From Publishers Weekly
In 1994, as a guerrilla group of indigenous people calling themselves "Zapatistas" rose up in armed rebellion in the poor Mexican state of Chiapas, the writings of their enigmatic spokesman, Marcos, began being published in various Mexican journals and newspapers. They have since been disseminated around the world via the Internet and by Cinco Puntos press in the U.S. This collection of Marcos's work clearly shows--no matter one's stance on his politics--why he has become an international phenomenon: he is a writer of rare ability. As a political analyst and propagandist, Marcos offers trenchant analyses of the plight of the native people of Mexico, their neglect by a corrupt national government and the exacerbation of their poverty and marginality, according to him, as "neoliberalism"--i.e., international finance--permeated that nation. But he moves easily to romantic realist musings on his life in the remote mountains of Chiapas and the path that led him to the role of rebel. Finally he becomes a fabulist, writing his own brief tales--at times achingly poetic, at other times laugh-out-loud funny--and retelling the ancient myths and legends from Mexico's Mayan past. Though the pieces here are, in the end, difficult to categorize, what connects them is Marcos's commitment to making the indigenous people visible, revealing the poverty of their lives and the richness of their traditions. He writes, "Being silent, our voice was passing away." Marcos has broken that silence in language as strong as dignity and as subtle as love. To read this collection is to discover that rare animal: an original voice.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
On January 1, 1994, an indigenous guerrilla group, the Zapatistas, named after the early 20th-century revolutionary Mexican leader Emilio Zapata, seized several key towns in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. The most significant uprising in Latin America in the last 20 years, this act focused Mexican military and political attention on the region and caught the imagination of the world's leftist community. A major reason for the international interest centers partly on the elusive figure of its spokesman leader, known only as Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos. This mysterious character, who has remained unidentified and appears in public with his face partially hidden, declared that this movement would focus not on the battlefield but on winning worldwide public opinion and support over the airwaves and Internet. As a result, Marcos's poetic and articulate writings, including an awarding-winning children's book, Story of the Colors, are essential elements in understanding this movement. A good compilation of translations of his more important writings, this volume will be of interest to university research libraries and public libraries with an interest in Mexico and revolution.DMark L. Grover, Brigham Young Univ. Lib., Provo, UT
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
