Contemporary Latin American Literature offers intermediate and advanced learners the excitement of reading works by many of the greatest contemporary authors in their original form. Conveniently collected in one volume, these works originate from across the Latin American world and span the last hundred years: from Mariano Azuela, the greatest author of the Mexican Revolution, to Isabel Allende and Rosario Ferré , writers currently at the zenith of their literary careers.

Most of the twenty authors included in this anthology are represented by more than one work; the fifty-five selections encompass short stories, poems, a play, and an essay. Extensive footnotes not only define difficult words but also explain those persons, places, things, events, and literary references that will make the readings more accessible and save the reader time spent looking up terms in dictionaries. Biographical notes introduce each author, and the Introduction provides the reader with sufficient background to understand the development of Latin American literature from its origins and to place the authors included in this anthology in the context of the literary movements of the twentieth century.

With its variety and its accessibility, this anthology is the ideal introduction to the extraordinary wealth of contemporary Latin American literature - reflected by the inclusion of four Nobel Laureates in this collection.