This is a presentation of authoritative, clearly written essays--called by the author "dispatches," a term that is, intentionally or not, reminiscent of the old days of trench-coated foreign correspondents--about the Latin America of the past four years, published originally in the New Yorker. Mexican-born, U.S.-raised, Guillermoprieto has been all over the region about which she speaks; and her pieces are based not only on her own observations but also on her conversations with citizenry high and low. Specifically, she writes about Colombia, Nicaragua, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, and Panama. Whether she's talking about violence and drug traffic in one country, or guerrilla activity in another, or the ubiquity of garbage in yet another, her overarching theme is why these countries find the clothes of late-twentieth-century modernity ill-fitting and what that discomfort portends for their particular futures. Guillermoprieto offers no easy answers, simply appreciating the largeness of the questions. Brad Hooper
From Kirkus Reviews
A splendid collection of reports originally from the New Yorker. Guillermoprieto (Samba, 1990) is a journalist born in Mexico and raised there and in the US. The dispatches, written between 1989 and 1993, range from an account of Panama in the aftermath of the invasion to an analysis of cocaine politics in Medell¡n and a description of evangelicals in Rio, but this doesn't do justice to their variety. A description of the intricacies of mariachi singers in Mexico becomes a meditation on what it means to be Mexican, and how Mexican it is to be modern. An account of the off-screen dramas of TV's telenovelas (soap operas) in Brazil merges seamlessly into a discussion of the corruption scandal involving President Collor, who is described, at the time of his election, as ``sleek as a borzoi, articulate, sincere-looking, and, above all, a highly palatable contrast to his rivals on the left.'' Guillermoprieto is a beautiful and observant writer (of Lima: ``Squinting, on days when the weather is good, one can almost see the ways in which this place could have been lovely''), and also a touchingly funny one (``Mexicans know that a party has been outstandingly successful if at the end of it there are at least a couple of clusters of longtime or first-time acquaintances leaning on each other against a wall, sobbing helplessly''). The collection is not without faults, including predictions now overtaken by events, and the absence of more bold or conclusive judgments as to the success of major free-market reforms, but these are minor quibbles. A triumphant and evocative collection: journalism at its best. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
"Powerful...a literary gem...wonderfully written dispatches that capture the richness and intensity of Latin America's reality. Those wanting a feel for the spirit of Latin America or what lies behind the headlines will hardly find more vivid accounts of the region's recent history."--The Miami Herald
"The Heart That Bleeds is the work of a master...Guillermoprieto has brought back reports that are unforgettable, brave in their clearsightedness, but unstinting, too, in their passion and sympathy. The countries of Latin America now have their Orwell."--David Remnick
From the Trade Paperback edition.
From the Publisher
"Powerful...a literary gem...wonderfully written dispatches that capture the richness and intensity of Latin America's reality. Those wanting a feel for the spirit of Latin America or what lies behind the headlines will hardly find more vivid accounts of the region's recent history."--The Miami Herald
"The Heart That Bleeds is the work of a master...Guillermoprieto has brought back reports that are unforgettable, brave in their clearsightedness, but unstinting, too, in their passion and sympathy. The countries of Latin America now have their Orwell."--David Remnick
From the Inside Flap
An extraordinarily vivid, unflinching series of portraits of South America today, written from the inside out, by the award-winning New Yorker journalist and widely admired author of Samba.
About the Author
Alma Guillermoprieto writes frequently for the New Yorker and the New York Review of Books. She is the author of Looking for History, The Heart That Bleeds, and Samba, and she was named a MacArthur Fellow in 1995. Raised in Mexico and the United States, she now makes her home in Mexico City.
