Folio Archives 445: El Zarco the Bandit by Ignacio Manuel Altamirano 1957
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El Zarco the Bandit by Ignacio Manuel Altamirano 1957
In the 1860s Mexico was in the midst of a civil war and the rule of law barely existed. Huge gangs of bandits roamed the country looting, raping, extorting and murdering while the government was almost powerless to stop them. This short and simple novel was set in this time and El Zarco was one such bandit.
The story is set in the village of Yuatepec (90km. South of Mexico City) and follows a wilful young woman, her interactions with the community in her village, her family, her loves and the bandit gang in the area. Rampant corruption and cowardice in the government forces prevent them from tackling the bandit gangs. Eventually private citizens take the law into their hands to pursue and exterminate the bands of criminals terrorising rural Mexico.
The author, Altamirano (whose childhood language was Nahuatl) was a well-educated Indian and circulated in the highest political and cultural echelons of Mexico. He was one of the most famous men in Mexico at that time (along with the Indian president, Benito Juárez, who appears in El Zarco). Altamirano was a battle-tested soldier, a fiery political militant, and a mentor of fellow writers.
This small format 160 page book is a light and easy read, and although the contents alludes to violence, it is not described in any detail. There is a nine page introduction by Mary Allt, who translated the book from Spanish. There are eight full-page wood-engravings by Zelma Blakely and the book is bound in orange cloth with a frieze design by Blakely in a black band across the cover and spine. The endpapers are plain white and the black slipcase measures 22.5x13cm. The page tops are stained black.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
In the 1860s Mexico was in the midst of a civil war and the rule of law barely existed. Huge gangs of bandits roamed the country looting, raping, extorting and murdering while the government was almost powerless to stop them. This short and simple novel was set in this time and El Zarco was one such bandit.
The story is set in the village of Yuatepec (90km. South of Mexico City) and follows a wilful young woman, her interactions with the community in her village, her family, her loves and the bandit gang in the area. Rampant corruption and cowardice in the government forces prevent them from tackling the bandit gangs. Eventually private citizens take the law into their hands to pursue and exterminate the bands of criminals terrorising rural Mexico.
The author, Altamirano (whose childhood language was Nahuatl) was a well-educated Indian and circulated in the highest political and cultural echelons of Mexico. He was one of the most famous men in Mexico at that time (along with the Indian president, Benito Juárez, who appears in El Zarco). Altamirano was a battle-tested soldier, a fiery political militant, and a mentor of fellow writers.
This small format 160 page book is a light and easy read, and although the contents alludes to violence, it is not described in any detail. There is a nine page introduction by Mary Allt, who translated the book from Spanish. There are eight full-page wood-engravings by Zelma Blakely and the book is bound in orange cloth with a frieze design by Blakely in a black band across the cover and spine. The endpapers are plain white and the black slipcase measures 22.5x13cm. The page tops are stained black.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
3N11284
>1 wcarter: Never heard of this one. Enabled and purchased.
