Macario

by B. Traven

Book Overview

Macario is the story of a poor man who has been hungry all his life. He suffers from a gnawing poverty which never quite kills, but also never quite permits any visible change or hope. Despite his... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395124271
• ISBN13: 9780395124277
• Release Date: June 1971
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Macario by B. Traven

To anyone who reads or is learning to read Spanish I warmly recommend this novella. Traven's use of the Spanish language, in which he was assisted by his wife and amanuensis, is pithy and instructive, and a wonderful way for the learning reader to increase vocabulary and improve in understanding written Spanish. The story is told with irony and deadpan humor in a manner reminiscent of his fellow German expatriot Bertolt Brecht. It is about a poor Mexican woodcutter with many children whose great wish is to have for himself alone a whole turkey to enjoy in peace. His wife, by dint of diligent household thrift, provides him with a roasted turkey and the chance to fulfill his dream. But deep in the forest, as he settles down to enjoy his meal, he is interrupted by three strange visitors, one after the other, who each want him to share just a little bit. La Rosa Blanca / The White Rose (Spanish Edition)Canasta de cuentos mexicanos. En la voz de Francisco Rebolledo (Entre Voces) (Spanish Edition)Puente en la selva (Spanish Edition)El tesoro de la Sierra Madre

Unforgettable

I confess at the outset that I have not seen this particular edition, as I bought it as a gift. I imagine the translation to be quite useful. (I bought it in Mexico w/o any notes or translation.) The author (famous for Treasure of the Sierra Madre) was a German or American expat who immersed himself in Mexican culture, and the book was translated into Spanish from German. It was recommended to me as an excellent choice for Americans with moderate language skills, and I found that to be true. The story is brilliant and evocative and gives a wonderful and rich sense of life in colonial Mexico while retaining a structure that is accessible to English speakers. This book and others by B. Traven are beloved of the Mexican people, even though the author himself did not write in Spanish, and, of course, I wonder how much of its magic is also due to the skills of translation. If you have an opportunity to read it, don't miss it. And read it in Spanish for the full appreciation of its beauty.

Beautiful short story

A very interesting story with a puzzling ending, I especially liked the understanding that Traven has of the meaning of death in the mexican culture. A man goes into the woods and meets the Death, they make a pact, a series of events follow until Macario dies many years later, or did he die the same day he met the Death?, you find out.I really recomend this book for everyone, combine it with Canasta de Cuentos Mexicanos, these two books really make for some of Traven's best.

macario meets: god, devil and the dead; the 3 ask for food

macario is a very poor man who lives in a mexican forest (woods), he is the father of 8 or 9 kids. his wife loves him so much; he works hard but any way the are miserables....he only has a dream before he dies...eat on his own a complete turkey, without share it with NOBODY, even his family....he always said this dream to his wife, so during a lot of years, and saving as much as possible, one day she cook the turkey and send him to the woods early in the morning, before kids smell the turkey...macario runs inside the woods to hide and made possible the big dream...and suddenly apears just in front of him GOD,who's starving,and HE asks for food... read the book to know Macario's answer...)then comes the devil, (great answer too...) and then comes the dead...(here is were the really story begins)

Fascinating novelization of a Mexican folktale

Great for intermediate students or adults. Goes through a lot of Mexican culture in a very accessible Mexican Spanish. Poor woodcutter Macario meets the devil, Jesus, and Death on the day his wife cooks him the first filling meal of his life. They all want a bite of his turkey. He makes a deal with Death, that makes him wealthy, but later puts him in hot water with the Inquisition. Humor, irony, adventure, and philosophy. It can be compared with a wonderful B & W movie.