Critical theory meets Latin American fiction in this bold and challenging analysis of literature and literary criticism through post-structuralist analysis. Focusing on Latin American literary and critical production from the 1890s to the 1990s, Bernard McGuirk highlights the confrontation between theory, politics and literature. The range of literatures discussed is extensive, including writings from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru. The symptomatic differences between and within cultures are illuminated by analysis of texts by such authors as: César Vallejo Jorges Luis Borges Rubén Darío Pablo Neruda Julio Cortázar João Guimarães Rosa Susana Thénon Carlos Fuentes Bernard McGuirk holds the Chair of Romance Literatures and Literary Theory at the University of Nottingham. He is currently President of the Association of Hispanists of Great Britain and Ireland.