Cosmopolitanism in the Americas

In an analysis based in a sophisticated use of critical theory, Fojas (Latin American and Latino studies, DePaul U., Chicago) engages a selection of modernist Latin American writers of the early 20th century as examples of cosmopolitanism, a notion here interpreted as a worldly modernity. The writings of Enrique Gomez Carrillo, Aurelia Castillo de Gonzalez (who wrote about the Chicago World's Fair), Jose Enrique Rodo, and the Venezuelan journal Cosmopolis are discussed in the context of other writers in Latin America, Europe, and the United States, and in terms of their expression of determinedly non-mainstream values, lifestyles, and ideas. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).