The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela
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 D az, 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.Mariano Azuela, the first of the Revolutionary novelists, was born in 1873 in Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco, Mexico. He studied medicine in Guadalajara before returning to Lagos in 1909 to begin practicing medicine. He began his writing career early, with the publication of Impressions of a Student in a Mexico City weekly in 1896. Following that, he wrote numerous sketches and short stories, as well as his first novel, Andres Perez, Maderista, published in 1911. Like most young Liberals, he backed Francisco I. After Madero's assassination, he became a medic in Pancho Villa's army, where he learned about the Revolution firsthand. When Victoriano Huerta's counterrevolutionary forces momentarily triumphed, he went to El Paso, Texas, where he penned The Underdogs (Los de abajo) in 1915, a masterpiece that was not widely recognized until 1924, when it was heralded as the Revolution's novel.Azuela was inherently a moralist, and his dissatisfaction with the Revolution soon began to reveal itself. He had fought for a better Mexico, but he realized that, while the Revolution had remedied some injustices, it had also resulted in the emergence of others that were just as bad. His disillusionment was severe and painful as he witnessed the self-serving and unprincipled turn his expectations for the redemption of his country's disadvantaged into a ladder to serve their own interests.
His later novels are tainted by caustic satire at times. He resided in Mexico City in his later years, until his death in 1952, writing and practicing his vocation among the destitute.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780375759420 |
| ISBN 10 | 0375759425 |
| Title | The Underdogs |
| Author | Mariano Azuela |
| Series | Modern Library Classics |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Random House USA Inc |
| Year published | 2002-09-10 |
| Number of pages | 192 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |