Con titulo de leve procedencia gongorina y epigrafe de Quevedo, Juan Jose Arreola aparecio con este libro en 1949. Habia publicado cuentos, poemas, reportajes y otros textos enigmaticos en periodicos y revistas del pais desde 1939. Su obra primera tiene valor de pequeno oasis dentro de una zona particularmente desertica de la literatura mexicana que abarca esa decada. Quien revise los libros publicados entonces, comprendera sin dificultad por que hombres como Octavio Barreda, Agustin Yanez, Roger Caillois, Francisco Luis Bernardez, Octavio Paz, Jose Gaos, Raimundo Lida, Jose Luis Martinez, Seymour Menton y Antonio Alatorre, saludaran al autor de Varia invencion como un venturoso ejecutante de juegos imaginarios. Description in English: With a title of mild Gongorine title and and heading from Quevedo, Juan Jose Arreola became prominent with this book in 1949. He had published short stories, poems, stories and other enigmatic texts in newspapers and magazines in the country since 1939. His first work has a small oasis value within a particularly desert area of Mexican literature covering this decade. That who reviews the published books will then, easily understand why men like Octavio Barreda, Agustin Yanez, Roger Caillois, Francisco Luis Bernardez, Octavio Paz, Jose Gaos, Raimundo Lida, Jose Luis Martinez, Seymour Menton and Antonio Alatorre, praised the author of Varia invencion as an adventurous performer of imaginary games.
Empezo a escribir a los diez anos. Tuvo los empleos mas diversos: aprendiz de encuadernador, dependiente en una tienda de abarrotes, cobrador, peon de campo, vendedor de tepache, panadero y periodista, entre muchos otros. Estudio teatro en la ciudad de Mexico con Fernando Wagner, Xavier Villaurrutia y Rodolfo Usigli. En 1944 fue becado para estudiar arte dramatico en Francia. De regreso trabajo como corrector en el Fondo de Cultura Economica. A los 31 anos publico su primer libro: Varia invencion (1949) y, paso a paso, su obra logro importantes reconocimientos, como el premio Xavier Villaurrutia (1963), el Nacional de Letras y Linguistica (1979) y el intencional de Literatura Juan Rulfo (1992). Impartio diversos talleres literarios que fueron decisivos para las nuevas generaciones de escritores. El conductor de programas televisivos, el apasionado jugador de ajedrez, fallecio en su natal Jalisco dejando en su labor literaria y periodistica un valioso legado cultural. / He began writing at age ten. Had the most diverse jobs: apprentice bookbinder, a clerk in a grocery store, collector, farmhand, tepache seller, baker and journalist, among many others. He studied theater in Mexico City with Fernando Wagner, Xavier Villaurrutia and Rodolfo Usigli. In 1944 he was awarded a scholarship to study drama in France. After his return, he worked as a proofreader in the Fondo de Cultura Economica. At 31 he published his first book: Many Inventions (1949) and, step by step his work won major awards such as the Xavier Villaurrutia Award (1963), the National of Literature and Linguistics Award (1979), and the Juan Rulfo Award of Intentional Literature (1992). He gave several literary workshops that were decisive for the new generations of writers. Host of TV programs, the passionate chess player, died in his native Jalisco leaving his literary and journalistic work as a valuable cultural legacy."
"Sobre este título" puede pertenecer a otra edición de este libro.