From School Library Journal
Grade 11 Up-The essays collected here are intense and a bit esoteric but then so is the subject, so readers attracted to one should definitely find their way to the other. Bloom's introduction focuses on Paz's two major prose works: The Labyrinth of Solitude and Sor Juana, or, the Traps of Faith, but the majority of the 11 scholarly articles deal primarily with his poetry. This volume does touch on many of the versatile writer's concerns, from the nature of modern poetics and the influence of Spanish imperialism on the Mexican character, to the existential search for a new (nonreligious) form of holiness. However, the sophisticated nature of these essays, their approach to Paz's work, and the technical language they sometimes use (occasionally the writers stray into grad school/lit-crit jargon) will be a bit daunting to many teens. Serious students will enjoy the challenge of reading something this intellectual, and may find it a bit bracing if not downright intoxicating.Herman Sutter, Saint Agnes Academy, Houston, TXCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Book Description
Octavio Paz is widely considered one of Mexico's most important literary and cultural figures. He is thought to have captured the complexities of Mexican society and culture as well as any writer in history. Learn more about the 1990 winner of the Nobel Prize for literature. This title, Octavio Paz, part of Chelsea House Publishers’ Modern Critical Views series, examines the major works of Octavio Paz through full-length critical essays by expert literary critics. In addition, this title features a short biography on Octavio Paz, a chronology of the author’s life, and an introductory essay written by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University.

FROM THE CRITICS

School Library Journal