These two well-known scholars in Spanish American literature have most recently collaborated on a revision and substantial expansion of Mead’s Breve historia del ensayo hispanoamericano (México: Ediciones de Andrea, 1956). Intended as a reference tool for specialists and nonspecialists alike, the text affords maximum access to basic biographic and bibliographic information on the principal essayists in Spanish American history. In succinct descriptions the authors achieve a felicitous balance between the literary significance of writers such as José Martí and José Enrique Rodó and their importance in the evolution of Spanish American intellectual history. Particularly informative are the chapters dealing with the colonial period and those treating key figures in the more recent history of ideas, e. g., José Carlos Mariátegui, Francisco Romero, Samuel Ramos, Octavio Paz.
The synoptic format of the book, together with its prefatory discussion of the essay as a literary genre, makes it equally adaptable for literary studies and for social science approaches to Spanish American culture and civilization. The extensive bibliography—an index of names is unfortunately missing—is a stimulating source of further reading, and confirms this text as a valuable introduction to the development of philosophical, political, and social ideas in Spanish America.
