mountain passes, cattle rustlers, indian traders facing the perils of steaming jungles, scenes in gambling houses and rowdy bars, high adventure.
His stories, though, are also about revolution, turmoil and hope, about an ache 10I freedom desperate peasant hunger for land.
Reviewed by Tim Wright His characters range from yankee drifters living their wits, Mexican unsCruDulOus traders providing slave labour for jungle timber camps, impoverished Indians being led ever Closel their struggle for survival.
Pickers, LOTION Traven's earliest book, Cera is Pacitall Gales, who wallucis through Mexico from job soon after the 1910-1917 revolution.
first as a cotten-picker, then in a bakery in a busy port, and finally as a cattle drover. He ends up, the cattle safe ly delivered, with plenty of grateful employer - a classical ending to an adventure story.
employer's gratitude, however, is mixed, has heard rumours of Gale's past.
In both his earlier jobs Gerard Gales has been held responsible for causing strikes. my fault, cattle ranching employer. 'if men get dissatisficd and something better.
of workers to act against OX-CART DRIVERS risking bandit attack on high drovers outwitting wily Ben Traven's novels are full of the components of their employers is the During worker's the sinkers burst mio a song taught to them by the "The words were as the breath of life song welded them together as into a block or sicer. first dim awareness of the Su CUSC DOWCI strength of the working people united in a common purpose was awakened in them.
Drifters In this early tale of Traven's police side with picketers employers are orce o compensae strikers for wages lost durIng sinkes.
He shows a sad naivete about a revolution which was hijacked the lilasses murder di Bretano Zapata, the killing Emiliano the betrayal of Pancho Villa. He also shows a huge igloralce ol elves ol Drostitutes women general ridden Mexico.
The red-light district is place of blisstul pleasure where prostitutes safety thanked courteously by their clients. The imperfections. though, of this first book hardly there in Traven's later works, particularly in the series titled the Jungle Novels'. the Monteria These stories,, sel • In Mexico prior to the revoluHOT. witer ane Porfirio Diaz ruled over a count or corruodon aro of huge oppression, show a deep knowledge of the country and display a finely developed story teller's technique.
Ingenious Through an ingenious interweaving or ine plot. and through the use of two Central Canals. and Andres, Indians who their flavo DIORCH past of subordination lo the tyranny of church and state, Traven develops a real sense of the growing Diego Rivera's Emiliano Zapata from the front cover of March to restlessness revoluof angel population.
The relevance of his stories, though, " ando es beyond Mexico, is about the need for revolutionary socialism on an internanonal scall The price of cotton and the predicament or ine col ton growers is shown to be something the great stock exchanges of the world.
The desperate conditions of Indians felling manogany bees deeD the fever infested jungles Mexico al Ci caused merely by HOL unscrupulous Mexicans but by a whole set of world conditions.
revolution is Traven's answer.
Informed To read Traven is both to enjoy a good book and to gain an informed insight into the conditions which take the desperate beyond despair to a revolutionary hope for a new future. His books touch your heart and inspire you. • Ben Traven's novels are published by Allison and Busby available The Other shop, Upper Street, 13/8I0r THE 328 Upper Street London N1 Telephone 01 226 0571 service provided.
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