The role of Mexico's Plural in Latin American literary and political culture from Tlatelolco to the "philanthropic ogre"

"Edited between 1971 and 1976 by the world famous writer, Octavio Paz, and funded by the Mexican daily newspaper Excelsior, Plural was one of the most important cultural journals in twentieth-century Latin America. Paz and a group of like-minded Mexican writers sought to build bridges with intellectuals in the Americas and in Europe, and managed to attract a dazzling range of contributors to the pages of the journal. Plural promoted debate on international affairs and Mexican politics, from developments in the Soviet Union, Cuba, and Chile, to an analysis of the presidential system in Mexico under Luis Echeverria, in the aftermath of the 1968 killing of student demonstrators in Tlatelolco, Mexico City. It published new work in poetry and fiction, and developed literary and art criticism. It was concerned throughout with the relationship of the writer to the state, that "philanthropic ogre" in Paz's evocative phrase. King has unearthed many previously unseen documents from the period in a study that places Plural within national and international debates concerning culture and politics."--Jacket.