The Dissenting Voice

Political, social, and aesthetic change marked Latin American society in the years between 1960 and 1985. In this book, Martin Stabb explores how these changes made their way into the essayistic writings of twenty-six Spanish American intellectuals. Stabb posits that dissentagainst ideology, against simplistic notions of technological progress, against urban values, and even against the direct linear expository style of the essay itselfcharacterizes the work of these contemporary essayists. He draws his examples from major canonical figures, including Paz, Vargas Llosa, Fuentes, and Cortzar, and from lesser-known writers who merit a wider readership, such as Monterroso, Zaid, Edwards, and Ibargengoitia. This exploration overturns many conventional assumptions about Latin American intellectuals and also highlights some of the other achievements of authors famous primarily for novels or short stories.