Betrayed by Rita Hayworth
Encyclopedia
Betrayed by Rita Hayworth (orig. Spanish, La traición de Rita Hayworth) is a 1968 novel by the Argentine novelist Manuel Puig
. It was Puig's first novel.
Literary critic Jean Franco
writes that the book "was a revelation when it appeared, exploding once and for all the simplistic notions of American cultural imperialism." The book features what would become Puig's customary interests in mass culture, particularly Hollywood film. As Franco observes, "Set in a small provincial town in Buenos Aires province, the novel trace the intense affective relationship between Toto and his mother and friends, a relationship in which Hollywood films such as Blood and Sand
and The Great Waltz
provide somewhat bizarre models for an affective life which is not satisfied either by religion or the state."
With Puig's subsequent novel, Boquitas pintadas
of 1969, the book was a key text in the transition from Boom
to post-Boom in Latin American fiction.
Manuel Puig
Manuel Puig was an Argentine author...
. It was Puig's first novel.
Literary critic Jean Franco
Jean Franco
Jean Franco is a British-born academic and literary critic known for her pioneering work on Latin American literature. Educated at Manchester and London, she has taught at London, Essex , and Stanford, and is currently professor emerita at Columbia University.-Research:Jean Franco's research is...
writes that the book "was a revelation when it appeared, exploding once and for all the simplistic notions of American cultural imperialism." The book features what would become Puig's customary interests in mass culture, particularly Hollywood film. As Franco observes, "Set in a small provincial town in Buenos Aires province, the novel trace the intense affective relationship between Toto and his mother and friends, a relationship in which Hollywood films such as Blood and Sand
Blood and Sand (1941 film)
Blood and Sand is a Technicolor film produced by 20th Century Fox, directed by Rouben Mamoulian and starring Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Rita Hayworth, and Alla Nazimova...
and The Great Waltz
The Great Waltz (film)
The Great Waltz is a 1938 American biographical film based very loosely on the life of Johann Strauss II. It starred Luise Rainer, Fernand Gravet and Miliza Korjus. Rainer received top billing at the producer's insistence, but her role is comparatively minor as Strauss' wife, Poldi Volgelhuber...
provide somewhat bizarre models for an affective life which is not satisfied either by religion or the state."
With Puig's subsequent novel, Boquitas pintadas
Boquitas pintadas
Boquitas pintadas is a 1974 Argentine film, it was adapted by the novel of the same name. The English translation is named Heartbreak Tango....
of 1969, the book was a key text in the transition from Boom
Latin American Boom
The Latin American Boom was a literary movement of the 1960s and 1970s when the work of a group of relatively young Latin American novelists became widely circulated in Europe and throughout the world...
to post-Boom in Latin American fiction.