From Booklist
Oxford's Library of Latin America series is devoted to bringing the best of Central and South American literature to a North American audience; often these works are being translated into English for the first time. De Cuellar's The Magic Lantern provides a sardonic look at the manners of late-nineteenth-century Mexico in two novellas. The first, "Having a Ball," chronicles the planning of a party, hosted by a family among Mexico City's burgeoning nouveaux riches. The family, not knowing any of the "best" families but nonetheless wanting them to be invited, leaves the planning of the ball to a servant. The best families turn out to be the worst mannered, the house gets trashed, and reputations are ruined in this look at Mexican families adhering to European pretenses. "Christmas Eve" is an ambitious, short novella that presents a series of brief snapshots (or "exposed negatives," as the subtitle suggests) of a party given one Christmas Eve by a well-connected general for his mistress. The Magic Lantern is a well-constructed comedy of manners, showing de Cuellar to be Mexico's Balzac. Michael Spinella
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Book Description
Jose Tomas de Cuellar (1830-1894) was a Mexican writer noted for his sharp sense of humor and gift for caricature. Having a Ball and Christmas Eve are two novellas written in the costumbrista style, made popular in the mid-nineteenth century by the periodical press in which these sketches of contemporary manners were first published. The stories are a sensitive reflection of the effects of modernization brought by an authoritarian regime dedicated to order and progress. Christmas Eve describes a volatile middle class in which people pursue pleasure and entertainment without regard to morality. Having a Ball depicts women and their dedication to fashion. It is through them that Cuellar examines a society susceptible to foreign values, the importation of which radically altered the face of Mexico and its traditional customs.


Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Spanish

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In Having a Ball, a colonel decides to throw a party for his beloved daughter, enlisting his well-connected friend, Saldana, to arrange the invitations and the refreshments. Eager to be of service, the colonel's emissary uses his connections to convince the beautiful, the talented, and the powerful to attend. He is discreet and diplomatic in his choice of guests, but word of the party spreads quickly and it soon appears that the whole of Mexico City will be attending the ball. When the night finally arrives, mingling classes and chance encounters send sparks flying - and expose everybody's true colors." "Christmas Eve centers around a Christmas celebration held at the house of the gorgeous but calculating mistress, Julia. From the outset, her rarefied beauty arouses the interest of many suitors - among them her lover, the general; a well-groomed congressman; a hopeful young dandy; and a coarse and common house servant - but affection quickly excites jealousy as he sets one heart against another.

FROM THE CRITICS

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