El Llano En Llamas: The Burning Plain, Spanish Edition

By Juan Rulfo

Book Overview

La encuesta del Instituto Nobel de Suecia, de 2002, dirigida a un centenar de escritores y estudiosos de todo el mundo, ubic? a Pedro P?ramo entre las cien obras que constituyen el n?cleo del patrimonio universal de la literatura.

This collection contains 17 stories published by Rulfo beginning in 1945, when "Nos han dado la tierra" appeared in the literary reviews Am?rica and Pan. Rulfo described the progress of his work in letters to his fianc?e Clara Aparicio. In 1951 he published a seventh story in Am?rica, "Diles que no me maten" (which Elias Canetti considered one of the finest stories ever written and G?nter Grass admired as well). Thanks to a first grant from the Centro Mexicano de Escritores, Rulfo was able to finish eight more stories, which appeared with those already published under the general title of El Llano en llamas (The Burning Plain), also the name of one of the stories in the volume. The book was dedicated to Clara.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 8493442615
• ISBN13: 9788493442613
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: Rm
• Length: 174 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.2" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

strange but captivating writing

Rulfo's style, like his stories, is sparse, quiet, and often harsh. He offers disturbing tales of miserable people in barren places; yet there is also a strange beauty to be found in his work. I can think of few, if any, examples of such perfect prose. The characters--though they suffer--seem close at hand and perfectly real, and he gives the most incredible descriptions of landscapes that I have ever read in my life. It is easy to see his connection to "magical realism"--it is largely in the way he sets the tone of the stories, and in those unbelievably vivid descriptions--but his work does not fall into that category. There is no escaping the terribly blunt reality he creates. Whether you are interested in Latin American literature or not, if you are at all interested in prose, you should read this book.

give art a chance.

The Burning Plains is a compilation of short stories that Juan Rulfo published on diferent publications at different times. it's also at the moment, besides his masterpiece Pedro Paramo, the only material available.The shorts stories are chilling, incledibly well written. It's superb, and the english translation more than acceptable.To me the highlights of the book are "Talpa" and "they have given us the land" (the opener on the spanish version, but some reason is not on this english edition)but the whole book is amazing.I bought this book for my girfriend as an exorsism from jennifer Wiener's "Good in Bed" I was worried about the translation but it didn't dissapoint me.the ideal way to read The Burning Plain is in spanish, but since this book is not that surreal as pedro paramo is, this tranlation works just fine.I hope this brief note helps you to choose a good book.

El llano en llamas

Uno de los mejores libros que he leido. Las historias son realmente muy buenas. Recomendado para todos aquellos que les gusta leer.

Rulfo's best

Rulfo shines as a "cuentista" and I think this collection ofstories establishes him as northern Mexico's poetic voice. The desolation of Mexican life here is truly haunting yet somehow beautiful. I recommend these stories over his novel "Pedro Paramo", even though the novel is quite interesting.

beautiful sadness

I read this book in Spanish for the language, then in English for extra clarity. It is beautifully sparse, much like a black and white photograph - its surface is dark and bleak and colorless, yet the texture which can be read and felt beneath the surface is absolutely breathtaking. Rulfo creates a world I am both entranced by and afraid of.