A Rare Testimony
Mar 24th, 2008 by houghtonmodern
We recently added this first edition of Alfonso Reyes’s El Testimonio de Juan Peña to our collections of Latin American writers and artists:
A Mexican writer, philosopher, and diplomat, Reyes served as Mexican Ambassador to Brazil from 1930-36, publishing this work in Rio de Janeiro in 1930. The story is semi-autobiographical, and explores ideas of cultural nationalism through the experiences of a young man.
Reyes remains an important figure in Latin American literature. His 1912 short story “La Ceña” is considered a forerunner of surrealism and of Latin American magical realism. Jorge Luis Borges referred to him as “the best prose writer in the Spanish language of any period.”
Our copy, unopened, and in wrappers, was inscribed by Reyes to Cuban/French poet and book collector Armand Godoy (1880-1964):
“Para Armando Godoy, siempre muy querido, recordado y admirado. Alfonso Reyes, Rio 1931.”
*LMC9.R3305.930t. Purchased with the Bennett Hubbard Nash Fund. Images may not be reproduced without permission.