• A concise, argument-driven overview of modern Latin American literature
• Contends that Latin American literature emerged as a continent-wide phenomenon during moments of political crisis and transition, such as independence and the Spanish-American War
• Discusses the links of Latin American literature to European and American literature
• Analyzes the work of major writers of international reach, like Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel García Márquez

 
In the 1960s, Latin American literature became known worldwide as never before. Writers such as Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez, Carlos Fuentes, Pablo Neruda, Octavio Paz, and Mario Vargas Llosa all became part of the general culture of educated readers of English, French, German, and Italian. But few know about the literary tradition from which these writers emerged. This Very Short Introduction remedies this situation, providing an overview of modern Latin American literature from the late eighteenth century to the present. Roberto González Echevarría covers a wide range of topics, discussing the birth of Modernismo, the first Latin American literary movement; how the end of World War I and the Mexican Revolution produced the avant-garde; and how the Cuban Revolution sparked a movement in the novel that came to be known as the Boom. Within this narrative, the author covers many of the major writers of Latin American literature, from Andrés Bello and José María de Heredia through Borges and García Márquez to Fernando Vallejo and Roberto Bolaño.