Abstract

"Uses Carlos Fuentes' and Octavio Paz's essays as inspiration for reflecting on Latin American identity. Cites as a central idea Fuentes' proposal that Latin America was born from heresy, as well as Paz's concept of identity as mask. Shows interest in determining why authors write, and returns to this subject with regularity. For the author, literature is of interest primarily for its ideas"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 57.