Juan Rulfo (1917–86) is a surreal,
supernatural, and enigmatic
story of grief, haunting memories,
and deeply fraught relationships.
Through nonlinear storytelling,
the blurring of events, dreams,
and hallucinations, the reader is
dragged into the confusion of the
narrator Juan Preciado. He tells
of his return to the ghost town
of Comala after his mother’s
death to fulfill her last wish—to
find his father, Pedro Páramo. Juan
is shocked to discover the extent
of Páramo’s influence in the town.
As the narrative unfolds, Páramo
is revealed as protagonist and
antagonist of the story, holding
the power of life and death over
Comala and its inhabitants.MEMED, MY HAWK
(1955), YASAR KEMALKemal’s first full novel, Memed,
My Hawk—originally titled Ince
Memed (“Memed, the Slim”)—was
the first Turkish-language book to
achieve international fame. The
first volume in a series of four, it
follows the troubled story of young
Anatolian Memed, who runs from
his abusers with his loved one
Hatche, loses her, and joins a band
of brigands. He returns to his
mother and hometown to challenge
the abusive landowner who caused
Hatche’s death, and discovers that
his story has only just begun.THE DEVIL TO PAY
IN THE BACKLANDS
(1956), JOÃO GUIMARÃES ROSAA major work of South American
literature, The Devil to Pay in the
Backlands, by Brazilian writer
João Guimarães Rosa (1908–67), is
narrated by ex-mercenary Riobaldo
as a long and continuous tale, with
no section breaks. It is the story of
the narrator’s life, his encounters
with turncoat ranchers and other
brigands, and the devil himself,
as they all cross paths, literally and
metaphorically, in the outback of
the Brazilian state Minas Gerais.HOWL AND OTHER POEMS
(1956), ALLEN GINSBERGThe first and most significant
collection by American poet
Ginsberg (1926–97), and the most
influential for the beat generation
movement. Containing among other
poems the epic “Howl,” Ginsberg’s
pieces are raw and emotional, andopenly condemn consumer
capitalism, homophobia, racism, and
cultural hegemony in the US. The
book’s publisher was charged with
obscenity, but won the case, which
only served to increase demand for
the book and boost circulation both
in the US and across the world.DOCTOR ZHIVAGO
(1957), BORIS PASTERNAKThe internationally acclaimed novel
Doctor Zhivago by Russian writer
Pasternak (1890–1960) is a thought-
provoking investigation of the
Russian Communist Party between
the revolution of 1905 and World
War I. It had to be published in Italy
due to censorship by the Russian
government, which also removed the
Nobel Prize awarded to Pasternak.
The story is told through multiple
characters—centered around Yuri
Zhivago—as they adapt to the new
political reality of their country. It
deals with the regime’s misguided
attempts to impose conformity and
its misreadings of socialist ideals,
as well as the characters’ struggles
in their attempts to deal with and
overcome the alienation, loneliness,
and coldness of communist Russia.LA JALOUSIE
(1957), ALAIN ROBBE-GRILLETAn experimental French nouveau
roman (new novel), La Jalousie by
Robbe-Grillet (1922–2008) features a
narrator who is effectively absent—
although his presence is implied—
from the events he describes. He
spies, out of jealousy, on his wife
through a “jalousie,” a type of
window. Scenes are repeated
multiple times, with some of the
details changed. Ambiguous and288 FURTHER READING
Yasar Kemal
Born in Gökçedam, Turkey,
in 1923, Kemal experienced
childhood hardships that may
have contributed to his later
urge to speak out on behalf
of the dispossessed. He was
blinded in one eye as a child,
and suffered the tragedy of
witnessing his father’s murder
at the age of five. He first met
with literary acclaim with his
short stories and novels, which
he wrote in the 1950s and 60s
while working as a journalist.
He also wrote ballads and
children’s books. Kemal was
awarded 38 literary prizes
throughout his career, and
was nominated for the Nobel
Prize in 1973. He died in 2015.Key works1954 The Drumming Out
1955 Memed, My Hawk
(see right, above)
1969 They Burn The ThistlesUS_286-291_FR_CH6.indd 288 08/10/2015 13:10