Amalia was one of the most popular Latin American novels and, until recently, was required reading in Argentina's schools. It was written to protest the dictatorship of Juan Manuel de Rosas and to provide a picture of the political events during his regime, but the book's popularity stemmed from the love story that fuels the plot. Originally published in 1851 in serial form, Marmol recounts the story of Eduardo and Amalia, who fall in love while he is hiding in her home. Amalia and her cousin Daniel protect him from Rosist persecution, but before the couple and the cousin can escape to safety, they are discovered by the death squad and the young men die. Similar in style to the romantic novels of Walter Scott, Amalia provides a detailed picture of life under a dictatorship combined with lively dialogue, drama, and a tragic love story.

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Originally published serially in 1851, Amalia is generally considered to be the Argentinean national novel and, until recently, was required reading in that country's schools. Set in Buenos Aires in 1840 during an unsuccessful uprising against the rule of the cruel Federalist dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas, Amalia is part political allegory and part love story. The love story involves Eduardo Belgrano, stalwart Unitarian and nephew of an earlier Argentinean revolutionary hero. While trying to emigrate, Eduardo is attacked by Rosas's thugs but then saved by Daniel Bello, his dashing and crafty best friend and taken to the home of Daniel's beautiful widowed cousin, Amalia. She and Eduardo quickly fall in love, though their relationship is impeded by his status as a wanted man. Meanwhile, Daniel, who masquerades as a dedicated Federalist, is organizing behind the scenes to deliver the capital to the Unitarian troops, who are poised to attack. While the novel has the potential to appeal to readers of 19th-century fiction generally, this scholarly edition will find its audience primarily in academia. Lawrence Rungren, Merrimack Valley Lib. Consortium, Andover, MA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

"Language has always been a barrier to our unity as the Americas, and most especially to our reading of each other's literatures. Now with this new series by Oxford University Press, the library of Latin America is literally open to North Americans and to English speakers everywhere. This is an important series for anyone who is prevented from knowing the classics of the southern half of this hemisphere because of not knowing the language. Bienvenidos to these new readers!"-Julia Alvarez