Music and Identity in Twentieth-Century Literature from Our America

Offering a one-of-a-kind approach to music and literature of the Americas, this book examines the relationships between musical protagonists from Colombia, Cuba, and the United States in novels by writers such as Gabriel García Márquez, Alejo Carpentier, Zora Neale Hurston, and John Okada.

“Offers a one-of-a-kind approach to exploring American homologies while taking account of national and regional differences. … ‘Music and Identity in Twentieth Century Literature from Our America will be an important contribution for many years to come.’ Most importantly Montiel’s book reminds us of an often disregarded truth that music has always been a key to identity construction. And readers of this book may learn to hear, and even like, the music they find on the pages of novels.” (Asian Journal of Canadian Studies, Vol. 21, June, 2015)

"Filling a gap in the scholarly discussion of music in American novels, Music and Identity in Twentieth Century Literature from Our America will be an important contribution for many years to come. Katz's extensive experience as a professional musician and composer makes for important insights, addressing music and culture with a depth of knowledge that is unique among literary scholars." - Barbara Curiel, Professor of English, Humboldt State University, USA

"This vibrant and always surprising portrait of the literary Americas is alive with the moods and sounds of a practicing musician - a trombonist of the demimonde who played with big name bands in New York salsa's golden age. Katz Montiel is an American original. With a scholar's craft, he gives us an impassioned study of the deep musical structure of classics of the New World novel." -Timothy Brennan, Professor of Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature, University of Minnesota, USA

"Music and Identity in Twentieth Century Literature from Our America provides a lucid and stimulating understanding of how music can be used as a lens through which to understand literature. By drawing on a broad range of interdisciplinary scholarship, Marco Katz Montiel reverses a flow of inquiry that has been characterized by the use of literary criticism to understand other art forms. In doing so, he offers a complementary perspective that further explores the interrelationship between narrative and expressive culture, also challenging geographic and canonical boundaries between North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean." - Javier F. León, Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology, Indiana University, USA

Marco Katz Montiel has a PhD from the University of Alberta, Canada. He publishes in English and Spanish on literature and cultural studies and is a trombonist and composer.