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Show -- El 33i C v- )', rV' !v of Utino literature A ' ' .x lectual, social and cultural development children. Nonfiction accounts of culture, hirtory of disadvantaged iors brings new experiences to a classic tradition, enrich-in- g and enlarging the horizon of Hispanic literature. . , . ."v--"- Between Two Fires: Intimate . Writings oa Life, Love, Food and Flavor (Crown, $14.93, ISBN V 0609608479) is a smart liltle collection .. of Laura Esquivels speeches, short writings and recipes from the last decade, most never published in English. Mexican novelist Esquivel butst onto the international scene with tile Water for .Chocolate in 1989. Now, with Between TVo Fires, this funny and insightful ' author, muses on the. topics we most asso; ciate with her-li- fe, romance and family, and hoW food ip all ' its aspects infuses the human experience. i : reputation as a gifted writer. Sandra Benitezs third novel The Weight of A1 Thing (Hyperion, $22.93, ISBN 0786863994) is centered ; around Nicolas and his involvement in two events in El Salvador ip 1980, The first is die funeral of assassinated Archbishop Oscar Aroulfo Romero, a ceremony attended by 80j000 peofde, 35 of whom were killed when . violence erupted. The second is die :. slaughter by Hondurm and Salvadoran troops of 600 people fleeing rural repres-- . skm only two months later. Ina country " nine-yearn- dd and turbulentpolitics, Alma .. ' Guillcnnoprietos lively essays, cojlect-e- d in Looking for History: Dispatches from Latin America (Pantheon, $25, ISBN 0375420940),dissect the evenu that have shaped the region. Informative and perceptive, Guillermpprieto's ' accounts, many modified from more than lO yean of reportage and essays for Oicege Tribune 1HOV6L-- - mcjpfing die gum writings of theColombian guerrilla movement and gov- -. emmental corrap-- . lion inMexico, Her harp analysis of the events dial have ; . - TwoFIres is the perfect book for fans of food, lovers of Latin literature and just , plain kiven. Esquivels own wads sum up her book bestThough we may not be ; religious. 1 don't think it would be hard to acknowledge that through ' the smells and tastes of food we share with others, and thesustaiiiing presence of the divine inherent in. ; diem, we can enjoy a glimpse of paradise every day." The title says it all for Woodcuts of Wom (Grove, $23, ISBN 08021 1679SX a new collection of short stones by Dagoberto Gilb ; that's all about women. Instead of. ' shaped the politics of the area, com--! tuned with her con- versa! ionalstyle, bring home the realities of this troubled part of the world, . . : . , ; The Vintage Bookof Latin; American Stories, . : (Vintage, S14.ISBN 067977551X) edited by Carios Fuentes and Julio Ortega, brings together the best of die short story genre in a must-hav- e collection for lovctxof Latin American literature or those just discovering this rich tradition. These 39 stories, culled from the past 100 yearn and the most acclaimed writers of the region, ., explore die evolution of die style, as well as the trends in Latin Amimcan literature today. Featuring Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Julio Cotta zar, Maria LuisaPuga and Nelida Pifion, these stories charm, instruct and bring io the English-speakin-g world a new host of previously undiscovered gems. Downright fun is how 10 describe Denise Chavez's new novel. Loving Pedro Infante (Farrar, Straus, $24, ISBN 03741941 14). a laughoul-lou- d examination of divorcee ' Tcresina Avila. Tere, who lives in a outside El town Paso, is having an dusty, affair with a married man but loses her-self in die movies of late film and musical star Pedro Infante, a man known as the Mexican Elvis, Infante's movies could provide Here with lessons far her life if only she would follow diem. With a host of quirky friends and family; a liberal helping of Mexican-Americ; culture and Chavez's writing style. Loving Pedro Infante is a joy . . . , ' . female characters, Gilb . fully fleshcd-o- ut has created women who ate like wood1 cuts broadly rendered rather than finely detailed. And every protagonist in these 10 stories is a boy or man who loves. ; diem. Symbolizing seduction, mystery and power, these women are, in the end, the undoing of each protagonist. But, oh, V .. whataway togoi. In the opening story, Maria de Covina," a naive young department store, derk tries to remain faithful to his teenage girlfriend while posing as a stud among his older and more experienced female In Mayela One Day in 1989," a woman leads her boyfriend into an El Paso har and tries out her seductive skills an die gay and lesbian patrons. Most of the .characters in these stories toil at lousy jobs, inhabit squalid apartments and live desperate lives. The one thing that sustains them for betteraor worse iskrve of womeiu This is a passionate book full of finely wrought prose that reinforces Gilbs v .v . . ruined by internal strife, these two tragedies form the harrowing bookends : , to Nicolas' search for his mother as he endure die random and violent deaths of friends and family, the destruction of local communities and the constant fear fire. In matter-of-fa- ct of machine-gu-n evocative prose, Benitez's novel delivers an affecting portrait of innocent people caught in the crossfire of warring fac . Lirry Brown will show you another America hls Am erica and dare you to try again to forget that it still exists. ; .. . . . VSA Today ' 1., For years, Larry Brown has been known and respected as a writers writer. But now, with ' ; Fay this profoundly. Southern novelist may win the broad readership he so richly deserves.;,. Spellbinding. : TVoplr an down-to-ear- .' th to read. Kelly Koepke is a writer in Albuquerque, New Mexico. MAY-20- 0 m lwe 3 . Bui. Nichols, . . love-stru- ck Polly notoriously tangled political situations, . Beautifully illustrated withwhimsical line drawings and foB of wisdom. Between V . - of The New Yorker, delve into the stories . . bestw)iks?V ? Paddock Gossett Eva Perdo and Argentina, Che Guevara and the Marxist insurgency in South America, and Cuba wait for the depar-- . turn of Castro. Guillermoprieto has a keen eyeand an intimate know led ge of :. : ' orighis-;:- , ; ; Larry Brown is; true original, J- tions. A portion of the proceeds from the book will goto Rosie O'Ponnells For All Kids Foundatioo to support the intel- Today s Hispanic writm whether they call.themsdves divinise stories from a Latino.Mejicano or Chicano-cr- aft common culture. Marrying old themes of famUy.pohticsand fives an litFflrtirTtl"" i T uz Enriching the traditions BYKoiyKocrKE if jj,f nmwf tarniNiR MPIIMLl MCIMM Ptivaoem qmmpomi |