CUENTOS DE MAGON.

By Prof. JoséMaria Arce (Spanish). San Jose: AntonioLehmann, 1968. 416 pp.

This book is an attractive revision of Professor Emeritus Arce's earlier edition of the collected stories of Manuel González Zeledón ("Magon"), Cuentos: edición, estudiocrítico y glosario (San José 1947).

The excellent introductory section (pages v-xxxv) traces the period of Magón's activity (1880's-1930's) in the consular service of two major capitals, San Jose and New York. The Hispanist reviews both the intellectual and cultural patterns that converged to produce a climate of experimentation and reform. In such a context, Magon's journalistic writings acquire an immediacy that a less perceptive approach would have failed to convey. The writer's literary formation, his nationalistic and ideological preoccupations, and, not least of all, his inspiring human qualities, are impressively brought to light in Professor Arce's commentary. In my opinion, one of the special features of this scholar's contribution is that he takes a fresh approach to the understanding and appreciation of a literary genre that has often been excluded from serious criticism. The costumbristic sketches, which comprise all but two of the 44 pieces reproduced in this edition, receive a sound analysis on the basis of their narrative art and humanistic value.

With respect to the possibilities now open for evaluation, future critics will be indebted to Professor Arce for having established a definitive chronology of the stories. His meticulous preparation of the text and accompanying notes are equally welcome critical tools. The non-specialist can comfortably thumb the 62-page glossary of diatectological items, and will probably turn frequently to the lucid historical notes.

Finally, the inclusion in this volume of some previously unpublished documents, and the valuable appendix of Hispanists' articles brighten its unquestionable appeal as a highly readable, scholarly work.

Miss Yudin is Assistant Professor of Romance Languages at Dartmouth.