Buenos Aires: A Cultural and Literary Companion

by Jason Wilson

A new and innovative series offering in-depth cultural, historical and literary guides to the great cities of the world. More than ordinary guidebooks, they introduce the visitor or armchair traveller to each city's unique present-day identity and its links with the past.Jason Wilson explores this contradictory and culturally rich city by tracing its development from remote ranching settlement to modern metropolis. Taking landmarks, both well-known and hidden, as starting-points for a journey of discovery, he looks at the events, people and writing that have shaped modern Buenos Aires and its cultural life.

Genres: Travel, History

249 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

There is more than one author with this name

Jason Wilson is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Spanish and Latin American Studies, University College London. His books include Jorge Luis Borges (Reaktion, 2006), The Andes: A Cultural History (2009) Buenos Aires: A Cultural History (1999), Octavio Paz: A Study of his Poetics (1979), Octavio Paz (1986), An A–Z of Latin American Literature in English Translation (1989), Traveller's Literary Companion to South and Central America (1993), and essays on W. H. Hudson, Charles Darwin, Julio Cortázar and Latin American poetry. He lives in London and Buenos Aires.

Reviews

[Julie Thomason · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was simply a slog. I bought it for my visit to Buenos Aires. It is crammed full of information but the style is monotonous, heavy going. I began reading ot before my trip, took it with me and only really managed to absorb the detail after my return where references make sense. Though updated it is a bit out of date; to read if on a long stay in the city.

[Beatrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is wonderful to read once you have been in Buenos Aires for a while. You understand most of the references and know what he and other authors are writing about.

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

While helpful at times when walking through the city, the constant quoting of literature with which I was not familiar left the writing feeling fragmented and difficult to move through. It seemed as though the author avoided doing any processing of the sources by just assembling a long string of direct quotes with little context on the literary work, its author or historical background provided. If you were a literature major you might have gotten more out of this but I'm fairly well read and I recognized few to none of the references in any given passage. After reading about the neighborhood I was walking through I felt only marginally more educated on the cultural context of what I was seeing. You can probably find something more useful elsewhere.

[Bob Ramsak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used Buenos Aires: A Cultural History by Jason Wilson as my main guidebook around the city while visiting, referring to it and stealing notes from it much more often than from my Lonely Planet. Organized primarily by neighborhood, it's an authoritative and sometimes fascinating tour of the city told through the words of novelists, travelers, journalists and poets, both contemporary and historical. If you’re planning a visit, I strongly suggest reading it before you arrive. And continue to once you’re there. And take lots of notes.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ideal reader for this book would be an expat book lover, bilingual and living in Argentina. You could spend some time with it, scribbling notes from your own readings in its margins, not bothering to read the whole thing in one go. For a brief vacationer in Buenos Aires, as I was, this book is perhaps not very necessary until before or after your visit, and then only for its citations and bibliography. But a good reading list is a nice thing to have.

[Glenn Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very exciting book about Buenos Aires through a literary perspective of each section of town. A walk though many of the streets and boulevards with description of all the leaders, writers, and events. Parks, monuments and battles. Backed up by the many novels that were written about Buenos Aires, this book will make someone want to go visit this historic city.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thorough "literary companion," I guess, but somewhat disappointing as travel narrative. Wilson is best at dropping names and dropping quotes, not so great at making Buenos Aires come alive for the reader.

[Maximiliano Peralta · Rating 1 out of 5]

A disgrace to Argentina..terrible.