Current Trends in the Mexican Novel

Current Trends in the Mexican Novel

Author(s): George R. McMurray

Source: Hispania, Vol. 51, No. 3 (Sep., 1968), pp. 532-537

Published by: American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/338785

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532 HISPANIA

8Salvo Ram6n Vdlez Herrera que aparece en la antologia de Menendez y Pelayo pero no en la nacional cubana, todos los escogidos por don Marcelino fueron tambien seleccionados por la comisi6n cubana; ademais de ellos en la antologia de la comisi6n cubana aparecen los siguien- tes: Juan Francisco Manzano, Francisco Itu- rrondo, Francisco Mufioz del Monte (incluido por Menendez y Pelayo en la secci6n domini- cana de su obra), Domingo del Monte (aparece en la secci6n venezolana de la obra de Menendez y Pelayo), Francisco Orgaz, Jose Maria de Cirdenas, Ram6n Zambrana, Narciso Foxai (mencionado por Menendez y Pelayo en la secci6n portorriquefia, pero no incluido en ella),

Ram6n Jimenez de Le6n, Ricardo del Monte, Martina Pierra de Poo, Mariano Ramiro, Andres Diaz, Luisa Perez y Montes de Oca de Zam- brana, Carlos Navarrete y Romay, Francisco Sellen, Saturnino Martinez, Salvador Dominguez, Julia P&ez y Montes de Oca, Aurelia Castillo de Gonzilez, Pablo Hernaindez, Isaac Carrillo y O'Firrill, Alfredo Torroella, Diego Vicente Te- jera, Enrique Jose Varona, Juan Ignacio de Armas, Jose Varela Zequeira, Justo Jose de CQrdenas, Mercedes Matamoros, Enrique Her- nindez Miyares, Carlos Norefia, Nieves Xenes, Aurelio Mitjains, Manuel Serafin Pichardo, Juliain del Casal, Federico Villoch, Esteban Borrero, Juana Borrero.

CURRENT TRENDS IN THE MEXICAN NOVEL

GEORGE R. McMURRAY Colorado State University

The publication of Agustin Yifiez' Al filo del agua in 1947 marks a turning point in the Mexican novel.' In this work

Yafiez broke away from traditional realism by combining the social awareness of his predecessors with renovating literary techniques designed to probe the subconscious of small town dwellers and achieve a

deeper penetration and a more artistic por- trayal of Mexican, as well as universal, reality. In spite of the appearance of numerous conventional novels of social protest in the two decades since 1947, the better authors have continued-and indeed

strengthened-the tendency set by Yaifiez. By the early 1960's urban centers with their growing populations and increasingly complex problems were receiving more attention than the rural scenes so fre- quently depicted heretofore. Moreover, generally speaking, subjects typically Mexi- can in setting and nature were being abandoned for more universal themes.

In addition to Yifiez, such fine writers as Juan Rulfo, Jose Revueltas, Rosario Castellanos, Sergio Galindo, Sergio Fer- nandez, Juan Jose Arreola, and Carlos Fuentes dominated Mexican prose fiction during the years from 1947 through 1964. Although Fuentes is the most outstanding Mexican novelist actively publishing in the 1960's and although more good literature can be anticipated from the others, during the years 1965, 1966, and the first

half of 1967 a surprisingly large group of younger novelists ranging in age from twenty-three to thirty-five years has gained ascendancy in the genre.2 The seven most promising of these lesser known writers and their works of the past two and one- half years will be discussed here. While in no way constituting a literary school, they do reveal certain similarities and, due to their talent and youth, indicate possible future trends in Mexican letters. They include Vicente Lefiero, Tomis Mojarro, Salvador Elizondo, Gustavo Sainz, Jos6 Agustin, Rartl Navarrete, and Fernando del Paso.3

Probably the most widely known out- side Mexico, Vicente Lefiero (b. 1933) has published a book of short stories, La polvareda (1959), and four novels: La voz adolorida (1961), Los albaiiles (1964), Estudio Q (1965) and El garabato (1967). His best work to date, Los albajiles was awarded the coveted Premio Biblioteca

Breve, making him the only one of the group to win an international prize. After spending several years writing television scripts, Lefiero is at present the director of Claudia, a magazine for women published in Mexico City.

Notwithstanding the scant critical ac- claim it received, Estudio Q is a deft analysis of psychic disintegration and a clever experiment in literary technique. A satirical study of commercial television in


FACT AND OPINION 533

the process of filming the fictionalized biography of a popular actor, this novel utilizes "nouveau roman" techniques to relate the ironic drama of a human being trapped within the narrow confines of the role he plays. His loss of identity ultimately brings about his suicide, but due to the intricate interchange between the script and reality, the reader is left wondering whether the suicide is genuine or merely the sensational ending of a mediocre television drama.

El garabato, Lefiero's latest novelistic endeavor, likewise leans heavily on structural technique to illustrate a curious dich- otomy in the psychic make-up of the protagonist. The latter, a literary critic limited in talent but fired with ambition to write memorable fiction, becomes further frus- trated when his search for God conflicts with the carnal desire and love he feels for

his mistress. The title represents the enigma that confronts modem man as a result

of his inability to understand the true relationship between himself and his environment. Lefiero views each of his novels

as a kind of puzzle requiring the reader's active participation in order for it to be appreciated. Although he may at times seem overly concerned with technical pro- cedures, this very aspect of his work as well as his preoccupation with man's struggle to survive as an integral being places him among the most forward look- ing of the present-day Mexican writers.

After publishing a collection of short stories, Caih6n de Juchipila (1960), and a novel, Bramadero (1963), both classified under the broad heading of "realismo costumbrista," Tomais Mojarro (b. 1932) turned abruptly to allegorical fantasy in his second novel and most interesting work to date, Malafortuna (1966). This title designates a desert community with an adjacent air base where a gallery of frus- trated individuals languishes in an atmosphere of moral and physical decay. Moja- rro utilizes naturalistic background to expose adverse conditions on a typical mili- tary base-he himself served several years as an air force mechanic-but more signifi- cant is the work's aura of mystery and time- lessness which, together with the vast

desolation of its setting, accentuates the characters' isolation, stagnation and des- pair. Malafortuna effectively creates a state of mind resembling an absurd nightmare-a kind of purgatory or hell-from which alienated, ill-fated mortals are both un- willing and unable to liberate themselves. The novel's sombre, suggestive style, with its minimal use of adjectives, and the author's acute sense of the dramatic lurk-

ing beneath the surface of apparent reality recall Juan Rulfo's prose.

Salvador Elizondo (b. 1932) is the only one of the seven writers who has lived and

traveled extensively abroad. Although he resides in Mexico City, he is relatively uninterested in things Mexican. Far better versed in European and American than in Latin American literature, he reads mainly poetry and philosophy. Elizondo's principal concern as an author is to experiment with language, its mechanical complexities, philosophical implications and psychologi- cal effects. To date he has published a novel entitled Farabeuf o la cr6nica de un instante (1965) and a collection of short stories, Narda o el verano (1966). Although his short fiction demonstrates superior structural technique and freshness of style, it is his Farabeuf that makes him one of the most distinctive writers to

appear on the Latin American scene in the past decade. An artistic illustration of Husserl's phenomenology and similar in many respects to the French "nouveau roman," this bizarre novel traces through- out its length the consummation of a sin- gle sex act. For the characters, a fictionalized version of Dr. Farabeuf (a famous 19th century French anatomist) and a mad woman of uncertain identity, intense pain and the final death spasm become synonomous with physical love and orgasm. In his efforts to analyze the cli- mactic moment, the author suppresses all logical concepts of time and space, constantly repeating in kaleidoscopic patterns three basic scenes: (1) the torture of the Chinese described in minute detail, (2) the two characters strolling along a beach and their carnal desire aroused by a photograph, and (3) the couple's strange reunion, probably many years later, in a


534 HISPANIA

dilapidated apartment house in Paris. More than once it is suggested that Farabeuf dissects, has dissected, or will dissect the woman alive.

This narrative of man's search for iden-

tity within a labyrinth of temporal involu- tions readily lends itself to multiple inter- pretations and marks an unparalleled attempt in contemporary Mexican letters to establish new levels of contact with

reality, always variable and contradictory. Farabeuf is noteworthy for its unusual theme, its structure and particularly for its irrational, disquieting style, all of which may confuse, discourage, disgust or fascin- ate the tenacious reader but will ultimately arouse his esthetic appreciation.4

Gustavo Sainz (b. 1940) supports himself entirely by his literary production which includes short stories, criticism, film scripts and one novel entitled Gazapo (1965). Soft-spoken and somewhat "beat- nik" in appearance, this young writer in certain respects strikes one as the most professional of the authors discussed here. Through omnivorous reading he has ac- quired a wide knowledge of contemporary literature, both Mexican and foreign, which he discusses with judgment and authority.

Like Farabeuf, Gazapo also is a venture in literary technique, obliging the reader to interpret the plot from the soarse raw materials provided by an invisible author. It gradually becomes evident that the narrator, an adolescent named Menelao, has left home following a quarrel with his stepmother. His own mother's apartment, where he lives during her temporary absence from the Mexican capital, becomes the rendezvous for him, his "novia," and their middle class friends. The novel con- sists of a series of scenes, both real and imagined, depicting the hedonistic existence of these amoral youths, i.e., their fiestas, disputes, and above all, their erotic escapades, the details of which they record on tape in spontaneous language. These scenes, repeatedly set forth in slightly altered patterns, are played back on the recorder, a mechanical device per- mitting frequent flashbacks and leaps into the future. This procedure resembles a

system of interacting, reflecting lenses which, focused from different angles, un- cover hidden layers of meaning and give more depth and significance to events and characters thus treated. The recordings also serve as a kind of therapy by which the youths unconsciously seek identity through self-involvement in a world that seems to be crumbling around them. The novel's desultory, fragmentary dialogue together with its ingenious blend of reality and fantasy mirrors from deep within the un- stable psychic world of juveniles. How- ever, equally important is the work's devastating indictment of social institu- tions' shortcomings or failures: the moral bankruptcy and disintegration of the family, the meaningless dogma taught by the Church, and the substandard instruc- tion provided by the schools. The ironic, disrespectful tone of Gazapo, its frank realism, and its imaginative analysis of adolescent psychology will leave few adult readers indifferent.

Precocious and by nature somewhat brash, Jose Agustin (b. 1944), might be called the "enfant terrible" of contemporary Mexican letters. If any two of the seven writers were to be compared for the similarities in their works, they would un- doubtedly be Jose Agustin and Gustavo Sainz, principally for their treatment of post World War II youth and for their exposure of what they consider outmoded, hypocritical conventions and attitudes. Still there are marked differences between

the two. Whereas Sainz portrays a limited segment of the lower middle class, Jose Agustin's characters encompass a wide range of social strata-from upper middle to the working classes. Moreover, although Sainz reveals occasional flashes of humor, Jose Agustin is infinitely funnier, more satirical and spontaneous, and less pre- occupied with structure. The latter's first novel, La tumba (1966), describes in lineal form the dissolute lives led by a group of wealthy Mexican juveniles whose conduct derives at least in part from their de- bauched parents. In contrast to the pessi- mistic tone of La tumba, his second novel, De perfil (1966), seems amusing and gay, although tinged with malice and cynicism.


FACT AND OPrINON 535

This work portrays the family life of the teen-age narrator as well as his drinking bouts, sexual exploits, street fights, pseudo- intellectual bull sessions and his hilarious

initiation into politics at the "preparatoria." Like Gazapo, De perfil depicts the con- fused psychic world of juveniles with its intricate melange of reality and imagina- tion woven into its complex temporal realm. Jos6 Agustin's novel, again like Sainz's, illustrates the gulf between adults and rebellious youths who, having re- jected the obsolete code of ethics and con- formity of their elders, seek new ideals and modes of behavior. Jose Agustin has been severely criticized, with some justification, for his excessive use of slang and obscene language. Nevertheless, his original and dynamic presentation of what might be termed "the universal youth crisis of the 1960's" makes De perfil the best Mexican novel of 1966.

Rail Navarrete (b. 1942) is a musician and poet as well as a novelist. His first and only novel to date, Aqui, alld, en esos lugares (1966) relates in desultory fashion the life of a bemused individual as he roams the streets of Mexico City. A series of flashbacks depicts the protagonist's child- hood in a "pueblo," his unhappy youth spent separated from his mother in the home of harshly unsympathetic relatives and finally his present state of mind, that of a disoriented stranger thrust into the midst of a teeming metropolis where he is doomed to relive his past loneliness.

Navarrete, like the others, utilizes with success temporal and spatial dislocations, repetition of scenes in ambiguous, ever- changing patterns, and blending of reality and dreams. Although difficult and at times bordering on the tedious, the work is re- deemed by its limpid, poetic style which molds symbolic images from unsophisti- cated language. The anonymous characters, constantly moving from place to place and expressing themselves in vapid dialogue, exemplify the principal themes, i.e., man's restless search for the unattainable and his loss of identity effected by the dehuman- izing stresses of a heartless society. More- over, while the dramatic historic process (evoked by scenes of vast human migra-

tions) lays the groundwork for modern man's inquietude, God's sporadic appearance as a mere bystander in no way counteracts the corrosive forces of environment.

Aqui, alld, en esos lugares is a heavy, depressing story, but its artistic evocation of Mexican reality together with its universal themes and skillfully manipulated avant-garde methods demonstrates rigorous discipline and literary talent.

Fernando del Paso (b. 1935) spent seven years writing Jose Trigo (1966), his only novel and one of the most ambitious ever

published by a Mexican writer. Often compared to Joyce's Ulysses, this complex work chronicles the development of the railroads in Mexico as well as tragic events leading up to a labor dispute and work stoppage in 1960. The principal action occurs in Mexico City, more specifically in the former Buenavista Station and the

adjacent rail workers' "barrio" known as Nonoalco-Tlatelolco until its transforma- tion into the beautiful Plaza de las Tres Culturas. For Del Paso this setting seems to reflect the evolution of the Mexican saga which he captures in cyclical, symbolic patterns. One episode depicted in detail relates to the "guerras cristeras," a series of uprisings in the late 1920's brought about by President Calles' attacks on the Church, which are recalled through eyewitness ac- counts by some of the principal characters. The almost total destruction of normal time sequence becomes evident when present moments, defined and nurtured by echoes out of the past, acquire historic dimensions. As it leads through a labyrinth of seemingly unrelated occurrences, the narrative thread is further complicated by the fusion of legend with reality. Never- theless, the novel's most notable quality is not its structure but rather its rambling, unpunctuated style and its fantastically rich vocabulary, possibly unequaled in any other Latin American novel. The author has attempted to revitalize the language by the use of popular, foreign, archaic, technical or invented terms, often totally unfamiliar even to cultured native speakers of Spanish. The end product is vast in scope and rich in imagery with language


536 HISPANIA

representing both a means and an end in itself. In spite of its subject matter, Jose" Trigo has few political or social implications; it is rather a bold linguistic venture in novelistic technique, a valiant attempt to create in Mexican fiction an entirely unprecedented, original work of art.

Mexico's novel of the past two and one- half years, continuing certain trends estab- lished previously by some of the older generation of writers, utilizes the urban center as its predominant setting and examines thematically the complex relationship between the individual and his environment. Always in search of new subject matter, however, the young novelists have turned increasingly to universal questions such as the enigma of existence and the spiritual rootlessness of modern man who, upon being subjected to the pressures of a mechanized society, sub- merges his authentic self and becomes what is imposed on him from without, something alien to himself.

Nevertheless, universal themes such as human alienation constitute only one facet of the current Mexican novel. Most of the

young writers also express a deep concern with the many serious problems afflicting national life which they expose with unprecedented audacity. Their objective is not to suggest remedies but rather to cast doubt on traditional values, alter attitudes and thus create an atmosphere conducive to change. Underlying their works are a tenor of pessimism and disillusionment with existing conditions: Mexico's dynamic growth and flamboyant prosperity on the one hand, while on the other, the lot of many of her less fortunate citizens remains substantially unimproved; the country's monolithic political structure and the PRI's sterile, pompous slogans and cliches which no longer impress or interest anybody; and the failure of family, church and school to fulfill their minimum obligations to Mexi- can youth.n

The young writers' dissatisfaction with the present-day situation seems to have had two additional effects: their rejection of rational reality-to them intolerably grim-and their quest beneath its surface for a more subjective, personal concept of

truth; and a greater preoccupation with art-perhaps to some extent a means of escape-which leads them to bold linguistic innovations and "far out" technical pro- cedures. Although they are willing to acknowledge a certain debt to authors such as Yaifiez, Rulfo and Fuentes (who in turn reveal influences of twentieth-century American and European literatures), the young writers express a preference for "nouveau roman" techniques and go be- yond their Mexican predecessors in experi- ments with language, syntax and structure. The previously mentioned "vanguardismo" of Elizondo's Farabeuf, Del Paso's Josd Trigo, Sainz's Gazapo and Lefiero's Estudio Q best illustrates the point in question.6

One is greatly impressed by the young writers' extensive knowledge of foreign as well as Mexican authors, but even more impressive is their fervent dedication to literature. Their professional attitude can be attributed to an expanding and more sophisticated reading public, an increased number of good publishing houses offering greater remuneration for manuscripts ac- cepted, the assistance provided by the Centro Mexicano de Escritores,7 and the stimulus injected into literary circles by the recent publication of the autobio- graphical series entitled "Nuevos escritores mexicanos del siglo XX presentados por si mismos," each with a prologue by the critic Emmanuel Carballo.8 Perhaps an equally important explanation of their professional- ism is the fact that (with the exception of Elizondo) these young "novelistas" are middle-class, left-wing intellectuals of modest means who view their chosen genre as a visceral, cerebral and esthetic confrontation with reality requiring their total commitment.

The Mexican novel is presently going through an experimental stage in which a whole new generation of talented writers is beginning to play an important role.9 Determined to break with the past, they are striving to create original works of art that will stimulate intellectual processes, discredit antiquated modes of thinking, and arouse new emotions. This dynamic combination of talent, "engagement" and dedication to artistic ideals augurs well for


FACT AND OPINION 537

Mexican prose fiction of the immediate future.10

NOTES

lJohn S. Brushwood treats this point at some length in Mexico in its novel. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 1966, pp. 7-12.

2The only novel published between January 1965 and July 1967 by the older writers listed above is Carlos Fuentes' Zona sagrada (1967), considered mediocre by many critics.

3This report was facilitated by a research grant from Colorado State University. Between January and June 1967 this writer interviewed all the young novelists discussed here except Fernando del Paso.

4This' work has been discussed in more detail in my review article "Salvador Elizondo's Fara- beuf." Hispania, L, 3 (September, 1967), 596- 601.

5Like many of their contemporaries at home and abroad, the young novelists tend to reject the ideals (or lack thereof) and performance of their elders. This attitude, especially evident in the works of Gustavo Sainz and Jos6 Agustin, may be partially a pose, but it does help to explain the present-day intellectual climate.

6Major foreign influences on contemporary Mexican novelists include Franz Kafka, James oyce, John Dos Passos, Virginia Woolf, William aulkner, Edmund Husserl (for his phenomenology), Jean-Paul Sartre, and the exponents of the French "new novel."

7Each of the seven writers has received at least one scholarship from the Centro Mexicano de Escritores. Elizondo and Agustin are current "becarios."

SEmpresas Editoriales has already or will pub- lish in the near future the autobiographies of all the young writers discussed here.

9Other promising young but relatively un- known Mexican writers of prose fiction include Juan Garcia Ponce, Sergio Pitol, Juan Tovar, uan Vicente Melo, Jorge Arturo Ojeda, Julieta Campos and Jos6 Ceballos Maldonado.

10The following bibliographical information about the works mentioned in this report is provided for interested readers:

LERERO, VICENTE. La polvareda. Mexico: Editorial Jus, 1959. 188 pp.; La voz adolorida. Xalapa, Mexico: Ficci6n, Universidad Veracru- zana, 1961. 146 pp.; Los albaihiles. Barcelona: Editorial Seix Barral, 1964. 250 pp.; Estudio Q. Mexico: Joaquin Mortiz, 1965. 301 pp.; El garabato. Mexico: Joaquin Mortiz, 1967. 187 pp.

MoJARRlo, TOMAS. Caiidn de Juchipila. Mexi- co: Fondo de Cultura Econ6mica, 1960. 281 pp.; Bramadero. Mexico: Fondo de Cultura Econ6- mica, 1963. 221 pp.; Malafortuna. Mexico: Joa- quin Mortiz, 1966. 187 pp.

ELIzolDO, SALVADOR. Farabeuf o la cronica de un instante. Mexico: Joaquin Mortiz, 1965. 179 pp.; Narda o el verano. Mexico: Ediciones Era, S.A., 1966. 106 pp.

SAINZ, GUSTAVO. Gazapo. Mexico: Joaquin Mortiz, 1965. 187 pp.

AGUSTiN, Jos. La tumba. Mexico: Editorial Navaro, S.A., 1966. 141 pp.; De perfil. Mexico: Joaquin Mortiz, 1966. 355 pp.

NAVARRETE, RAt'L. Aqui, alld, en esos lugares. Mexico: Siglo XXI Editores, S.A., 1966. 245 pp.

DEL PASO, FERNANDO. Jose" Trigo. Mexico: Siglo XXI Editores, S.A., 1966. 536 pp.

WILL YOUR ADDRESS BE CORRECT IN THE 1968 DIRECTORY! Don't wait until fall to send your new address with your zip code to

Eugene Savaiano Secretary-Treasurer, AATSP Wichita State University Wichita, Kansas 67203


Current Trends in the Mexican Novel

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