This I Believe: An A to Z of a Life

This I Believe: An A to Z of a Life

In this masterly, deeply personal, and provocative book, the internationally renowned Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes, whose work has been called â€œa combination of Poe, Baudelaire, and Isak Dinesenâ€ (Newsweek), steps back to survey the wellsprings of art and ideology, the events that have shaped our time, and his extraordinary life and fiercest passions.

Arranged alphabetically from â€œAmoreâ€ to â€œZurich,â€ This I Believe takes us on a marvelous inner journey with a great writer. Fuentes ranges wide, from contradictions inherent in Latin American culture and politics to his long friendship with director Luis BuÃ±uel.

Along the way, we find reflection on the mixed curse and blessing of globalization; memories of a sexual initiation in Zurich; a fond tracing of a family tree heavy with poets, dreamers, and diplomats; evocations of the streets, cafÃ©s, and bedrooms of Washington, Paris, Santiago de Chile, Cambridge, Oaxaca, and New York; and a celebration of literary heroes including Balzac, Cervantes, Faulkner, Kafka, and Shakespeare. Throughout, Fuentes captivates with the power of his intellect and his prose.

Here, too, are vivid, often heartbreaking glimpses into his personal life. â€œSilviaâ€ is a powerful love letter to his beloved wife. In â€œChildren,â€ Fuentes recalls the births of his daughters and the tragic death of his son; in â€œCinemaâ€ he relives the magic of films such as Citizen Kane and The Wizard of Oz. Further extending his reach, he examines the collision between history and contemporary life in â€œCivil Society,â€ â€œLeft,â€ and â€œRevolution.â€

And he poignantly addresses the experiences we all hold in common as he grapples with beauty, death, freedom, God, and sex. By turns provocative and intimate, partisan and universal, this book is a brilliant summation of an international literary career. Revisiting the influences, commitments, readings, and insights of a lifetime, Fuentes has fashioned a magnificently coherent statement of his view of the world, reminding us once again why reading Fuentes is â€œlike standing beneath the dome of the Sistine Chapel. . . . The breadth and enormity of this accomplishment is breathtakingâ€ (The Denver Post).

From the Hardcover edition.

Country	USA
Author	Carlos Fuentes
Binding	Paperback
Brand	Fuentes, Carlos
EAN	9780812972542
Edition	Reprint
ISBN	0812972546
Label	Random House Trade Paperbacks
Manufacturer	Random House Trade Paperbacks
MPN	9780812972542
NumberOfItems	1
NumberOfPages	352
PartNumber	9780812972542
PublicationDate	2006-05-16
Publisher	Random House Trade Paperbacks
ReleaseDate	2006-05-16
Studio	Random House Trade Paperbacks

This I Believe: An A to Z of a Life

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