Ballad of Another Time

by José Luis González, Asa Zatz (Translator), Irene Vilar (Introduction)

“A haunting, almost uncanny tale of love and honor in which the three main characters move through a world of secret passions and silences. . . .  [Set in Puerto Rico], scenes of impoverished farmers, madwomen, and men in coffee shops and cafes combine to form a blend of voices and landscapes whose essence can be distilled into three tobacco, coffee, and sugar. . . . Asa Zatz must be praised for bringing into his English version the beauty and melody of [González’s] Spanish original.”—Marjorie Agosin, New York Times Book Review

122 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1987

About the author

José Luis González was a Puerto Rican essayist, novelist, short story writer, university professor, and journalist who lived most of his life in exile in Mexico due to his pro-independence political views. He is considered to be one of the most important Puerto Rican authors of the 20th century, particularly for his book Puerto Rico: The Four-Storeyed Country and Other Essays, which was first published in Spanish in 1980.

Reviews

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

The foreword had me excited to see the parallels between the story and Puerto Rican politics and history, but I don't know enough about those or wasn't literarily astute enough to discern them! Would love to discuss with someone more familiar.

[Celina · Rating 3 out of 5]

La historia es sencilla, casi elemental: una esposa huye con un empleado y su marido los busca para hacer lo que manda la tradición y la masculinidad. El autor, partidario de la independencia puertorriquena exiliado en México, añade comentarios politicos de fondo. Buena lectura.

[Aurora Bennet · Rating 4 out of 5]

read it in spanish. Loved it bec. it's about my people and the island my family came from.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this for class and I was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful it is. Very quick read but very well done.