Pot Pourri: Whistlings of an Idler

Eugenio Cambaceres was the first to introduce the naturalist manner of Émile Zola to Argentinean literature in the late nineteenth century. The work of Cambaceres, a precursor to the contemporary Argentinean novel, is crucial for an understanding of the period of consolidation of Argentina, the formation of a national identity, and especially for the role of the intellectual during that transition. This gereation theoretically and methodically built up a literature with features of its own, stressing the cultural primacy of Buenos Aires par excellence, to enhance the evolution of the cosmopolitan metropolis. A rich dandy narrates Pot Pourri, relating a story of marriage and adultery during the carnival celebrations. The volume editor, Josefina Ludmer, describes the dandy as an ambiguous protagonist who acts both as a reflection and a critic of the liberal state. As a new addition to the already-acclaimed Library of Latin America, Pot Pourri should find its rightful place with the ever-growing audience for Latin American literature.