The Death of Artemio Cruz is a haunting voyage into the soul of modern Mexico. As the novel opens, Artemio Cruz, an all-powerful newspaper magnate and land baron, lies confined to his bed. In dreamlike flashes, he recalls the pivotal episodes of his life.

Carlos Fuentes masterfully manipulates this kaleidoscope of images with dazzling inventiveness, layering memory upon memory. From Cruz’s heroic campaigns during the Mexican Revolution, through his relentless climb from poverty to wealth, to his uneasy death, this novel captures the essence of a nation’s struggles and triumphs.

With virile, honest writing in a stream of ebbing consciousness, Fuentes explores the ironies of Mexican history, the burden of its past, and the anguish of its present. Perhaps Fuentes’s masterpiece, this book remains a cornerstone of Latin American fiction.