Overview
«Si la vida era un engaño fugitivo, como decían los poetas, con más razón el juego del poder.»
Año 3 Conejo (1430). La alianza de los mexicas con los acolhuas ha derrotado a los viejos amos del Anáhuac, pero una rivalidad socava el pacto fundacional del naciente imperio: el consejero supremo Tlacaélel, a quien el pueblo considera portavoz de Huitzilopochtli, odia desde niño a su talentoso primo Nezahualcóyotl, jefe del ejército acolhua, que goza de enorme popularidad en Tenochtitlan y se ha ganado la confianza del rey Itzcóatl. Representantes de cosmovisiones antagónicas, la teocracia militarista y la utopía civilizadora de Quetzalcóatl,
su disputa por el favor del tlatoani se dirime al mismo tiempo en los campos de batalla, en los templos y en las alcobas donde el amor allana el camino al poder.
Por su parte, la princesa Chimalma y la nahuala Quilaztli, víctimas del machismo hegemónico, han logrado construir un reducto de precaria felicidad al margen de los varones. Su voluntad de amarse contra viento y marea, el ingenio multifacético de Chimalma y
la retadora virilidad de Quilaztli exhiben por contraste la fatuidad grotesca de los nobles involucrados en la intriga cortesana.
Enrique Serna vuelve a la ficción histórica, la veta más aclamada de su obra, para narrar la génesis de un imperio fabuloso y macabro. Novela política y a la vez intimista, El dios hambriento perfila los claroscuros del México antiguo y nos adentra en el alma de sus personajes legendarios.
ENGLISH DESCRIPTION
"If life was a fleeting deception, as the poets claimed, then the game of power was even more so."
Year 3 Rabbit (1430). The alliance between the Mexica and the Acolhua has defeated the old masters of Anáhuac, but a bitter rivalry threatens the founding pact of the emerging empire. Tlacaélel, the supreme counselor whom the people regard as the voice of Huitzilopochtli, has hated his gifted cousin Nezahualcóyotl since childhood. Commander of the Acolhua army, Nezahualcóyotl enjoys immense popularity in Tenochtitlan and has earned the trust of King Itzcóatl.
Embodiments of opposing worldviews—the militaristic theocracy and Quetzalcóatl’s civilizing utopia—their struggle for the tlatoani’s favor unfolds not only on the battlefield, but also in temples and private chambers, where love paves the way to power.
Meanwhile, Princess Chimalma and the nahuala Quilaztli, both victims of a deeply patriarchal society, have managed to build a fragile refuge of happiness beyond the reach of men. Their determination to love each other against all odds, Chimalma’s remarkable ingenuity, and Quilaztli’s defiant strength cast into sharp relief the grotesque vanity of the nobles entangled in courtly intrigue.
Enrique Serna returns to historical fiction—the most celebrated vein of his work—to recount the birth of a magnificent and macabre empire. Both an intimate character study and a political novel, The Hungry God illuminates the complexities of ancient Mexico and draws readers into the souls of its legendary protagonists.
Año 3 Conejo (1430). La alianza de los mexicas con los acolhuas ha derrotado a los viejos amos del Anáhuac, pero una rivalidad socava el pacto fundacional del naciente imperio: el consejero supremo Tlacaélel, a quien el pueblo considera portavoz de Huitzilopochtli, odia desde niño a su talentoso primo Nezahualcóyotl, jefe del ejército acolhua, que goza de enorme popularidad en Tenochtitlan y se ha ganado la confianza del rey Itzcóatl. Representantes de cosmovisiones antagónicas, la teocracia militarista y la utopía civilizadora de Quetzalcóatl,
su disputa por el favor del tlatoani se dirime al mismo tiempo en los campos de batalla, en los templos y en las alcobas donde el amor allana el camino al poder.
Por su parte, la princesa Chimalma y la nahuala Quilaztli, víctimas del machismo hegemónico, han logrado construir un reducto de precaria felicidad al margen de los varones. Su voluntad de amarse contra viento y marea, el ingenio multifacético de Chimalma y
la retadora virilidad de Quilaztli exhiben por contraste la fatuidad grotesca de los nobles involucrados en la intriga cortesana.
Enrique Serna vuelve a la ficción histórica, la veta más aclamada de su obra, para narrar la génesis de un imperio fabuloso y macabro. Novela política y a la vez intimista, El dios hambriento perfila los claroscuros del México antiguo y nos adentra en el alma de sus personajes legendarios.
ENGLISH DESCRIPTION
"If life was a fleeting deception, as the poets claimed, then the game of power was even more so."
Year 3 Rabbit (1430). The alliance between the Mexica and the Acolhua has defeated the old masters of Anáhuac, but a bitter rivalry threatens the founding pact of the emerging empire. Tlacaélel, the supreme counselor whom the people regard as the voice of Huitzilopochtli, has hated his gifted cousin Nezahualcóyotl since childhood. Commander of the Acolhua army, Nezahualcóyotl enjoys immense popularity in Tenochtitlan and has earned the trust of King Itzcóatl.
Embodiments of opposing worldviews—the militaristic theocracy and Quetzalcóatl’s civilizing utopia—their struggle for the tlatoani’s favor unfolds not only on the battlefield, but also in temples and private chambers, where love paves the way to power.
Meanwhile, Princess Chimalma and the nahuala Quilaztli, both victims of a deeply patriarchal society, have managed to build a fragile refuge of happiness beyond the reach of men. Their determination to love each other against all odds, Chimalma’s remarkable ingenuity, and Quilaztli’s defiant strength cast into sharp relief the grotesque vanity of the nobles entangled in courtly intrigue.
Enrique Serna returns to historical fiction—the most celebrated vein of his work—to recount the birth of a magnificent and macabre empire. Both an intimate character study and a political novel, The Hungry God illuminates the complexities of ancient Mexico and draws readers into the souls of its legendary protagonists.
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