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Latin American Writers at Work
The fourth book in the Modern Library’s Paris Review Writers at Work series, Latin American Writers at Work is a thundering collection of interviews with some of the most important and acclaimed Latin American writers of our time. These fascinating conversations were compiled from the annals of The Paris Review and include a new, lyrical Introduction by Nobel Prize–winning author Derek Walcott.
- GenresNonfictionWriting
352 pages, Paperback
First published March 18, 2003
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About the author
George Plimpton
322 books103 followersGeorge Ames Plimpton was an American journalist, writer, editor, actor, and gamesman. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found The Paris Review.
He was the grandson of George A. Plimpton.
He was the grandson of George A. Plimpton.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 22, 2016
I love these books. Reading writers' words about their works and their processes always makes me feel at home and quells my insecurities. I was surprised by how much I agreed with a lot of Gabo's thoughts about the role of the artist. I was disappointed that only one woman was included in this volume and that so few women writers were commented upon by the men in the volume. But I loved the book and it brought me back to that small part of me that will always feel at least a little Chilean.
September 29, 2024
INTERVIEWER: You have said that a writer should never be judged by his ideas.
BORGES: No, I don’t think ideas are important.
INTERVIEWER: Well then, what should he be judged by?
BORGES: He should be judged by the enjoyment he gives and by the emotions one gets. As to ideas, after all it is not very important whether a writer has some political opinion or other, because a work will come through despite them as in the case of Kipling’s Kim.
—
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH CONTINUES!!!
This is a collection of interviews (and one essay!) by “The Paris Review” with several prominent Latin American writers from the 20th century. There is not really a unifying theme in these, though naturally some of the same questions come up, and as many of them knew each other, you can see the influences they had on each other. It’s all quite interesting conversations! I was worried I’d find it boring, or a lot on literary theory, but it’s really not.
They’re very polite, I think. Sometimes they talk about disagreements between them, and they never get to trash-talking one another. They also have very strong political opinions, and don’t really get into argumentative moods about it. Heck, at one point in the essay describe Marquez’s workshop, apparently one journalist tried to start something with him about his friendship with Castro. Marquez just… didn’t take the bait.
Huh.
There’s a couple of authors who say something like, “The point of fiction isn’t to preach a message, keep that out; otherwise it’s propaganda.” Part of why I found it interesting is now we have this idea among writers and artists that you MUST take a side in big issues, use the platform to say something. I like the idea of not making preachy fiction, though at the same time I recognize that you are going to have to admit that you’re going to be biased on topics one way or another, and often that’s going to shine through.
This book also reminds me that I should really read more Borges. I found his section here one of the best, though that might be because it’s one of the longest–probably to the chagrin of the people trying to talk to him when the interview is over.
And? I thought Guillermo Cabrera Infante sounded like kind of a jerk. I liked his interview the least, though I did enjoy his quote on the Lost Generation.
It’s a cool read.
BORGES: No, I don’t think ideas are important.
INTERVIEWER: Well then, what should he be judged by?
BORGES: He should be judged by the enjoyment he gives and by the emotions one gets. As to ideas, after all it is not very important whether a writer has some political opinion or other, because a work will come through despite them as in the case of Kipling’s Kim.
—
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH CONTINUES!!!
This is a collection of interviews (and one essay!) by “The Paris Review” with several prominent Latin American writers from the 20th century. There is not really a unifying theme in these, though naturally some of the same questions come up, and as many of them knew each other, you can see the influences they had on each other. It’s all quite interesting conversations! I was worried I’d find it boring, or a lot on literary theory, but it’s really not.
They’re very polite, I think. Sometimes they talk about disagreements between them, and they never get to trash-talking one another. They also have very strong political opinions, and don’t really get into argumentative moods about it. Heck, at one point in the essay describe Marquez’s workshop, apparently one journalist tried to start something with him about his friendship with Castro. Marquez just… didn’t take the bait.
Huh.
There’s a couple of authors who say something like, “The point of fiction isn’t to preach a message, keep that out; otherwise it’s propaganda.” Part of why I found it interesting is now we have this idea among writers and artists that you MUST take a side in big issues, use the platform to say something. I like the idea of not making preachy fiction, though at the same time I recognize that you are going to have to admit that you’re going to be biased on topics one way or another, and often that’s going to shine through.
This book also reminds me that I should really read more Borges. I found his section here one of the best, though that might be because it’s one of the longest–probably to the chagrin of the people trying to talk to him when the interview is over.
And? I thought Guillermo Cabrera Infante sounded like kind of a jerk. I liked his interview the least, though I did enjoy his quote on the Lost Generation.
It’s a cool read.
January 1, 2012
Awesome,....a collection of interviews with some of my favorites and best writers in the world:Jorge Luis Borges,Pablo Neruda,Octavio Paz,Julio Cortazar,Garcia Marquez,Carlos Fuentes,Manuel Puig,Guillermo Cabrera Infante,Mario Vargas Llosa,and Luisa Valenzuela. With an introduction by Nobel Prize-winning author Derek Walcott,this one is another super book from the Modern Library's Paris Review Writers at Work series.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews