"This book should serve as a road map to the cultural wealth of Mesoamerica. John Bierhorst has provided unique stories that will delight his readers. He draws us easily through myths of creation and destruction, of the quest for corn, of wise heroes who come to us as elders and defiant little boys. By remaining faithful to the simplicity of the telling he preserves the power of images that continue to keep alive centuries of cultural heritage."--The New York Times Book Review
In a framework different from the other two Bierhorst mythology volumes, the Mexico and Central American volume provides complete translations of 20 'basic myths' of this region and shows how they have influenced the artistic, literary, and political life of modern Mesoamerica.
Bierhorst introduces readers to myths from the Aztec and Maya of pre-Columbian times to the Indian groups that survive today. In a new afterword, Bierhorst discusses how in the late 1980s and 1990s, native mythology has been recast to shed light on themes placed in the foreground of public consciousness - democracy, cultural pluralism, religious freedom and environmentalism. Mythology energizes native politics from the high-profile political activisim of the Zapotec Indians against the World Trade Organization to the Nobel Prize winning Quiche Maya activist Rigoberta Menchu. Efforts to demystify the region's mythology include the criticism and investigation of the legend of Juan Diego and the ever-popular Virgin of Guadeloupe. The book includes a glossary, pronunciation guide, notes, bibliography, index, maps. and photos.
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This volume provides complete translations of 20 "basic myths" of Mexico and Central America and shows how they have influenced the artistic, literary and political life of modern Mesoamerica.
"This book should serve as a road map to the cultural wealth of Mesoamerica. John Bierhorst has provided unique stories that will delight his readers. He draws us easily through myths of creation and destruction, of the quest for corn, of wise heroes who come to us as elders and defiant little boys. By remaining faithful to the simplicity of the telling he preserves the power of images that continue to keep alive centuries of cultural heritage."--The New
York Times Book Review
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Selling point: A New York Times Notable book
John Bierhorst is the author, editor, or translator of more than forty books on American Indian myths--six of which have been ALA Notable Books--including The Sacred Path, Four Masterworks of American Indian Literature, and In the Trail of the Wind.
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Selling point: A New York Times Notable book
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780195146219
Publisert
2002
Utgiver
Vendor
Oxford University Press Inc
Vekt
431 gr
Høyde
236 mm
Bredde
155 mm
Dybde
20 mm
Aldersnivå
UU, UP, P, 05, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
272
Forfatter