The Role of Mexico’s Plural in Latin American Literary and Political Culture

The Mexican magazine Plural (1971-1976) is a privileged vantage point from which to assess the developments that transformed Mexican and Latin American literary and political culture in the 1970s.  Edited by the Nobel prize winner Octavio Paz at a time in which he was reassessing his political and nationalistic commitments, it featured the editorial partnership of a heterogeneous group of Mexican writers.  The book offers a detailed analysis of a vitally important moment in Mexican cultural and political history, in the aftermath of the 1968 massacre of students in Tlatelolco, Mexico City, at a time when a new president was seeking to repair the fractured relationship between intellectuals and the state.  The most important figure in the magazine was its editor Octavio Paz and the study offers a fresh interpretation of the development of his political thought and artistic concerns in arguably the most vital and productive period of his life.

John King is Professor, School of Comparative American Studies, University of Warwick.

“The Role of Mexico’s Plural in Latin American Literary and Political Culture: From Tlatelolco to the “Philanthropic Ogre” constitutes a significant contribution to scholarship both on [Octavio] Paz and the cultural history of Mexico during the 1970s.”–Yvon Grenier, Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies“John King, one of the most lucid and knowledgeable critics of Latin American literature, explores the significance of Plural. Edited by Octavio Paz, the journal played a transformative role in ushering modern culture into the Spanish language. King’s book is indispensable.”–Mario Vargas Llosa, author of Conversation in the Cathedral 

“John King has done with Plural what he did so brilliantly with Argentina’s Sur: this is a superb critical analysis, a treasure trove of insights and new information from the leading expert in the field.”–Edwin Williamson, King Alfonso XIII Professor of Spanish, University of Oxford