Myself with Others: Selected Essays

by Carlos Fuentes

Book Overview

In "Myself with Others," Fuentes has assembled essays reflecting three of the great elements of his work: autobiography, love of literature, and politics. They include his reflections on his beginning as a writer, his celebrated Harvard University commencement address, and his trenchant examinations of Cervantes, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Borges.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374217505
• ISBN13: 9780374217501
• Release Date: April 1988
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

His brilliant mind revealed

I believe Carlos Fuentes to be the most brilliant Latin American writer of this century; hands down over his closest literary rivals Borges and Garcia Marquez. That in itself is no easy feat and that said, you must understand, reveals my impartial praise for his work(s).This book was published in the eighties so the themes that are often political are now oudated. This is a revealing book that is compromised of different essays Mr. Fuentes wrote, at different times, including the concluding essay at a Harvard Commencement. One of his favorite topics is included,Cervantes's "Don Quixote." This in itself is worth the price of the book alone as Mr. Fuentes tells the reader how to read the novel, that is not a novel to be read only once. He explains the story within the story and how it relates to modern literature. With the insights I learned from reading his assessment I will once again read "Don Quixote" and probably understand it much better. He goes on to discuss Diderot, Gogol, Garcia Marquez and Bunuel(will I ever look at his films in the same light?)and their relationship to literature.It is nothing short of fanatastic the way he weaves stories in and out without losing track of his original thought; he brings everything full circle. There are times when he leads you in his thought process to areas of esoteric darkness, where if you don't have the literary background to follow you will be lost. Have no fear though because before long Mr. Fuentes comes back to the original premise and continues on his masterful storytelling. Carlos Fuentes writes like some painters paint, he uses words or color to bring out his subject and points to the place where they almost walk off the pages or canvas. I can hardly believe that this book has never been reviewed as of this writing. Check it out if you like literature and brilliant writing; there is a reason why he has won the Cervantes Prize. Highly recommended.