Mixtures of Reality and Poetry in Latin-American Literature

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SINCE the publication of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "One Hundred Years of Solitude" in 1970, Latin-American literature, particularly prose fiction, has enjoyed a high degree of visibility and success, not only in the Spanish-speaking world, but also abroad.

Latin-American authors have also influenced the works of North American writers with a poetical style that mixes reality and fiction. Toni Morrison's "Song of Solomon," for example, and John Nichols's "The Milagro Beanfield War" both reflect this rich Latin-American form.

A Hammock Beneath the Mangos: Stories from Latin America (Dutton, 430 pp., $22.95), edited by Thomas Colchie, a distinguished translator of …