Jose Maria Argueda

Translated by Frances Horning Barraclough

Yawar Fiestais the first novel by thePeruvianauthorJos Mara Arguedas, published in 1941. It is considered as part of the Latin-Americanindigenistamovement. Set in the village ofPuquio(in the Southern Sierra ofPeru) it depicts the performance of abullfightin theAndeanstyle (turupukllay) as part of a celebration called ‘yawar punchay’. According to critics, it is the most successful of Arguedas’ novels, from a formal point of view. The author’s effort is appreciated for offering the most authentic version possible of Andean life, without resorting to convention or the paternalism of previous indigenous literature.