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Renowned as the greatest novel of the Mexican Revolution, The Underdogs recounts a young peasant's recruitment into Pancho Villa's army. Demetrio Macías is compelled to defend his home from attacks by the Federales who serve Mexico's hated dictator. Forced into a fugitive existence, he encounters a rebel band and becomes their charismatic leader, shaping the vagabonds into a dynamic guerrilla force. The unit is further strengthened by an unlikely ally, the aristocratic intellectual Luis Cervantes, whose revulsion at the country's rampant social injustice has turned him against the government. But the escalating violence and harsh realities of war erode Demetrio's and Cervantes' idealism, undermining their alliance and leading to their ultimate disillusionment. Mexican author and physician Mariano Azuela González (1873–1952) drew upon his experiences as a medic with Villa's troops to create this iconic work of Latin American literature. Prized for its authentic representation of Mexican peasant life, the novel offers a timeless portrayal of revolutionary zeal and disenchantment.
Mariano Azuela (Mexico, 1873-1952) was a medical doctor by profession, recipient of Mexico's Premio Nacional de Literatura (1949), a distinguished member of El Colegio Nacional and, by mid-century, one of Mexico's leading novelists and literary critics. The author of novels, novellas, plays, biographies, and literary criticism, Azuela served as field doctor under Francisco Villa during the Mexican Revolution and, after Villa's military defeats in 1915, published Los de abajo (The Underdogs, 1915) while in exile in El Paso, Texas. This book of essays commemorates the first centenary of Los de abajo, and traces its impact on twentieth-century autobiographies, memoirs and, more specifically, on...
Originally published in serialized form in a border-town newspaper, Mariano Azuela's The Underdogs is a gripping tale that recounts the personal and political havoc that surrounded the Mexican Revolution. Equal parts action-packed war novel and philosophical meditation on the costs of conflict, The Underdogs is a must-read for fans of historical fiction or Hispanic literature buffs.
Constituting a significant contribution to intellectual analysis of Mariano Azuela, thisstudy and literary critique gives special attention to the Mexican novelist's more experimental works. The book identifies Mariano Azuela as the first modern Mexican novelist of the twentieth century and provides an in-depth look at the influences of the writer upon writing in Mexico as a whole."
Hailed as the greatest novel of the Mexican Revolution, The Underdogs recounts the story of an illiterate but charismatic Indian peasant farmer’s part in the rebellion against Porfirio Díaz, and his subsequent loss of belief in the cause when the revolutionary alliance becomes factionalized. Azuela’s masterpiece is a timeless, authentic portrayal of peasant life, revolutionary zeal, and political disillusionment.
The Underdogs Mariano Azuela Ten years after its publication in a small El Paso paper, "The Underdogs" achieved worldwide renown as the greatest novel of the Mexican Revolution. It tells the story of Demetrio Macias, a modest, peace-loving Indian, who is forced to side with the rebels to save his family. In the course of battle, he becomes a compulsive militarist almost despite himself, and his courage leads to a generalship in Pancho Villa's army. But as the rebels suffer defeat after defeat, Macias loses prestige and moral purpose at the hands of turncoats, camp followers, and the peasants who once loved him. The social conscience and bitter irony of Azuela's classic novel have earned him comparisons to Chekhov and Gorky. As Mexico continues to celebrate and struggle with the consequences of its great revolution, "The Underdogs" remains a powerful and insightful portrait of social upheaval. Translated by E. Munguia Jr. With an Introduction by Ana Castillo and an Afterword by Max Parra
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Hailed as the greatest novel of the Mexican Revolution, The Underdogs recounts the story of an illiterate but charismatic Indian peasant farmer’s part in the rebellion against Porfirio Díaz, and his subsequent loss of belief in the cause when the revolutionary alliance becomes factionalized. Azuela’s masterpiece is a timeless, authentic portrayal of peasant life, revolutionary zeal, and political disillusionment.