Inés Arredondo (1928–1989)

A collection of gothic short stories by a mid-20th century Mexican writer. These were intense, economical, and often very beautiful. Although Arredondo often set up stories in which sexual degredation was the fate of young women and men, she writes with such a light touch that I found them to be equally erotic as horrific -- in such stories as Shadow in the Shadows and The Noctural Butterflies. These might have been written to blur the line between shame and pleasure (although I read some glee at times in the cruelty faced by the characters). These are very physical, vivid stories in which pleasure overwhelms (and later shames) the characters; and in fact, pleasure and love are both unfathomable, and separates mind from body from emotion. Take the example of The Sign, where Pedro, sitting quietly in a church for respite from the heat, is approached by another man, who asks if he could kiss Pedro's feet:

"[...] in the first instance, as the man's hot mouth barely brushed him, he had thought it an aberration. He had gone so far as that, so he would later feel more tormented...no, no, both of them felt disgusted, except in addition to that there was love. It had to be said, you had to dare think once, just once, about the Crucifixion.

The man stood up and said, 'Thank you'; he looked at Pedro, with his cleansed eyes, and left.

Pedro stayed there, alone with his bare feet, so very much his and yet so alien now."… (lisätietoja)