The 10 best Latin American books of all time
*I’m not partial to clickbait lists and such, but this is good as a conversation starter. I think Gallegos’ “Doña Bárbara” should be on the list. What do you think? VL
Mario Vargas Llosa (1963)
The debut novel of the experimental writer sometimes described as “the national conscience of Peru”, this story of teenage boys at a military academy has shades of Lord of the Flies. The outraged academy authorities burned 1,000 copies on publication.
Hopscotch
Julio Cortázar (1963)
Pablo Neruda said that those who do not read this great Argentinean author are suffering from “a serious invisible disease”. This ludic, meandering and multiple-ended “counter-novel” is about lovers who refuse to make arrangements.
Gabriel García Márquez (1967)
Dreamily exploring Colombian myths and history through the magical, multigenerational story of the Buendía family by the late Gabriel García Márquez. Writing in the New York Times Book Review, William Kennedy declared that the novel should be required reading for the human race. Print out the family tree before you start or you’ll get lost.
Click HERE to read the entire list.
[Photo by Julio Codesal Santos/Flickr]