2007 books
88) Haniel Long, The Marvellous Adventure of Cabeza de Vaca, 1939
Haniel Long's best known work, a fictionalised retelling of the true story of the Spanish conquistador Cabeza de Vaca in 16th century North America. His experience of the Spanish colonisation of the Americas was opposite to that of Hernán Cortés who relied on a cruel form of subjugation to win over the natives; Cabeza de Vaca, on the other hand, after being shipwrecked in Florida and journeying on foot with a few accomplices all the way to Mexico, discovered he was able to heal them with the power of prayer via a kind of direct connection to the spirit world that circumnavigated his Christianity. (Cabeza de Vaca later discovered my favourite place on the planet, Iguaçu Falls). A second tale here, 'Malinche', is the true story of a willing slave girl to Hernán Cortés as he does battle with various Mexican tribes; she unwisely stays loyal to him even as he slaughters his way through Mexico City. There's a delicate poetry to Long's writing that matches the nature of his chosen subjects, making these two stories a gentle but usefully informative read.