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Pancho Villa: A Revolutionary Life
A reevaluation of life the man who saved the Mexican Revolution, published on the 100th anniversary of his death.
A wild ride and revealing portrait of the controversial Pancho Villa, one of Mexico’s most beloved (or loathed) heroes, that finally establishes the importance of his role in the triumph of the Mexican revolution by renowned crime writer Paco Ignacio Taibo tII.
The last biography of Pancho Villa was published 25 years ago, and this new edition has been translated into English for the first time. This biography marks a kind of reinvention of the legendary Mexican figure of Pancho Villa. It is a masterful reevaluation and heavily researched account of his life. This book makes a new claim, finally giving Pancho Villa his due as the decisive figure in the success of Mexican Revolution. Here he is less the colorful bandito and more the incorruptible conscience that not only won key battles, but also maintained the revolutionary vision and led the way in terms of class consciousness.
Pancho Villa is a rollicking, sometimes hilariously comical, sometimes extremely violent, and always very personal portrait of the controversial Mexican historical figure Pancho Villa. Beloved crime writer Paco Ignacio Taibo II (a.k.a. PIT)—the prolific historian, biographer of Che Guevara and the founder of Mexican “neopolicial” fiction—brings his tremendous storytelling skills to an account of one of the Mexico’s greatest legendary characters.
With his vibrant narrative style, Taibo describes the adventures of Pancho Villa with incredible stories, the stuff of history and tragedy, backed up by tremendous research. Throughout, Taibo unveils secrets about the life of one of Mexico's most courageous and charismatic leaders. Includes period photographs that indelibly capture the rocky transition from the wild and agrarian past towards modern statehood.
A wild ride and revealing portrait of the controversial Pancho Villa, one of Mexico’s most beloved (or loathed) heroes, that finally establishes the importance of his role in the triumph of the Mexican revolution by renowned crime writer Paco Ignacio Taibo tII.
The last biography of Pancho Villa was published 25 years ago, and this new edition has been translated into English for the first time. This biography marks a kind of reinvention of the legendary Mexican figure of Pancho Villa. It is a masterful reevaluation and heavily researched account of his life. This book makes a new claim, finally giving Pancho Villa his due as the decisive figure in the success of Mexican Revolution. Here he is less the colorful bandito and more the incorruptible conscience that not only won key battles, but also maintained the revolutionary vision and led the way in terms of class consciousness.
Pancho Villa is a rollicking, sometimes hilariously comical, sometimes extremely violent, and always very personal portrait of the controversial Mexican historical figure Pancho Villa. Beloved crime writer Paco Ignacio Taibo II (a.k.a. PIT)—the prolific historian, biographer of Che Guevara and the founder of Mexican “neopolicial” fiction—brings his tremendous storytelling skills to an account of one of the Mexico’s greatest legendary characters.
With his vibrant narrative style, Taibo describes the adventures of Pancho Villa with incredible stories, the stuff of history and tragedy, backed up by tremendous research. Throughout, Taibo unveils secrets about the life of one of Mexico's most courageous and charismatic leaders. Includes period photographs that indelibly capture the rocky transition from the wild and agrarian past towards modern statehood.
- GenresHistory
1008 pages, Hardcover
Published August 27, 2024
19 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
Paco Ignacio Taibo II
188 books579 followersPaco Ignacio Taibo II, birth name Francisco Ignacio Taibo Mahojo, is a popular Mexican writer and novelist. He is the son of the late journalist Paco Ignacio Taibo I.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 25, 2024
I really wanted to read a book about the Mexican Revolution so Pancho seemed to be the natural focal point. After a bit of research, I learned that the several "autobiographies" were of questionable origin, and many of the light-reading historical tellings were drawn from those. Several places referenced a Spanish-only book by Taibo, and those same recommendations lamented it had yet to be translated.
It turns out, that English translation was released days before! What luck!
It really is a comprehensive book. It is exhaustively researched, balancing the myriad primary sources against each other, where remaining questions are disambiguated with even more research. I was shocked by the level of detail, and attention paid to coax apart the folk legends from the objective truth. You learn about every facet of the war, from the constituent players, the flags the warring factions fought under, the geography and geology of the area, and the general idiosyncrasies that gave us the legendary figure Pancho Villa.
Unfortunately, the level of detail was, in my opinion, one of the major downsides to the book. It is formatted as almost a day-by-day replay of every individual event, skirmish, or movement throughout the course of the Revolution. What I was looking for, however, was more about the philosophies. What were the overarching motivations? What compelled scores of thousands of country folk to risk their families and livelihoods to fight in this war? There was a fair amount of discovery as to how the larger movement was perpetuated (drive, values, pride, factions, momentum...), but less about the 'why.'
I don't see this as a criticism of the book in any way. It was extremely compelling and I could not put it down. But at the end of the day, I'm still left wondering about the same questions I approached the subject with. Perhaps my next inquiries will direct my attention South to see what Emiliano Zapata was up to. Or look once more for a greater meta-analysis on the Mexican Revolution.
It turns out, that English translation was released days before! What luck!
It really is a comprehensive book. It is exhaustively researched, balancing the myriad primary sources against each other, where remaining questions are disambiguated with even more research. I was shocked by the level of detail, and attention paid to coax apart the folk legends from the objective truth. You learn about every facet of the war, from the constituent players, the flags the warring factions fought under, the geography and geology of the area, and the general idiosyncrasies that gave us the legendary figure Pancho Villa.
Unfortunately, the level of detail was, in my opinion, one of the major downsides to the book. It is formatted as almost a day-by-day replay of every individual event, skirmish, or movement throughout the course of the Revolution. What I was looking for, however, was more about the philosophies. What were the overarching motivations? What compelled scores of thousands of country folk to risk their families and livelihoods to fight in this war? There was a fair amount of discovery as to how the larger movement was perpetuated (drive, values, pride, factions, momentum...), but less about the 'why.'
I don't see this as a criticism of the book in any way. It was extremely compelling and I could not put it down. But at the end of the day, I'm still left wondering about the same questions I approached the subject with. Perhaps my next inquiries will direct my attention South to see what Emiliano Zapata was up to. Or look once more for a greater meta-analysis on the Mexican Revolution.
Displaying 1 of 1 review