A Companion to Latin American Literature and Culture reflects the changes that have taken place in cultural theory and literary criticism since the latter part of the twentieth century.

Written by more than thirty experts in cultural theory, literary history, and literary criticism, this authoritative and up-to-date reference places major authors in the complex cultural and historical contexts that have compelled their distinctive fiction, essays, and poetry. This allows the reader to more accurately interpret the esteemed but demanding literature of authors such as Jorge Luis Borges, Mario Vargas Llosa, Octavio Paz, and Diamela Eltit. Key authors whose work has defined a period, or defied borders, as in the cases of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, César Vallejo, and Gabriel García Márquez, are also discussed in historical and theoretical context. Additional essays engage the reader with in-depth discussions of forms and genres, and discussions of architecture, music, and film.

This text provides the historical background to help the reader understand the people and culture that have defined Latin American literature and its reception. Each chapter also includes short selected bibliographic guides and recommendations for further reading.

• A Companion to: Latin American Literature and Culture 6
  • Contents 10
  • Notes on Contributors 14
  • Editor’s Acknowledgments 23
  • Acknowledgments to Sources 24
  • Introduction 26
  • Preamble: The Historical Foundation of Modernity/ Coloniality and the Emergence of Decolonial Thinking 37
  • Part I Coloniality 58
    • 1 Mapping the Pre-Columbian Americas: Indigenous Peoples of the Americas and Western Knowledge 60
    • 2 Writing Violence 74
    • 3 The Popol Wuj: The Repositioning and Survival of Mayan Culture 93
    • 4 The Colegio Imperial de Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco and Its Aftermath: Nahua Intellectuals and the Spiritual Conquest of Mexico 111
    • 5 Memory and “Writing” in the Andes 131
    • 6 Writing the Andes 142
    • 7 Court Culture, Ritual, Satire, and Music in Colonial Brazil and Spanish America 162