Book of Latin American Plays: La Chunga; Paper Flowers; Medea in the Mirror

A collection of extraordinary, playable translations from across the Latin American continent, including a new Mario Vargas Llosa play

In La Chunga by Mario Vargas Llosa a young gambler down on his luck lends his girlfriend to the lady bar-keeper for the night to pay off a debt. Four years later the girl has neither been seen nor heard of, and the gamblers meet to speculate on the events of that fateful night.

In Paper Flowers by Egon Wolff, Eva, a lonely middle class woman puts up a tramp for the night out of the kindness of her heart, only to find that he intends to occupy her life as well as her house, reducing her once and for all to his state.

Medea in the Mirror by José Triana is an extraordinary re-setting of the Medea story in the Cuban revolution of 1959. As Maria, a young mulatto takes her revenge on Julian for abandoning her for someone else - the play becomes a mirror for the events that took place when Castro ousted the Batista regime.


About the Author
Egon Wolff was born in Chile in 1926 and has written several plays including Mansion of Owls, Disciples of Fear, Kindergarten, Girlmother, and the Raft of Medusa. Jose Triana was born in Cuba in 1931, moving to Spain during the years of the Batista regime. His plays include Medea in the Mirror, The Death of Neque, Night of the Assassins, and Having Fun on the Battlefield. Mario Vargas Llosa was born in Peru in 1936. He has written thirteen novels and five plays including Kathie and the Hippoptomus, La Chunga, and Nice Eyes, Ugly Paintings.