The Burning Plain and Other Stories

Rulfo's style, like his stories, is sparse, quiet, and often harsh. He offers disturbing tales of miserable people in barren places; yet there is also a strange beauty to be found in his work. I can think of few, if any, examples of such perfect prose. The characters--though they suffer--seem close at hand and perfectly real, and he gives the most incredible descriptions of landscapes that I have ever read in my life. It is easy to see his connection to "magical realism"--it is largely in the way he sets the tone of the stories, and in those unbelievably vivid descriptions--but his work does not fall into that category. There is no escaping the terribly blunt reality he creates. Whether you are interested in Latin American literature or not, if you are at all interested in prose, you should read this book.

The Burning Plains is a compilation of short stories that Juan Rulfo published on diferent publications at different times. it's also at the moment, besides his masterpiece Pedro Paramo, the only material available.The shorts stories are chilling, incledibly well written. It's superb, and the english translation more than acceptable.To me the highlights of the book are "Talpa" and "they have given us the land" (the opener on the spanish version, but some reason is not on this english edition)but the whole book is amazing.I bought this book for my girfriend as an exorsism from jennifer Wiener's "Good in Bed" I was worried about the translation but it didn't dissapoint me.the ideal way to read The Burning Plain is in spanish, but since this book is not that surreal as pedro paramo is, this tranlation works just fine.I hope this brief note helps you to choose a good book.

Uno de los mejores libros que he leido. Las historias son realmente muy buenas. Recomendado para todos aquellos que les gusta leer.

Rulfo shines as a "cuentista" and I think this collection ofstories establishes him as northern Mexico's poetic voice. The desolation of Mexican life here is truly haunting yet somehow beautiful. I recommend these stories over his novel "Pedro Paramo", even though the novel is quite interesting.

I read this book in Spanish for the language, then in English for extra clarity. It is beautifully sparse, much like a black and white photograph - its surface is dark and bleak and colorless, yet the texture which can be read and felt beneath the surface is absolutely breathtaking. Rulfo creates a world I am both entranced by and afraid of.