Oameni de porumb sau, mai pentru noi, oameni de mmlig, fr os, slabi, alimentai de sperane himerice - iat un diagnoz realist, un certificat de sclav emis de unul din granzii literaturii latino-americane. E atât de trist soarta oamenilor de porumb încât nu-i mai este mil de ei, fiindc mila este ultimul esut viu pe care-i cldesc destinul.

Civilization exploits nature and destroys it. Nature and civilization are in perpetual opposition to each otherThe sun let down its hair. The summer was received in the domain of the chieftain of Ilóm with comb honey rubbed on the branches of the fruit trees, so the fruit would be sweet; with headdresses of immortelles on the heads of the women, so the women would be fertile; and with dead raccoons hanging from the doors of the ranchos, so the men would be potent.The firefly wizards, descendants of the great clashers of flint stones, sowed sparkling lights in the black air of the night to be sure there would be guiding stars in the winter. The firefly wizards with their obsidian sparks. The firefly wizards, who dwelt in tents of virgin doeskin.These are the ways of nature And the ways of civilization are guns and machines, intrigues and perfidy.The gods have disappeared, but the legends remain and they, like the gods before them, demand sacrifices. Gone too are the obsidian knives which tore out the hearts of sacrificial victims, but the knives of absence which wound and madden, remain.As a revenge for the treachery and massacre, with the magic more ancient than the Christian religion, the dire curse was worked And Men of Maize is a cruel and marvelous story recounting how this curse is being fulfilled.Life ain't no iguana's tail where you chop off one piece and another comes out to face the danger anew. You lose it and it stays lost. Don't sprout again. Ain't on permanent lease.Whatever we wish and however we plan, life intertwines and interlocks the past and the present, truth and fiction, our desires and our achievements in the most unpredictable and whimsical ways.

Cómo Cien años de Soledad pero habla de la historia de un pueblo y su gente. La realidad y sus leyendas. Es excelente, Asturias merece mucho más respeto y reconocimiento que el que le damos.

Los libros de Miguel Angel Asturias no son nada faciles, ni son para cualquier lector. Yo misma en su momento deje tirado "El sennor presidente" como 2 veces porque no lograba conectar. Pero una vez que se lograr, se encuentran obras llenas de consciencia social, de una narrativa tan barroca como poetica a la vez y un crisol maravilloso con referencias a la cultura maya ancestral. "Hombres de maiz" es una mezcla de todo esto que les digo, y aunque a ratos su historia se diluye entre mucha prosa adornada, la historia de fondo es tan vigente como triste. Recomendado para los amantes de la cultura e historia de America Latina, mas especialmente, Guatemala.

This novel reads like an epic poem. The text is a bit dense at times, but once I found the rhythm, I found it beautiful with touches of humor and heartbreak.