In (at)lt;b(at)gt;The Vintage Book of Latin American Stories(at)lt;/b(at)gt;, Julio Ortega and Carlos Fuentes present the most compelling short fiction from Mexico to Chile. Surreal, poetic, naturalistic, urbane, peasant-born: All styles intersect and play, often within a single piece. There is "The Handsomest Drown Man in the World," the Garcia Marquez fable of a village overcome by the power of human beauty; "The Aleph," Borges' classic tale of a man who discovers, in a colleague's cellar, the Universe. Here is the haunting shades of Juan Rulfo, the astonishing anxiety puzzles of Julio Cortazar, the disquieted domesticity of Clarice Lispector. Provocative, powerful, immensely engaging, (at)lt;b(at)gt;The Vintage Book of Latin American Stories(at)lt;/b(at)gt; showcases the ingenuity, diversity, and continuing excellence of a vast and vivid literary tradition.