The Tree of Life: Stories of Civil War

by Mario Bencastro

A grand mystical tree festooned in brilliant red flowers becomes he life force of a village. When the tentacles of civil unrest tear the hamlet apart the tree swallows the dead and fallen friends and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1558851860
• ISBN13: 9781558851863
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Arte Publico Press
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Tree of Life, book, loved it, great price

I deeply enjoyed the book I purchased. I felt it was worth every penny. My transaction was pleasant and I would buy from this seller again. I have been to El Salvador 4 times and long to go back again soon. I am drawn to their history and this book was moving to me. Thank you.

EL SUFRIMIENTO DE UN PUEBLO...

BENCASTRO OFRECE EN ESTE LIBRO UNA MIRADA A LA RECIEN PASADA GUERRA CIVIL OCURRIDA EN EL PUEBLO SALVADORENO, ACOSADO POR 12 ANOS EN EL TORMENTO DE A VIOLENCIA, MUERTE Y OPRESION . EL SUFRIMIENTO DE INOCENTES Y LA FORMA EN LA QUE AL IGUAL A UN MAJESTUOSO ARBOL ESTE PUEBLO LUCHA POR REGRESAR A LA VIDA, A LA PAZ TAN ABNEGADA DESPUES DE UN PERIODO CONFLICTIVO. ES UN LIBRO EXCELENTE QUE OFRECE UNA REGRESION AL TERROR DEL CONFLICTO ARMADO OCURRIDO EN EL SALVADOR, LAS MEMORIAS DE LOS QUE LA VIVIERON EN CARNE PROPIA Y LOS QUE RECORDAMOS ESE PERIODO TODAVIA CON ANGUSTIA EN EL CORAZON, Y LA LUCHA POR MANTENER UNA PAZ AUN EN PROCESO DE REALIZACION...

Eloquent synthesis of a country in crisis

Through short, entertaining vignettes, the author provides an eloquent synthesis of a country in crisis. With delicate brushtrokes of crisp prose, Mr. Bencastro paints memorable pictures against the backdrop of turmoil in his country. I found the Spanish version eminently readable and in the best tradition of the Latin American short story. Excellent reading.

History as a series of rich poetic photographs

Mario Bencastro makes a portion of Salvadoran history more easily accessible to readers of all ages and, along with a translation intimately sensitive to the original Spanish, of Spanish- and English-speaking audiences alike. He captures the core of the human spirit through a collection of literary "pictures at an exhibition" where a civil war envelops a country's people in harsh realities that never seem possible until they happen and where what survives in the end, amidst all the rubble and bloodshed, is hope.