Antone's Nightclub
Metaphysical Slumming in Mexico Missing Actual Mexicans
RECEIVED Sat., April 17, 2010
Dear Editor,
What, exactly, is so inspired about one white writing-program graduate talking to another white writing-program graduate about metaphysical slumming in Mexico and then returning with a duty-free baggie of magical realism to sprinkle on the already well-worn border between fiction and reporting?
Maybe I am missing something here. But if there was anything in Kimberley Jones’ cover story [“Plays With Expectations,” Arts, April 16] besides using an entire country and people as backdrop for one more gringo’s Twilight Zone education south of the border, I missed it.
As usual, the disappeared elephant in this David Copperfield conversation is – surprise! – actual Mexicans themselves. Those who, in a region burgeoning with a brown demographic, live with the absurdity of crossing borders daily, whether in Laredo or on the No. 13 bus. And who, having inherited a conflicted history, made the journey from innocence to experience some time ago.
Clichéd border stories wouldn’t rankle so much if there weren’t already dozens of Latina/o writers with fresher takes on transnational reality. I would be happy to sit down with Ms. Jones and Mr. Silverstein tomorrow, at the Taco Bell of their choice.
When I was finishing a Michener Fellowship, I had the pleasure of attending a publishing party with Mr. Michener himself. He introduced me to assembled patrons as an inspiring young person who had left his family and crossed the river to make a better life for himself. Unfortunately, this story had nothing to do with me. I was raised in the Air Force, and my family lived in South Texas for generations. Reading your cover story, a similar disconnect reared its head.
The real story here is who gets to be in whose fantasy. To return the favor, I will write a one-act play about Mr. Silverstein and Ms. Jones sitting down for breakfast tacos. Deal?
What, exactly, is so inspired about one white writing-program graduate talking to another white writing-program graduate about metaphysical slumming in Mexico and then returning with a duty-free baggie of magical realism to sprinkle on the already well-worn border between fiction and reporting?
Maybe I am missing something here. But if there was anything in Kimberley Jones’ cover story [“Plays With Expectations,” Arts, April 16] besides using an entire country and people as backdrop for one more gringo’s Twilight Zone education south of the border, I missed it.
As usual, the disappeared elephant in this David Copperfield conversation is – surprise! – actual Mexicans themselves. Those who, in a region burgeoning with a brown demographic, live with the absurdity of crossing borders daily, whether in Laredo or on the No. 13 bus. And who, having inherited a conflicted history, made the journey from innocence to experience some time ago.
Clichéd border stories wouldn’t rankle so much if there weren’t already dozens of Latina/o writers with fresher takes on transnational reality. I would be happy to sit down with Ms. Jones and Mr. Silverstein tomorrow, at the Taco Bell of their choice.
When I was finishing a Michener Fellowship, I had the pleasure of attending a publishing party with Mr. Michener himself. He introduced me to assembled patrons as an inspiring young person who had left his family and crossed the river to make a better life for himself. Unfortunately, this story had nothing to do with me. I was raised in the Air Force, and my family lived in South Texas for generations. Reading your cover story, a similar disconnect reared its head.
The real story here is who gets to be in whose fantasy. To return the favor, I will write a one-act play about Mr. Silverstein and Ms. Jones sitting down for breakfast tacos. Deal?
Sincerely,
Vicente Lozano
Vicente Lozano