Current Trends in the Mexican Novel

Author(s): George R. McMurray

Reviewed work(s):
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 seleccionadospor la
comisi6n cubana; ademaisde ellos en la anto-
logia de la comisi6n cubana aparecenlos 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 venezolanade 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),
CURRENT TRENDS IN THE MEXICAN
GEORGER. McMURRAY
Colorado State University
The publication of Agustin Yifiez' Al
filo del agua in 1947 marksa turning point
in the Mexican novel.' In this work
Yafiez broke away from traditional realism
by combining the social awareness of his
predecessorswith renovating literary tech-
niques 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 litera-
ture can be anticipated from the others,
during the years 1965, 1966, and the first
Ram6n Jimenez de Le6n, Ricardo del Monte,
Martina Pierra de Poo, MarianoRamiro,Andres
Diaz, Luisa Perez y Montes de Oca de Zam-
brana, Carlos Navarrete y Romay, Francisco
Sellen, SaturninoMartinez,SalvadorDominguez,
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.
NOVEL
half of 1967 a surprisingly large group of
younger novelists ranging in age from
twenty-three to thirty-fiveyears 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 in-
clude 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 pol-
vareda (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 directorof
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
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 tele-
vision drama.
El garabato, Lefiero's latest novelistic
endeavor, likewise leans heavily on struc-
tural technique to illustrate a curious dich-
otomy in the psychic make-up of the pro-
tagonist. 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 enig-
ma that confronts modem man as a result
of his inability to understand the true
relationship between himself and his en-
vironment. 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 atmos-
phere of moral and physical decay. Moja-
rro utilizes naturalistic background to ex-
pose 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'saura of mysteryand time-
lessness which, together with the vast
533
desolation of its setting, accentuates the
characters' isolation, stagnation and des-
pair. Malafortuna effectively creates a state
of mind resemblingan absurdnightmare-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 apparentreality
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'sprincipal
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 structuraltechnique 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 fiction-
alized 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, con-
stantly repeating in kaleidoscopic patterns
three basic scenes: (1) the torture of the
Chinese described in minute detail, (2)
the two charactersstrolling 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 apartmenthouse 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 particularlyfor its
irrational, disquieting style, all of which
may confuse, discourage, disgust or fascin-
ate the tenacious readerbut will ultimately
arouse his esthetic appreciation.4
Gustavo Sainz (b. 1940) supports him-
self 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 exist-
ence 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 flashbacksand 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
charactersthus treated. The recordingsalso
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,
disrespectfultone of Gazapo, its frank real-
ism, and its imaginative analysis of ado-
lescent 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 simi-
larities 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 portraysa 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), describesin 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.
 FACTANDOPrINON 535

This work portrays the family life of the tions) lays the groundwork for modern
teen-age narrator as well as his drinking man's inquietude, God's sporadic appear-
bouts, sexual exploits, street fights, pseudo- ance as a mere bystander in no way
intellectual bull sessions and his hilarious counteracts the corrosiveforces of environ-
initiation into politics at the "preparatoria." ment.
Like Gazapo, De perfil depicts the con- Aqui, alld, en esos lugares is a heavy,
fused psychic world of juveniles with its depressing story, but its artistic evocation
intricate melange of reality and imagina- of Mexican reality together with its uni-
tion woven into its complex temporal versal themes and skillfully manipulated
realm. Jos6 Agustin's novel, again like
avant-gardemethods demonstratesrigorous
Sainz's, illustrates the gulf between adults discipline and literary talent.
and rebellious youths who, having re-
Fernandodel Paso (b. 1935) spent seven
jected the obsolete code of ethics and con-
formity of their elders, seek new ideals and years writing Jose Trigo (1966), his only
modes of behavior. Jose Agustin has been novel and one of the most ambitious ever
severely criticized, with some justification, published by a Mexican writer. Often
for his excessive use of slang and obscene compared to Joyce's Ulysses, this complex
work chronicles the of the
language. Nevertheless, his original and railroadsin Mexico as developmentwell as tragic events
dynamic presentation of what might be
termed "the universal youth crisis of the leading up to a labor dispute and work
1960's"makes De perfil the best Mexican stoppage in 1960. The principal action
novel of 1966. occurs in Mexico City, more specifically in
the former Buenavista Station and the
Rail Navarrete (b. 1942) is a musician adjacent rail workers' "barrio"known as
and poet as well as a novelist. His first and
Nonoalco-Tlatelolco until its transforma-
only novel to date, Aqui, alld, en esos lu- tion into the beautiful Plaza de las Tres
gares (1966) relates in desultory fashion Culturas. For Del Paso this setting seems
the life of a bemused individual as he to reflect the evolution of the Mexican
roams the streets of Mexico City. A series which he saga
captures in cyclical, symbolic
of flashbacksdepicts the protagonist'schild- One episode depicted in detail
hood in a "pueblo," his unhappy youth patterns. relates to the "guerrascristeras,"a series of
spent separated from his mother in the in the late 1920's brought about
home of harshly unsympathetic relatives uprisings President Calles' attackson the Church,
by
and finally his present state of mind, that which are recalled
of a disoriented stranger thrust into the counts through eyewitness ac-
by some of the principal characters.
midst of a teeming metropolis where he is The almost total destruction of normal
doomed to relive his past loneliness. time sequence becomes evident when pres-
Navarrete, like the others, utilizes with ent moments, defined and nurtured by
success temporal and spatial dislocations, echoes out of the past, acquire historic
repetition of scenes in ambiguous, ever- dimensions. As it leads through a laby-
changing patterns, and blending of reality rinth of seemingly unrelated occurrences,
and dreams.Although difficult and at times the narrative thread is further complicated
bordering on the tedious, the work is re- by the fusion of legend with reality. Never-
deemed by its limpid, poetic style which theless, the novel's most notable quality is
molds symbolic images from unsophisti- not its structure but rather its rambling,
cated language. The anonymouscharacters, unpunctuated style and its fantastically
constantly moving from place to place and rich vocabulary,possibly unequaled in any
expressing themselves in vapid dialogue, other Latin American novel. The author
exemplify the principal themes, i.e., man's has attempted to revitalize the language
restless search for the unattainable and his by the use of popular, foreign, archaic,
loss of identity effected by the dehuman- technical or invented terms, often totally
izing stresses of a heartless society. More- unfamiliar even to cultured native speakers
over, while the dramatic historic process of Spanish. The end product is vast in
(evoked by scenes of vast human migra- scope and rich in imagery with language
536 HISPANIA

representing both a means and an end in truth; and a greater preoccupation with
itself. In spite of its subject matter, Jose" art-perhaps to some extent a means of
Trigo has few political or social implica- escape-which leads them to bold linguistic
tions; it is rather a bold linguistic venture innovations and "far out" technical pro-
in novelistic technique, a valiant attempt cedures. Although they are willing to
to create in Mexican fiction an entirely acknowledge a certain debt to authors
unprecedented, original work of art. such as Yaifiez,Rulfo and Fuentes (who in
Mexico's novel of the past two and one- turn reveal influences of twentieth-century
half years, continuing certain trends estab- American and European literatures), the
lished previously by some of the older young writers express a preference for
generation of writers, utilizes the urban "nouveau roman" techniques and go be-
center as its predominant setting and yond their Mexican predecessorsin experi-
examines thematically the complex rela- ments with language, syntax and structure.
tionship between the individual and his The previously mentioned "vanguardismo"
environment. Always in search of new of Elizondo's Farabeuf, Del Paso's Josd
subject matter, however, the young novel- Trigo, Sainz's Gazapo and Lefiero'sEstudio
ists have turned increasingly to universal Q best illustrates the point in question.6
questions such as the enigma of existence One is greatly impressed by the young
and the spiritual rootlessness of modern writers' extensive knowledge of foreign as
man who, upon being subjected to the well as Mexican authors, but even more
pressures of a mechanized society, sub- impressive is their fervent dedication to
merges his authentic self and becomes literature. Their professional attitude can
what is imposed on him from without, be attributed to an expanding and more
something alien to himself. sophisticated reading public, an increased
Nevertheless, universal themes such as number of good publishing houses offering
human alienation constitute only one facet greater remuneration for manuscripts ac-
of the current Mexican novel. Most of the cepted, the assistance provided by the
young writers also express a deep concern Centro Mexicano de Escritores,7and the
with the many serious problems afflicting stimulus injected into literary circles by
national life which they expose with un- the recent publication of the autobio-
precedented audacity. Their objective is graphical series entitled "Nuevos escritores
not to suggest remedies but rather to cast mexicanos del siglo XX presentados por si
doubt on traditional values, alter attitudes mismos,"each with a prologue by the critic
and thus create an atmosphere conducive Emmanuel Carballo.8 Perhaps an equally
to change. Underlying their works are a important explanation of their professional-
tenor of pessimism and disillusionment ism is the fact that (with the exception of
with existing conditions: Mexico's dynamic Elizondo) these young "novelistas" are
growth and flamboyant prosperity on the middle-class, left-wing intellectuals of
one hand, while on the other, the lot of modest means who view their chosen
many of her less fortunate citizens remains genre as a visceral, cerebral and esthetic
substantially unimproved; the country's confrontation with reality requiring their
monolithic political structureand the PRI's total commitment.
sterile, pompous slogans and cliches which The Mexican novel is presently going
no longer impress or interest anybody; and through an experimental stage in which a
the failure of family, church and school to whole new generation of talented writers
fulfill their minimum obligations to Mexi- is beginning to play an important role.9
can youth.n Determined to break with the past, they
The young writers' dissatisfaction with are striving to create original works of art
the present-day situation seems to have that will stimulate intellectual processes,
had two additional effects: their rejection discredit antiquated modes of thinking,
of rational reality-to them intolerably and arouse new emotions. This dynamic
grim-and their quest beneath its surface combination of talent, "engagement" and
for a more subjective, personal concept of dedication to artistic ideals augurs well for
 FACT AND OPINION
Mexican prose fiction of the immediate
future.10
NOTES
lJohn S. Brushwoodtreats 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
Fernandodel Paso.
4This'work has been discussedin more detail
in my review article "SalvadorElizondo's Fara-
beuf." Hispania, L, 3 (September, 1967), 596-
601.
5Like many of their contemporariesat home
and abroad, the young novelists tend to reject
the ideals (or lack thereof) and performanceof
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-dayintellectual climate.
6Major foreign influences on contemporary
Mexican novelists include Franz Kafka, James
oyce, John Dos Passos,Virginia Woolf, William
aulkner, Edmund Husserl (for his phenomen-
ology), Jean-Paul Sartre, and the exponents of
the French "new novel."
7Each of the seven writers has received at
least one scholarshipfrom the Centro Mexicano
de Escritores.Elizondo and Agustin are current
"becarios."
537
SEmpresasEditorialeshas alreadyor 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
JuanGarcia Ponce, Sergio Pitol, Juan Tovar,
uan Vicente Melo, Jorge Arturo Ojeda, Julieta
Camposand Jos6 Ceballos Maldonado.
information
10The following bibliographical
about the works mentioned in this reportis pro-
vided for interestedreaders:
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: JoaquinMortiz, 1967. 187 pp.
MoJARRlo, TOMAS. Caiidn de Juchipila. Mexi-
co: Fondo de CulturaEcon6mica,1960. 281 pp.;
Bramadero.Mexico: Fondo de Cultura Econ6-
mica, 1963. 221 pp.; Malafortuna.Mexico: Joa-
quin Mortiz, 1966. 187 pp.
SALVADOR.Farabeuf o la cronica de
unELIzolDO,
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:
JoaquinMortiz, 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.

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