Writing in the Air

"Writing in the Air marks the beginning of a major shift in the conception of Latin American literature and culture. Antonio Cornejo Polar questioned the implicit equation of modernity/modernization, transculturation, literature, and the formation of the modern Latin American nation-state. The incorporation by the current governments of Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru of strong, multicultural elements is related to the cultural paradigm elaborated in Writing in the Air. Cornejo Polar's arguments remain fresh and suggestive, and they are done justice in this excellent translation." - John Beverley, author of Latinamericanism after 9/11

"In his last, indispensable book, the great Antonio Cornejo Polar takes readers on a fascinating journey through the plural worlds of Andean culture. This classic text, finally available in English, proves yet again why the author is widely considered a scholar who revolutionized Latin American literary criticism, providing an incisive interpretation of how Perú—and the rest of the continent—expresses itself with glorious complexity in its most significant works of the imagination." - Ariel Dorfman, author of Feeding on Dreams: Confessions of an Unrepentant Exile

"For cultural critics and theorists who read only English, Writing in the Air will have a special value, as each chapter (dealing with a major problem in the cultural formation of Latin America) benefits from the perspective that an extremely well-read and well-versed critic brings to the formulation of the problematic at hand. The prose is clear, the thinking has been slimmed down, the focus is unyielding, and the translator has done a very good job." - Sara Castro-Klaren, Critical Inquiry

"This attractive English edition of Cornejo Polar’s masterful excursion into Andean heterogeneity is a charter for investigating verbal discourse as a reflector and driver of history and its cultural formations."  - John Holmes McDowell, Anthropological Linguistics

"Writing in the Air reoriented and revitalized Latin American literary scholarship.... [T]he translator skillfully renders Cornejo Polar’s sometimes complex ideas in a rich prose that is pleasant to read. Indeed, this translation will be very important for scholars who work in comparative or Anglo-American literature and who, otherwise, would not have the linguistic tools to read works written by Latin American or Latino authors.... It will also be a useful tool for undergraduate students beginning their careers as Spanish, comparative literature, or Latin American studies majors. For those cohort groups, it should be considered a must-have item."  - Thomas Ward, Hispania

 "A book this important merits a skillful presentation to the English speaking world, and Lynda J. Jentsch has produced a translation reflecting the high standards and innovative vision of its author. Jean Franco's incisive and thoughtful preface gives important perspectives on this book in its Latin American context."  - Gwen Kirpatrick, Review: Literature and Arts of the Americas

"There is something so immense and wonderful in Cornejo Polar’s vision that, ultimately, it exceeds the bounds of his writing." - Katie Dimmery, Journal of Folklore Research