POINTS OF DEPARTURE: New Stories from Mexico - Tapa blanda

Points of Departure brings together seventeen Mexican authors born in the 1950s and 1960s, most of whom had never before been published in English. Magical realism and exoticism are nowhere to be found in this collection of sophisticated, very contemporary stories. Rather, the surreal contradictions and juxtapositions of daily life in Mexico are a permeating presence. A sharp sense of irony, incongruity, and hilarity pervades many of the scenarios offered here, along with an acid-tongued fatalism in the face of a reality where poverty, lawlessness, and urban decay coexist alongside innocent dreams of love. Bernardo Ruiz, Josefina Estrada, Rafael Perez Gay, Humberto Rivas, Daniel Sada, Rosa Beltran, David Toscana, Juan Villoro, Monica Lavin, Juvenal Acosta, Alvaro Uribe, Rosina Conde, Eduardo Antonio Parra, Mauricio Montiel, Ethel Krauze, Enrique Serna, Francisco Hinojosa "A satisfying collection of 17 short stories by as many writers, all born in the 1950s and 1960s...A fine collection." --Kirkus Review Gustavo Segade is Emeritus Professor of Spanish at San Diego State University. He has translated the work of many South American and Mexican writers, including Olga Orozco, Alberto Blanco, Rosina Conde, Sergio Elizondo, Monica Lavin and Daniel Sada. Monica Lavin (Mexico City) is a writer and journalist, a dedicated cultural organizer and commentator, and president of the Association of Ibero-American Writers.

These seventeen stories represent the best of the generation of Mexican writers born in the 50s and 60s. Magical realism and exoticism are nowhere to be found in this collection of sophisticated, very contemporary stories. Rather, the surreal contradictions and juxtapositions of daily life in Mexico are a permeating presence. A sharp sense of irony, incongruity, and hilarity pervades many of the scenarios offered here, along with an acid-tongued fatality in the harsh face of a life where poverty, lawlessness, and urban decay coexist alongside innocent dreams of love. Monica Lavin (Mexico City) is a writer and journalist, a dedicated cultural organizer and commentator, and president of the Association of Iberoamerican Writers. Contributors include: Bernardo Ruiz Josefina Estrada Rafael Perez Gay Humberto Rivas Daniel Sada Rosa Beltran David Toscana Juan Villoro Monica Lavin Juvenal Acosta Alvaro Uribe Rosina Conde Eduardo Antonio Parra Mauricio Montiel Ethel Krauze Enrique Serna Francisco Hinojosa