Irrationality and madness being required to drive off the cosmic horrors of pure reason is both a nice flip on the standard lazy man's cosmic horror and a nice thematic bridge to the tumult of the Mexican Revolution going on outside, as Calles goes to war with his own country under the banner of order and progress.
In general these Mexican adventures have been terrific stuff, maybe your best--can you recommend any good resources on the Mexican Revolution? Sounds like a fascinating period.
Honestly I still don't 100% understand what the deal is with the Mexican Revolution. I read just enough about it to be convinced that it's underdiscussed. I'm kind of skimming over the surface in these adventures - there's enough going on under the surface here that I could write a novel about it.
One thing I did not realise about Mexico in the 20s is how much Communist influence there was. The early Soviet Union is one of my private obsessions so this is fascinating to me. I wasn't locked into writing a Mexico City story until I read Jose Vasconcelos' The Cosmic Race - incredible work of what's basically New Age mysticism by the guy who funded Diego Rivera's murals. There's a lot to be said about Mexican progressives inventing the "indigenous" aesthetic of the Day of the Dead as an alternative to the old Catholic traditions.
I read a bunch of fiction set in Mexico - not enough by Mexican authors though. Graham Greene's The Power And The Glory and DH Lawrence's The Plumed Serpent. Octavio Paz' The Labyrinth Of Solitude is probably the best thing I read that's actually by a Mexican guy on Mexico. The country produced a lot of incredible artists in the 20s, but not that many good writers, for whatever reason.
Irrationality and madness being required to drive off the cosmic horrors of pure reason is both a nice flip on the standard lazy man's cosmic horror and a nice thematic bridge to the tumult of the Mexican Revolution going on outside, as Calles goes to war with his own country under the banner of order and progress.
In general these Mexican adventures have been terrific stuff, maybe your best--can you recommend any good resources on the Mexican Revolution? Sounds like a fascinating period.
Honestly I still don't 100% understand what the deal is with the Mexican Revolution. I read just enough about it to be convinced that it's underdiscussed. I'm kind of skimming over the surface in these adventures - there's enough going on under the surface here that I could write a novel about it.
One thing I did not realise about Mexico in the 20s is how much Communist influence there was. The early Soviet Union is one of my private obsessions so this is fascinating to me. I wasn't locked into writing a Mexico City story until I read Jose Vasconcelos' The Cosmic Race - incredible work of what's basically New Age mysticism by the guy who funded Diego Rivera's murals. There's a lot to be said about Mexican progressives inventing the "indigenous" aesthetic of the Day of the Dead as an alternative to the old Catholic traditions.
I read a bunch of fiction set in Mexico - not enough by Mexican authors though. Graham Greene's The Power And The Glory and DH Lawrence's The Plumed Serpent. Octavio Paz' The Labyrinth Of Solitude is probably the best thing I read that's actually by a Mexican guy on Mexico. The country produced a lot of incredible artists in the 20s, but not that many good writers, for whatever reason.