Visiting writers bring firsthand view of Mexico's literary life

by Eric Quiñones
University students this spring are getting an authentic view of Mexico City's literary culture without leaving their Frist Campus Center seminar room.

Ruben Gallo, an assistant professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Cultures, is bringing six internationally known Mexican writers to Princeton during the semester to discuss their work and their perspectives on Mexico City's literary scene. The 15 students in Gallo's course, "Contemporary Writers in Mexico City," relish the opportunity to personally engage the subjects of their coursework.

"I really enjoy hearing the writers discuss the writing process. I am not necessarily interested in becoming a writer myself, but it is fascinating to hear about the process that goes into creating a work of fiction and how this attitude and work ethic differs from one author to another," said sophomore Sara Arnold. "It has been interesting to hear the authors themselves discuss the symbols in their writing and share their own interpretations, which have in some cases been similar to my own and in some cases differed."

Gallo, whose research focuses mainly on avant-garde movements in Mexican literature and culture, said he designed the course in an attempt to demystify the study of literature.

"I love literary life and literary culture," said Gallo, whose research often takes him to Mexico City to meet with writers and attend readings. "I've noticed that in some literature courses, literature becomes this very abstract, very remote object of study. I wanted to give this experience to the students so they could see that literature is created by people just like us -- you can talk to them, you can have agreements and disagreements about what it all means."

Read the full story in the Weekly Bulletin.