Críticas Magazine

Since there’s a new book in town about the great metropolis of Mexico City, I though I’d list some more books with cameos in D.F. that I've liked, too.

 David Lida’s new book, First Stop in the New World (Riverhead, June 2008), has got blurb support from Latin American writing hot shots such as Dagoberto Gilb, Francisco Goldman and Jon Lee Anderson giving it thumbs up. Anderson: “If Burroughs were alive today and planning a return visit to Mexico today, he’d want to take this book with him." Lida , who has lived and worked as an writer and editor in Mexico City for over...Read More

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Back in 2002, I had lunch with Ingrid Betancourt. Then a few months later she was kidnapped. Whisked out of sight by the FARC guerrillas and into the jungle. Six years ago, nobody outside of Colombia knew who she was. I got my chance to meet Betancourt when she was in the States that year as a Colombian presidential candidate for her own independent party and promoting the English-language version of her book, Until Death Do Us Part: My Struggle to Reclaim Colombia (Harper Ecco, in Spanish: Rabia en el corazón, Random House Mondadori, Gr...Read More

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All right, it’s finally July 4th weekend. That official time to get outdoors, entertain and socialize. Don't panic, if this sort of thing does not come easy to you. I've got a book to recommend that will make those times away from the computer easier. Need tips on how to live the good life, but cheaply? We all do. And when a book by a fun-loving and gorgeous Mexican-American from Texas is your guide, all the better.

On July 1st, Robyn Moreno, my good friend and editor for Border-line Personalities: A New Generation of Latinas Dish on Sex, Sass, and Cultural Shifting published the book Practically Posh: The Smar...Read More

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On the cover of this month's issue of Writer's Digest is the stripper, memoirist and Juno's Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody ready to share her most intimate writings tips. But if you flip through the pages you'll also find an an article about Latino literature, dubbed an "emerging genre." Hm. Nonetheless, here's a excerpt of the article that was featured on Marcela Landres' newsletter which I highly recommend subscribing to if you want to stay on top of the latest Latino/Hispanic literary events, contests and writing opportunities by reading this former Simon & Schuster editor’s site. I can't reprint the entire article  for you (nor can their website), but here's a sampling of how it sounds.

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On the heels of this month’s sad closing of Tu Ciudad magazine, a Los Angeles bimonthly glossy magazine that dedicated content to a more assimilated Latino reader, I’m relieved to find out that another publication dedicated to Latino writing is debuting. (Good ying and yang in the world then). This new journal of writing by Latino authors is called the ACENTOS REVIEW and it just announced its inaugural issue online. Its site includes a photo exhibit gallery and links to other Latino poetry projects. If you’re a creative writer or a visual artist interested in submitting your work or if you&r...Read More

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MEXICAN HIGH by Liza Monroy.
(Random House. Spiegel & Grau). Fiction.
A novel which people are describing as a Mexican-themed teenage angst is about a non Latina girl whose diplomat parents take her to Mexico City’s world of “fresas” — rich and fast kids.

 THE GIFT OF TIME by Jorge Ramos
(HarperCollins. Rayo). Non-fiction.
The charismatic Univision journalist talks about the deep worries, fear, and love that every parent experiences when raising children in an increasingly tu...Read More

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I simply love when great artists gather at the same table to wax big about their craft. And when they’re Peru’s Mario Vargas Llosa and Spains’ Javier Marías and Arturo Pérez Reverte, you’re bound to get some juicy anecdotes and truisms about writing to store away. This past week El Pais’ culture reporter Jua...Read More

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Back in 2006 Colombian journalist turned author, Gustavo Bolívar Moreno, published an eye-opening novel about a nice teenage girl named Catalina who gets massive breast implants to become more attractive to the high-rolling drug dealers in her corrupt city. Well-endowed with a racy title like Sin tetas no hay paraíso (Without Breasts There Is No Paradise), this novel, about the lewd world of big money, big boobs, big hair and big power in the Colombian drug world went on to become a huge best seller in Colombia when it was first published by Ovejea Negra. It was translated into German and Italian and Random House bought the rights in 2007.
...Read More

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Before there was Coelho there was Amado.  Brazil's all-time, best-selling author Jorge Amado died in 2001 at the age of 88 leaving his mark on the modern Brazilian narrative. Amado wrote 32 books that were translated into 48 languages from his native Portuguese. He was loved, amado, just like his last name means in Spanish and he knew how to write stories about love and every day life that both women and men could appreciate him. And though he was an advocate for social reform and for the marginalized, he was also criticized for being a bit too romantic when discussing poverty, being a  sexist and reinforcing negative racial stereotypes in his books. In other words, he got to people ...Read More

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While Junot Diaz may be a big name in the States and in Latin America, Spain is still warming up to this year's Pulitzer Prize winning author. On June 6^th Spain’s Random House Mondadori realesed Achy Obejas’ Spanish-language translation of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. The U.S. Vintage edition will be released in September. And luckily this time around, the translated title is sticking to its English-language original: La maravillosa vida breve de Óscar Wao. As it should be. Not like ...Read More

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Two of Latin America’s most agile minds, Mexico’s Carlos Monsiváis and Colombia’s William Ospina, were brought together this Monday in Madrid’s elegant Casa de América to discuss the Latin American chronicle. Monsiváis, who was the guest of honor, is perhaps ...Read More

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Okay, so the Latinos for Obama video isn’t as goosebump-inducing as the original "Yes We Can." But it does the job: uniting Latino celebrities in support of Barack Obama. “Podemos con Obama” was directed by music producer Andres Levin and with the help of the Miami-based crooner Alejandro Sanz on his Spanish guitar, everyday Latino citizens and celebrities (John Leguizamo, Jessica Alba, Kate del Castillo, George López, Luis Guzmán , Lila Downs, Paulina Rubio, Don Omar, and more.) from the music and film world both sing and speak their Obama praises in a bilingual format. The chorus, a simple chant of "Obama, Obama, Oh-bah-mah." is catchy, if a tad Lion King soundtrack, but this is probably a good thing. The video was released in time for ...Read More

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