Mexican Critic Reflects on Editorial Power and Literary Discovery in New Essay

In a personal essay featured in La Tempestad, a Mexican critic shares his experience of encountering an author whose manuscript he had anonymously turned down, shedding light on the closed nature of Mexico's literary scene and its editorial practices. The novel, centered around a chilango grappling with his girlfriend's departure, was released by a Spanish publisher despite the critic's unfavorable review, largely due to the author's substantial social media presence, yet it failed to appear in bookstores or receive critical attention. He examines Guillermo Espinosa Estrada's Momo en los infiernos (Gris Tormenta, 2023) alongside Roberto Calasso's Bobi (2021, translated into Spanish by Edgardo Dobry), delving into themes of achievement and self-deception. The essay wraps up with the critic naming three books he hopes to read without the pressure of reviewing: Relatos de un peregrino ruso, Christopher Burney's Solitary Confinement, and Edmund Gosse's Padre e hijo.