News from the Empire

By Fernando Del Paso, Alfonso Gonzalez (translator), Stella T. Clark (translator)

Book cover of News from the Empire

Book description

One of the acknowledged masterpieces of Mexican literature, Fernando del Paso's News from the Empire is a powerful and encyclopedic novel of the tragic lives of Maximilian and his wife, Carlota, the short-lived Emperor and Empress of Mexico. Simultaneously intimate and panoramic, the narrative flows from Carlota's fevered memories of…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked News from the Empire as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

It is often said that history is stranger than fiction and a disastrous French invasion of Mexico in 1862 to establish a European-style monarchy certainly fits the cliché. The then-French emperor, Napoleon III, rescued the Habsburg archduke Ferdinand Maximilian from a life as a dilettante in the shadow of his older brother, Franz Joseph, emperor of Austria. Maximilian was offered a throne propped up by French bayonets across the Atlantic. The only problem was that most Mexicans supported the legitimate president, Benito Juárez. After a vicious civil war and a desperate last stand, Maximilian was captured tried and executed in…

From Edward's list on the astonishing history of Mexico.

Want books like News from the Empire?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like News from the Empire.

Browse books like News from the Empire

Book cover of Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs
Book cover of Santa Anna of Mexico
Book cover of The Dope: The Real History of the Mexican Drug Trade

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,187

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Mexico, New Mexico, and the Mexican Revolution?

Mexico 232 books
New Mexico 61 books