A Hammock Beneath the Mangoes: Stories from Latin America

by Thomas Colchie (Editor)

This collection of twenty-six stories is “a fine introduction to Latin American literature” ( The Washington Post Book World ).

This splendid collection of stories by twenty-six Latin American authors features the new voices and celebrated masters of one of the world's foremost literatures. Explore the gothic sexual ambiguities of Carlos Fuentes’ “The Doll Queen,” the psychological compression of Clarice Lispector’s “Love,” or the baroque pyrotechnics of Machado de Assis and Adolfo Bioy Casares. Discover the parodically hard-boiled detective fiction of Ana Lydia Vega and some decidedly soft-boiled criminals in Rubem Fonesca’s “Lonelyhearts.”

From erotic comedies by Isabel Allende and Jorge Amado to the playful labyrinths of Guillermo Cabrera Infante’s London streets or Armonia Somers’ roomful of clocks, A Hammock Beneath the Mangoes reveals the virtuosity of Latin American literature at its finest, and provides an illuminating journey into dreamlike and unexpected worlds.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Henry]

This is a fun read, some of the stories are very strange, but very enticing. My favorite short story "the psychiatrist", is very fun. I love the story, and it is brilliant the way the writer comments on human nature through statements and storyline. I also loved "The Third Bank of the River". It's a very creative story, giving you a little context, but you soon find out that it is written from the perspective of a family living in Egypt in the time of Moses, and how when the plagues hit, they didn't know what to do. It was fun to see from their perspective and to look at them panic, and try to problem solve. It is a very clever piece and I enjoyed it. There are some very well written pieces, 2 to 3 pages, that are just enticing. All of the stories give you an interesting perspective of life. Not life as a whole, but just on certain subjects. I thought it was really fun to read and to truly understand the character and his perspective. It is occasionally very hard to read, but I think it is totally worth it. It was worth it for me to go through the struggle and to try to understand from different points of view. It help me to look at things like in sanity and work, obsession and death, and love and youth.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of stories from Latin America was first published in 1991, when I first read it. It had been my intention to re-read some day, and when my daughter began a college course in Latin authors, we discovered a few of the same authors between this collection and her syllabus, which gave us some interesting topics of conversation.

I was surprised by how much I had forgotten, but it's a great mix of literary styles and of authors I have since enjoyed as they have published more works. Various styles are explored with mysticism, allegory, political commentary, especially socialism, some horror, a "Benjamin Button" style story, quite a bit a levity, and some just super weird.

Some of my favorites: The Dog Will Have Its Day; Toad's Mouth; The Corset.

No, I didn't care for all of them, but it's a great collection and terrific insight into connections between writers globally. And I gathered more insight by reading the short biographies of each author before their story.

[Amie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all time favorite reads. This is the collection that made me fall in love with magical realism and Jorge Luis Borges. I come back to these stories time and time again. Borges' The Circular Ruins and Carlos Fuentes' The Doll Queen are my favorites of the bunch. But really, there are so many enjoyable stories. I was hooked from the first story, The Dead Man. I just loved that feeling it pulled from me, because it was one I hadn't experienced from any other read up to that point. But no spoilers. Latin American literature is what's up :)

[Nancy Cook Lauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5. This compilation of short stories translated from 26 Latin American authors during the late 19th and early 20th centuries has been my stalwart go-to reading material for more than a year when new reading material is scarce. As would be expected from such a wide range of authors from various countries and cultures, some of the stories I liked a lot, some not so much. But all are creative, literary and worth the time.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

notes to be added to on stories I liked:
Julia Cortázar: Axolotl
Jorge Luís Borges: The Circular Ruins
Clarice Lispector: Love
Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis: The Psychiatrist
João Ubaldo Ribeiro: It Was a Different Day When They Killed the Pig
Rosario Ferré: The Gift
Reinaldo Arenas: Bestial Among the Flowers
Ana Lydia Vega: Story-Bound

[Chan Li · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these collections of stories.... some are ok, some are those that you remember for a lifetime. Great introduction to several authors I had not known before.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

lots from Brazil which was good

[Mari · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to experience a sampling of some of the greatest Latin American authors out there, then you'll want to read this book. "The Frog's Mouth," though not the best story, is the one that I remember still after reading it almost 15 years ago. The book was an assigned reading from a Christian University that I attended, but the book proved to be a worthwile and entertaining read. What a treat!

=^..^=
mb

[Morgan (Turbo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this collection isn't 100% good. I'm only half way through and have only really enjoyed 4 of the short stories of this collection (including Jorge Amado, Julio Cotrázar, Murilo Rubião, and Isabel Allende). Most of the translations or pieces of writing themselves are old and stuffy. The few gems in this collection did hold me over though.

[John]

great read, more amazing is that each story is a translation from original author's native tongue!/what I learned is what my Education did not cover... E.G. Characters from South and Central American countries vacation in Paris? who knew? Now Sino-japanese presence in this quadrant of the hemispheremake a wee bit more sense;-)

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to experience Latin American culture, then this book is for you. I bought it because it was required for a Latin American Literature I was taking, ended up LOVING it!! "The Circular Ruins" by Jorge Luís Burgos, "Toads Mouth" by Isabel Allende and "The Gift" by Rosario Ferré are just some that stick out in my mind. Wonderful, wonderful book!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific collection of Latin American fiction. Introduced me to a number of exceptionally talented authors I'd never heard of and treated me to some stories from a number of ol' reliables. The Garcia-Marquez story--very brief--is breathtaking.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lush. Some of the very best of Latin American modern short stories.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the way the short stories are organized geographically and are preceeded by the authors biographies.