xii Acknowledgments
wide-ranging interests are examples for us all. Arnold Bauer at UC Davis, my
friend and teacher, assisted me during the entire course of this project,
always making time to review chapter drafts meticulously and, perhaps best
of all, to exchange thoughts over some glasses of the latest vintage of Dos
Patos. I am also grateful to Julio Ramos for sharing his insight into Latin
America’s literature and intellectual milieu, and Charles Walker for teaching
me a great deal about the academic scene and for hearing me out when I was
flustered. Margaret Chowning, a keen reader and critic, always offered sage
advice and kind words of support. My gratitude goes to James Cane, who can
put complex things in the clearest of terms. Jim’s friendship and tremen-
dous intellect enriched my doctoral study at Berkeley and contributed in no
small way to the making of this book. Claudio Robles Ortiz shared with me
his knowledge of Chile’s academy and historiography and graciously read
the manuscript while busily working on his dissertation. He always makes
that thin land on the edge of the earth seem much closer. I also thank
William Skuban, Andrew Wood, Paula De Vos, Vera Candiani, and Jaime
Aguila for their comradeship. Moreover, I cannot go without relaying my
deep appreciation to Lee Terkelsen, who taught me how to ask important
questions, and to F. Roy Willis, whose poetic and illuminating lectures on
modern European history helped bring motivation and resolve to a once
indifferent undergraduate.
While researching in Santiago, I spent many hours engaged in absorbing
discussions with Professors Bernardo Subercaseaux, Alfredo Jocelyn-Holt,
Luis Ortega, Eduardo Devés, and Florencia Mallon, to whom I express ap-
preciation. In addition, Luis Durand Jr. and the distinguished author Luis
Merino Reyes—still without a much deserved National Literature Award—
kindly accepted interviews that enriched my understanding of Chilean cul-
ture and its crafters. My thanks go to the staff of the Archivo Nacional de
Chile, including María del Carmen Montaner; the personnel of the Archivo
del Siglo XX, especially Sandra Godoy; Carlos Oyarzún and Carmen Mo-
randé at the Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional; and the staff of the Biblioteca
Nacional, especially Juan Camilo, director of the library’s Sección de Refe-
rencias Críticas. More than a dozen people at these sites patiently accepted
countless photocopy requests and carted around hundreds of dusty vol-
umes. Many months of research would have been fatiguing without the ca-
maraderie of Claudio Barrientos, whose intellect and sense of humor made
for memorable (and pleasantly long) lunches on smoggy afternoons, as well
as the love and hospitality of my family in and around Santiago. Carlos
Zenteno of the University of Chile also became a supportive friend. I also am