la final triunfadora por el ímpetu de sus luchadores.

La mueva pavorosa del hambre estaba ya en...more

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Oct 26, 2010 Alberto rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: premiados, por-el-gusto, mexico-latinoamerica, obligados

Esta es sin duda la mejor obra de Mariano Azuela, quien formó parte del grupo de "Los Dorados". "Los de Abajo" tiene la cercanía al movimiento de la Revolución con unos ojos analíticos, valientes y sinceros. Se comparten sin miedo las vivencias y esclarece algunas de las barbaries que existene en todas los movimientos de su clase, donde casi siempre se termina una injusticia para dar entrada a una distinta pero con nombres y esquemas diferentes.
Dentro del Clan de Francisco "Pancho" Villa, Azuel...more

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May 11, 2010 Joselito Honestly and Brilliantly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A novel of the Mexican revolution of 1910.

As in most revolutions, this was supposed to have been staged in order to topple a dictatorship and to gain freedom from tyranny. The book, however, illustrates that not all of those who take part in a revolution know what they are revolting for. Some "freedom fighters" take to the hills with their own personal agenda, some of them even fugitives from the law themselves.

Survivors of the revolution, assuming they emerge therefrom victorious, would metamor...more

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Apr 26, 2010 Tony rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-mainstream

Azuela, Mariano. THE UNDERDOGS: A Novel of the Mexican Revolution. (1915). ***. I found an old paperback copy of this novel published in a Signet Classics Edition in 1962. The novel was originally published in serial version in an El Paso newspaper, and later issued in book form once it was “discovered.” The author, a practising physician in Mexico City, was a participant in the actual fighting during the revolution and, presumable, brings that experience to his book. There is a lot of hype abou...more

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Jun 09, 2008 David Alejandro Tapia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

En el contexto de la gran novela de la Revolución Mejicana, esta novela esta basada en las propias experiencias del autor quien formó parte de "los dorados" con Pancho Villa, contra carrancistas.
La novela trata de un grupo de campesinos, foragidos, cínicos y criminales que se unen contra los federales carrancistas. La novela se desarrolla en medio de la barbarie y crueldad de la revolución. En ambos lados se ve la insensibilidad a la muerte, la corrupción y la venganza. Luis Cervantes "el curro...more En el contexto de la gran novela de la Revolución Mejicana, esta novela esta basada en las propias experiencias del autor quien formó parte de "los dorados" con Pancho Villa, contra carrancistas.
La novela trata de un grupo de campesinos, foragidos, cínicos y criminales que se unen contra los federales carrancistas. La novela se desarrolla en medio de la barbarie y crueldad de la revolución. En ambos lados se ve la insensibilidad a la muerte, la corrupción y la venganza. Luis Cervantes "el curro" es un estudiante de medicina y periodista que se une al grupo de campesinos, bandidos y brutos liderado por Demetrio Macías, un indio, ex campesino, embrutecido por la guerra y la venganza. El curro lo va convenciendo de su importancia para los altos ideales de la revolución y su papel en la gesta heróica. Demetrio no entiende motivos más que la venganza y lentamennte se va convenciendo de su importancia con la Revolución.
Hay mucha confusión y gran despilfarro. El país se encuentra en un proceso de ajuste doloroso sobretodo por el abuso contra pobres y campesinos.
Cervantes urge a Macías a identificar su lucha con los grandes de la Revolución: Villa, Carranza, Natera. Pero la Revolución es también hermosa. Las lágrimas de la Revolución conmueven a Demetrio quien consigue un triunfo heróico en el mismo cañón donde tiempo más tarde vuelve a morir. Como una tragedia griega cirular vuelve a su muerte.
"Los de Abajo" está lleno de lírica en su descripción de la naturaleza, cortados por realismo, costumbrismo y humor. Muestra muy bien la vida del revolucionario, su soledad, su gregariedad, la transhumancia. El romanticismo es hacia el pasado, los recuerdos, la inocencia e ignorancia de la vida campesina. El lenguaje rústico y viril es también poético y delicado. Refleja los contrastes entre la delicadeza de la vida y la naturaleza y la brutalidad de la guerra.
Personajes Principales:
Demetrio Macías
Luis Cervantes
Anastacio Montañés
El Güero Margarito
Camila
Manteca y Pancracio(less)

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Sep 13, 2007 Mauricio rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ficción

En estos días releí "Los de abajo". Y no hay punto de comparación entre cómo la leí hace años y cómo la he leído hoy. Para empezar uno piensa de inmediato en una novela anterior "Andrés Pérez, maderista," que pese a tratar un tema de la Revolución está más cerca del tratamiento costumbrista y pseudo realista de las novelas anteriores. Me interesó mucho la segunda parte de Los de abajo, cuando ha triunfado la Revolución y la gente de Demetrio Macías se une a los villistas. Entonces aparecen dos p...more

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Mar 08, 2009 Skidmarquez rated it 4 of 5 stars

Azuela's little novella is rather episodic as characters drop in an out of the story without the change of presence making a great deal of impact. It depicts a small band of Pancho Villa militia during the Mexican Revolution, written by a man in exile in the United States for his participation in the revolution.

The episodic nature of the novel fits the theme of the revolution, the strange ways in which a duplicitous middle class journalist can at once speak the poetry of the revolution, only to...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Natasha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an excellent novel to read if you want to delve into the realm of Mexican revolution literature. While short, and lacking in historical detail, Azuela manages to depict several general ideas that were left in the wake of the revolution. The book itself is heavily loaded with symbolism rather than outright, blatant opinions. It is necessary to know a little bit of history in order to catch all of them (such as the roll of the soldadera, and the separation between the social classes). Over...more

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Jan 24, 2009 Rosemary rated it 5 of 5 stars

I truly enjoyed this novel regarding the story of Demetrio Macias that took place during the Mexican revolution of 1912.

Quede encantada de la manera en que fue escrita esta novela de Azuela. El lenguaje tan bruto pero emotivo. Que pienso que si se hubiera escrito de cualquier otro modo no hubiera tenido el mismo impacto.

The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela was personally an amazing read about the Mexican Revolution through Demetrio Macias perspective.

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Feb 24, 2013 Jason rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An odd little novel about the Mexican Revolution. Not a classic, but worth a read. I, for one, who know nothing about the Mexican Revolution of the 1910s found it historically interesting. There's a bare bones plot: it mostly centers around Demetrio Macias and his several year building up of an army which switches sides and allegiances blindly. An illustration of the stupidity with which "revolutionary" movements can devolve into.

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Sep 10, 2012 Chase Fulford rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A mí, creo que este libro es lo más famoso que describe la época durante la revolución mexicana. Azuela fue médico que escribe su historia como una persona al fondo. Además, todos los personajes del libro son profundos y tienen sus propias personalidades. Se puede ver todo el campo incluso a los chaparros y montañas de México. ¡Si quieres entender más de la vida cotidiana que vive en México, por favor, lea este libro!

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Nov 04, 2009 Ashley rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-teaching

Perhaps knowing more about the political/social context would have interested me in this more. As it was, I was confused for most of it, and not particularly engaged in it for the rest. The translation had some fine literary moments, especially with descriptive passages at the start and finish of scenes, but I found it hard to appreciate such unlikeable characters as Demetrio and Luis Cervantes. The portrayal and treatment of women in the novel were particularly heinous, but perhaps that may hav...more

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Jun 01, 2012 Hugo Luis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Una de las cosas curiosas de la novela revolucionaria, al menos las que se han atravesado en mi camino, es que casi no denuncian la condición social de la gente de esa época, si no que tratan al movimiento desde un punto de vista más filosófico o estético. Ésta es una excepción. Aunque la puntuación que le di se basa en la impresión estética que me dejó.

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Mar 08, 2011 pjr8888 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mexico-latin-am

luckily i read "los de abajo" many years ago, because this translation is abominable!

what i had hoped would be a happy recollection of my previous exciting and intense reading experience turned into a turgid trudge through unhappy and confusing sludge of this translation, totally without any of the drama, excitement, grit and sex of the original.

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Jan 12, 2009 Rocky is currently reading it · review of another edition

This book was written by a man with first-hand experience of the Mexican Revolution. He explores not only the excitement and idealism behind the revolution but also the disillusionment that followed. This is a small but vivid window of social upheaval in Mexico. This edition comes with an engaging introduction by Ana Castillo.

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Jan 24, 2012 Elisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-novels

Fiel retrato de una banda de revolucionarios, hombres netamente mexicanos que nunca pudieron renunciar a la revolución, que se volvieron precisamente lo que estaban combatiendo. El diálogo es fresco y genuino y, a pesar de tanta barbarie y deshumanización, la narrativa llega a ser poética. Una novela altamente evocativa del México folclórico de provincia.

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Jan 05, 2011 Maximiliano rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

El collage de situaciones que Azuela presenta tiene la increible capacidad de crear una trama vívida que elabora profúndamente en sus personajes. La narrativa, nada monótona, contruye un ambiente de amplio espectro emocional que envuelve al lector en las tensas imagenes.Una lectura fluida y rápida que sin duda llena la mente.

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Feb 24, 2011 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Stephanie by: Flora Gonzalez

Shelves: latin-american

The resources at the back of this edition are fantastic: they made me bump up my rating from 3 stars to 4. I also prefer this translation over another older one I tried for a while (e.g., it translated "curro" as "city slicker" while this one puts the original Spanish in italics and includes a glossary). The page layout isn't the nicest and the paper's a little white, but the publisher is Hackett after all, which values scholarship over aesthetics. It takes a publisher like FSG for that perfect...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Frank rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked this up for the nifty cover, which I still cannibalized for a postcard, but it didn't really deserve it.

Nice look at the Mexican revolution, one that didn't turn out as splendidly as we like to think ours did. The forward almost apologizes for Azuela not writing a piece of propaganda and being disappointed in things, but that's what makes it worth anything, and says something that the Mexican people hold this to be THE book about the revolution.

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About Mariano Azuela

Mariano Azuela González was a Mexican author and physician, best known for his fictional stories of the Mexican Revolution of 1910. He wrote novels, works for theatre and literary criticism.

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Books by Mariano Azuela

Two Novels of Mexico: The Flies and The Bosses

3 Novelas De Mariano Azuela: LA Malhora, Eldesquite, LA Luciernaga

Two novels of the Mexican Revolution: The trials of a respectable family and The underdogs

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Trivia About Los de abajo

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Quotes from Los de abajo

“¿Será justo abandonar a la patria en estos momentos solemnes en que va a necesitar de toda la abnegación de sus hijos los humildes para que la salven, para que no la dejen caer de nuevo en manos de sus eternos detentadores y verdugos, los caciques?” — 3 people liked it

“La revolución beneficia al pobre, al ignorante, al que toda su vida ha sido esclavo, a los infelices que ni siquiera saben que si lo son es porque el rico convierte en oro las lágrimas, el sudor y la sangre de los pobres. || The revolution benefits the poor, the ignorant, who all his life has been a slave, the unfortunate who do not know if they are is because the rich becomes the tears, sweat and blood of the poor in gold.” — 2 people liked it

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