The Gaucho Juan Moreira: True Crime in Nineteenth-Century Argentina

Description

Argentinian writer Eduardo Gutierrez (1851-1889) fashioned his seminal gauchesque novel from the prison records of the real Juan Moreira, a noble outlaw whose life and name became legendary in the Rio de la Plata during the late 19th century. John Chasteen's fast-moving, streamlined translation-the first ever into English-captures all of the sweeping romance and knife-wielding excitement of the original. William Acree's introduction and notes situate Juan Moreira in its literary and historical contexts. Numerous illustrations, a map of Moreira's travels, a glossary of terms, and a select bibliography are all included.

John?Charles Chasteen is Patterson Distinguished Term Professor of History, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"Chasteen conveys [the novel'] power and action, as well as the colorful language and humor of the gaucho found in the original text. Acree' astute introduction contextualizes the life and exploits of Argentina' great 19th-century bandit hero. Moreira' humanity and heroism come through clearly to the modern reader. Thanks to Gutierrez' skillful blending of fact and fiction about Moreira, readers today will learn a great deal about the social realities and folk customs of 19th-century gauchos. General readers will enjoy the action and pathos of this early work of 'rue crime.'Instructors seeking to engage their students with a compelling tale of 19th-century Latin American class conflict and social injustice will want to assign the book in their courses." --Richard W. Slatta, North Carolina State University