Book Examines Cuban-French Author Eduardo Manet

February 16, 2000

University Park, Pa. --- Despite Eduardo Manet’s impressive accomplishments extending over half a century, this extraordinarily talented Cuban-French author remains relatively unknown in the United States. Penn State Press has published a new book, "The Novels and Plays of Eduardo Manet An Adventure in Multiculturalism," that is the first to examine the multifaceted career of this dynamic bilingual writer.

Playwright and novelist, theater and film director, Eduardo Manet (b. 1930) has been a major participant in the cultural worlds of both Cuba and France. His works have been internationally acclaimed: he has been nominated for the Prix Goncourt and was awarded a special Goncourt youth prize, and his novels and plays have been translated into 21 languages.

Manet’s work, however, has often been overlooked by both French and Spanish-American critics because of his unique position as a Latin American writing in French. Author Phyllis Zatlin, professor of Spanish at Rutgers University, sets out to correct this oversight by offering a detailed analysis of Manet’s many genres and themes. She begins with his work in Cuba, from his youthful poetry and plays to the films he directed in Revolutionary Cuba. She then examines his seven full-length novels, all written in French but typically reflective of Cuban experience. Finally, she concludes her study by considering Manet’s early plays of entrapment and enclosure and his later theater, defined by its metatheatrical and multicultural themes.

Through the lenses of multiculturalism, postmodernism, metatheater, and farce, Zatlin provides a perceptive and comprehensive examination of this significant yet neglected figure. The book will do the important work of introducing Manet to a North American audience.

"The Novels and Plays of Eduardo Manet An Adventure in Multiculturalism" is $42.50 for cloth edition. For ordering information, contact the Penn State University Press at 814-865-1327; Toll Free Order: 800-326-9180; or at www.psu.edu/psupress/ on the Internet.

Established in 1956, Penn State Press is a university press specializing in art history, Black studies, general interest, history, literary studies, philosophy, political science, religion, regional studies, sociology, and women's studies

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Media Contact:

Amy Neil ??814-865-1327