The Latin American Urban Crónica

Bielsa's exploration of the crónica—a unique genre in Latin American culture - both literature and commentary on everyday life—is outstanding. Her lucid description of crónica writers, in particular of how Martillo and Perez Cruz lend a voice to the hidden histories of the cities of Guayquil and Mexico city is beautifully interwoven with a thorough and illuminating analysis of the rich heterogeneity of Latin American culture. This book will appeal to all those interested in the unique mixture of cultures and identities in Latin America. -- Vivian Schelling, University of East London
The text is an exceptional tool for any reader, providing a wealth of information for the non-specialist, and a sound review and analysis of chronicles and chronicle readership for the literary critic. Bielsa carries out a fine exploration of the urban crónica in seven chapters, which range from the high and low culture debates to individual analyses of crónicas appearing in the press of contemporary Guayaquil and Mexico City, and which conclude with a discussion of how crónica readership is distinguished today. * H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews Online *
Esperança Bielsa's study captures the richness of the literature of flanerie in contemporary Latin America through her original and imaginative exploration of the cronicas in the metropolitan contexts of Mexico City and Guayaguil. Drawing theoretical impulses from Benjamin, Bourdieu and others, her study illuminates for us a literature devoted to neglected aspects of reading, writing, and mapping the city in 'journalistic' forms that defy the distinction between 'high' and 'low' culture. Should be essential reading for all who are interested in the literature of urban modernity. -- David Frisby, London School of Economics