Mutual Impressions - PB

This exquisite collection of literary criticism, assembled by Stavans (Growing Up Latino, etc.), offers beautifully rendered pieces by and about the most distinguished writers from the Americas. Perhaps more importantly, Stavans has shrewdly--and originally--arranged these essays as a dialogue between English-speaking North and Latin America, so that the book as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In the first grouping of 19 essays--all of which are translated from Spanish--we cover ground ranging from Derek Walcott's assessment of V.S. Naipaul (""Victims are now as articulate as their oppressors"") to Hiber Conteris's appreciation of Raymond Chandler (""[Philip Marlowe has] a moderate set of virtues and weaknesses that are commonly found in human beings""). In the next 15 essays, North American writers such as John Updike, John Barth and Grace Paley pay respects to their literary ""neighbors,"" including Teresa de la Parra, Pablo Neruda and Ernesto Sabato. The absence of female viewpoints in the first section is not an editorial oversight, but rather an indication of the deep cultural barriers to women's expression in many areas of Latin America. North American readers may be struck by their ignorance about the tradition of Latin American writers: some names are familiar but many are not. Perhaps in anticipation of this fact, many of the North American writers here spend more time educating their readers about their subjects than their South American colleagues do. Overall, the work of Jorge Luis Borges is perhaps the strongest presence across both sets of writers. He appears as both focus and influential figure in many subtly, imaginatively intellectual and gently philosophical writings. (Dec.)