The Book of Lamentations

This is one of the masterpieces of Latin American fiction. The plot tells of the uprising of the Maya Indians in the Southern MExican state of Chiapas. The book adopts a panoramic sqweep of a Diego Rivera mural weaving together dozen of characters, plot lines, and perspectives in a tour-de-force of narrative structure that builds to an inexorable conclusion as unflinching as it is devastating. Based on episodes from the actual Maya uprising of 1712 and 1868 - transposed in time to the 1930s - the novel merges a wealth of historical informantion and local detail into a vision of the nature of oppression that is universal in scope. As the New York Times Book Review noted of Rosario Castellanos (who was killed in car accident while serving as Mexican ambassador in Israel in 1974: "As a Mexican woman raised to submission, Castellanos understood the psychology of the reluctant or self-defeating rebel, or the victor who sides with her tormentor. There's nothing forces in the parallel she draws between oppressed woman and oppressed races. It's all part of an ugly social nexus she unravels in fluent, decorous prose. Castellanos wrings poetry from a local rumor, in scenes that achieve the mystical, tormented quality of Spanish paintings of the crucifixion." Here we have a book of genius: calling her the Mexican Garcia-Marquez is not a stretch in the least.

This is one of those hidden gems that I was forced to read for a school class. The characters are touching, if a little distant because of the way it is written. The horror at the end of the book builds slowly, and its insights into the clash between the indiginous people of Mexico and the conquering Spanish class was illuminating to me. Throughout the book I had the idea that the translation was kind of poor, I'm not sure what prompted that thought, but I wish my Spanish was good enough so that I could read the original.

I had only vague knowledge of the history of the Chiapas region of Mexico before I read this novel, which tells the story of a fictional uprising (based on a couple of real ones) with many stunning similarities to the Zapatista uprising of 1994. But you don't need to be interested in the social and political history of Chiapas to appreciate this novel -- indeed, too much awareness may cause you to miss the book's many fine qualities beyond its political prescience.Castellanos masterfully weaves the lives of numerous people together in a narrative which is often captivating. Keeping the characters straight is only a problem at first, for soon you have in your head a remarkably clear picture of them all. I found myself caring equally for the fates of characters I knew would clash with each other, and this is one of the great accomplishments of the novel.Some of the language and imagery, based on Mayan mythology, gets obscure and occasionally tedious, but this is a minor complaint, for the majority of the tale is stunningly clear and suspenseful. The book is filled with Mexican and Mayan words, which may seem off-putting at first, but their sense can usually be discovered through the context and a glossary of the most obscure words is provided at the end of the book. I found myself enjoying having some of the words left untranslated, for it strengthened the immediate poetry in the writing, and the sense of place inherent throughout. There are also an introduction and an afterword which provide useful information about Castellanos and the history of Chiapas.

Those who did not learn from the cenruries-old history of the Chiapas are now repeating it.The book is depressing and disturbing, because the outcome will not change - especially since the latest revolt has been preempted by socialist/communist rebels. The case for the Chiapas Indios seems hopeless, now and in the future. The poetry brought to this account is overwhelming. Everything comes alive, stark and brilliant. It is sad that the author had to die so young. In reading the book, it helps to know some Spanish. A glossary at its end could be helpful.

I have just had the pleasure of reading one of the most exciting and challenging books that I will read this year, and it's only January. The book is titled The Book of Lamentations and it was written in 1962 by the now deceased Rosario Castellanos. It has only recently been translated by Esther Allen, for reasons that are now completely obscure to me, since after reading it, you'll wish you could have read it years ago. This book is ostensibly about a fictional uprising in Chiapas that took place shortly after the land redistribution attempts by the PRI were begun in the 1930s. But to see it as only that is to miss the deeper levels of the book. It is also about the inherent inequalities of perception that challenge us, both from within and without our social groupings. The main conflict is over the role of the government in overseeing the destruction of the fincas in Chiapas. When the agent of the government arrives to redistribute the land back to the peasants and destroy the system that always left the Tzotzils of the region overworked and permanently impoverished in their villages, he encounters the entrenched resistance of the landed Ladino gentry. Meanwhile, in the villages of the countryside, where the Indians live, there is a religious revival, and not of Catholicism, but of the pagan religion that has never been fully destroyed in the area. This part of the book appears to be based on an episode in the Yucatan uprising of the 1850's, but is actually a deeper analysis of the role of the directly inspired mystic as a critique of the established traditions. When the Indians finally begin their revolution, it is started by one of the most shocking events in the book. Yet, with the author's skill and courage at facing the event, one does not cringe or turn away from it, but acknowledges it in the same way that the engineer who witnesses it does: "more out of fascination than of fear." The book examines closely the role of religion in fostering and in destroying revolution. Near the end, the book contains a conversation between the atheist governor of the region and the archbishop. While one might hope for a longer, and more full description of their conversation, the episode rings true, as we always wish for more answers in these areas than we can get. The book holds no character up for esteem, all are there for your perusal as they are. If you are looking for a hero you will not find one here, it is populated by real people with the real faults and weaknesses that we all have. If, on the other hand, you want to read a book that carries with it a timeless quality, one that will challenge you and force you to come to terms with the ethical ambiguities that plague us all, this book will dominate your thoughts for some time after you have put it down