Literal 35

Fiction

Poetry

Reviews

Film

Literal 35
On the Humanities
/ Las humanidades

On March 31 of this year, Octavio Paz would have turned 100. To celebrate this anniversary, we are featuring two essays that examine the lifespans of two of his magazines, Plural and Vuelta, as well as a topic not often revisited by Paz’s critics: the place of the novel in his opus. To this end, we have called upon Adolfo Castañón and Paul-Henri Giraud. Accompanying this commemoration, we provide a reflection voiced by one of the most lucid thinkers of our time, George Steiner, who speaks about the current situation in the sciences and the humanities.

Should we keep talking and continue to read about Cuba? We at Literal believe the answer is yes, and in this issue, we offer an ample dossier on the Island: how it is seen by its visitors and readers, but also by artists, Cuban or not. Maarten Van Delden, Yvon Grenier, Mabel Cuesta, Héctor Manjarrez, and Ernesto Hernández Busto, among others, take part in this conversation.

We also offer you texts, poems, and images by Mario Bellatin, Francisco Segovia, and Selma Ancira. And our arts portfolio showcases the work of Antonio Berni, Jona- than Leach, and Fernando de la Rosa.

As we were putting this edition to bed, we learned of the unfortunate passage of one of our greatest writers: José Emilio Pacheco. Literal chooses to pay him tribute by publishing an English translation of one of his poems, in a version by Tanya Huntington.