"I find it difficult to imagine similar depth, whether by or about the Indigenous people, anywhere in Latin American literature. . . . The translation . . . is an achievement unto itself." –
Eduardo Galeano, Los Angeles Times "No list about Guatemalan writers would be complete without mentioning an Asturias book. . . .
Men of Maize . . . addresses the way of life of the Indigenous Maya population and its attempt to hold on to its culture . . . and tells the stories of what it means when one culture attempts and succeeds to impose itself upon the other–the loss of identities, spiritualities, and histories." –
Jared Lemus, Electric Literature "
Men of Maize is Asturias's Mayan masterpiece, his Indigenous
Ulysses, a deep dive into the forces that made and kept the Maya a subservient caste, and the perpetual resistance that kept Guatemala's many Mayan cultures alive and resilient." –
Héctor Tobar, from the Foreword "
Men of Maize may one day be considered the most important book written in Central America since the so-called 'Maya Bible' or 'Maya Genesis, ' the
Popol Vuh. . . . [It] is the most ambitious novel ever written about the mysterious, fascinating, and tragic country that . . . became known as Guatemala. . . . Its contexts are excitingly diverse and its subtexts extraordinarily profound. . . . It has a tragic relevance for all of us that is even more immediate now than when it was written. . . . [It] is a profound meditation on the history of Guatemala . . . [and] a symbolic history of life on this planet, the whole vast world and universe viewed from the cruel and beautiful case study that was Guatemala. . . . There are few novels from which more can be learned." –
Gerald Martin, from the Introduction
