novels, novellas, short stories, criticism
Alejo Carpentier (1904-1980) was a Cuban writer who made a connection between European culture and the native history of Latin-America. His literary style is a wonderful combination of dazzling images and a rich language, full of the technical jargon of whatever subject he touches on – music, architecture, painting, history, or agriculture.
He was also the first to use the techniques of ‘magical realism’ (he coined the term, lo real maravilloso) in which the concrete, real world becomes suffused with fantasy elements, myths, dreams, and a fractured sense of time and logic.
Carpentier is generally considered one of the fathers of modern Latin American literature. His complex, baroque style has inspired such writers as Gabriel García Márquez and Carlos Fuentes.
Alejo Carpentier – novels in English
The Kingdom of this World (1949) – Amazon UK
The Kingdom of this World (1949) – Tutorial, study guide, web links
The Lost Steps (1953) – Amazon UK
The Lost Steps (1953) – Tutorial, study guide, web links
Explosion in a Cathedral (1962) – Amazon UK
Reasons of State (1974) – Amazon UK
The Consecration of Spring (1978) – Amazon UK
The Harp and the Shadow (1979) – Amazon UK
The Harp and the Shadow (1979) – Tutorial, study guide, web links
Alejo Carpentier – stories in English
The Chase (1956) – Amazon UK
The Chase (1956) – Tutorial and study guide
The War of Time (1963) – Amazon UK
Journey Back to the Source (1963) – Amazon UK
Journey Back to the Source (1963) – Tutorial and study guide
The Road to Santiago (1963) – Amazon UK
The Road to Santiago (1963) – Tutorial and study guide
Right of Sanctuary (1967) – Amazon UK
Right of Sanctuary (1967) – Tutorial and study guide
Baroque Concerto (1974) – Amazon UK
Baroque Concerto (1974) – Tutorial and study guide
Alejo Carpentier – novels in Spanish
Ecue-yamba-O! (1933) – Amazon UK
El reino de este mundo (1949) – Amazon UK
Los pasos perdidos (1953) – Amazon UK
El siglo de las luces (1962) – Amazon UK
El recurso del metodo (1974) – Amazon UK
La consegracion de la primavera (1978) – Amazon UK
El arpa y el sombra (1979) – Amazon UK
Cuentos completos (1979) – Amazon UK
Alejo Carpentier web links
Carpentier at Wikipedia
Background, biography, magical realism, major works, literary style, further reading
Carpentier at Amazon UK
Novels, criticism, and interviews – in Spanish and English
Carpentier at Internet Movie Database
Films and TV movies made from his novels
Carpentier in Depth
Spanish video documentary and interview with Carpentier (1977)
© Roy Johnson 2017
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