December 08, 2006, Ibarra publishes book on Mexican cinema, By Iván Trujillo, San Miguel PEN Announces 2007 Winter Author Series, By Patrice Wynne

The book was published by UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico). After screening a video featuring vignettes from important Bracho movies, actress Diana Bracho; her brother, actor Pablo Bracho; movie director and script writer Carlos Pascual; Iván Trujillo, head of the UNAM Film File; and the author himself discussed the book.

Trujillo wrote the following about Ibarra’s work:

One day, Jesús Ibarra came into my UNAM office to show me the manuscript of a book he had written about the Bracho family of Mexican cinema and to ask me if we would be interested in publishing it. Later, Diana Bracho, during one of the first meetings between UNAM and the Mexican Cinema Academy, of which she was then president, timidly told me that a young man would probably come to see me to show me a book about her family. I answered that he already had and that we were reading it.

Since I only had time to take a quick look at it, I gave it to some of my colleagues, asking them to read it and give me their opinions.

From my conversation with Ibarra, I concluded that the book might be interesting since it was presented from a different point of view—not that of a formal critic or movie historian but that of someone who sits in a movie theater and becomes a member of the group referred to by screen and stage professionals as our dear spectators.

Normally, spectators acclaim a work with applause or reject it by whistling; very few put their opinions on paper. Ibarra, who is a great movie fan and an assiduous spectator of theater, neither pretends to be an expert nor earns his living by writing about movie personalities. I thought that a book written by a person without the prejudices of a professional critic would undoubtedly be interesting. My prediction was confirmed when I met again with my improvised editorial committee.

In the end, we concluded that it was not only a good book but a librazo (a great book). Moreover, it was literally a liBracho (a word-game mix of librazo with the Bracho family name) and it must be published.

That was only the beginning. I cannot remember exactly how much time passed before the book was published. Ibarra spent a lot of time revising and strengthening his manuscript during the editorial process. That it was originally a book written only for the joy of doing it did not diminish the effort required to attain a high professional quality. That is why we now have an unprecedented text.

Ibarra is an admirer of the talent of the three generations of the Bracho family of Mexican cinema, not hesitating to express his joy in getting an autograph from Andrea Palma, interviewing Diana Bracho or having an amazing chat with Julio Bracho Castillo. Ibarra contextualizes the conflicting situations of each family member, mixing fragments of their private lives with their professional activities, resulting in a perfect biographical balance.

It’s easy to agree that “Andrea Palma [a Bracho family member] became a vamp, a femme fatale of tragic destiny, the first diva of Mexican cinema.” Of course “with Crepúsculo (Dawn), Julio Bracho realized his esthetic aspirations and created one of the most visually disquieting films of all time.” Nobody doubts that Jesús Bracho was a “simple, honest man who loved his work.” We all agree that Diana Bracho is “always young, always beautiful, always smiling, kind, and currently one of the best movie and theater actresses in Mexico.” Finally, nobody could doubt that “Julio Bracho, grandson of the great director, is in charge of perpetuating the name of the Bracho family in Mexican cinema.”

Despite the singularities of the five members of the Bracho family, splendidly described by Ibarra, the reader readily finds the common denominator among them—passion. Passion for love; passion for enjoying food and drink; passion for taking risks; passion for overcoming adversities; passion for solidarity; and, overall, a passionate generosity.

San Miguel PEN Announces 2007 Winter Author Series
By Patrice Wynne

San Miguel’s annual PEN Winter Lecture Series begins January 16, 2007, at Bellas Artes Auditorium and runs for seven weeks. Each Tuesday evening at 6pm sharp, you can hear lectures by experts in their fields give talks on subjects ranging from the pleasures of reading James Joyce to the delights of discovering the hidden treasures of Mexico City, from gardening and graphic novels as art forms to the agonies and ecstasies of creative writing for money, from real crimes stories to surrendering a child for adoption. The Lecture Series benefits PEN’s work, educating the public about the plight of writers around the world who are persecuted for simply expressing their ideas.

The first lecture on Tuesday, January 16, features part-time San Miguel residents George Little and David Lewis, authors of A Garden Gallery: The Plants, Art and Hardscape of Little and Lewis. Artists in concrete sculpture and gardenscapers, their talk is called “A Garden Gallery: Gardening from an Artist’s Point of View.” During their illustrated lecture they will discuss the garden as a place of relationship, mystery and discovery; space and time as presence; the water as mirror and color and mood in the garden environment. Little and Lewis’s world-renowned garden landscapes are featured in books, magazines and on television programs such as Martha Stewart Living, The Victory Garden and House and Garden Television.

On Tuesday, January 23, Ann Fessler, author of The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade, will share audio clips of the riveting oral histories she gathered from women who surrendered their children to adoption during the years 1945–1975. The book, which places these stories within the history of the time period and her own story as an adoptee, has been called “wrenching, riveting” by the Chicago Tribune and “a thorough analysis” by The New York Times. The San Francisco Chronicle called it “a blend of deeply moving personal tales bolstered by solid sociological journalism of the first order.”

On Tuesday, January 30, Professor Emeritus Austin Briggs, of Hamilton College, will speak on the work of James Joyce, widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, in a talk called “The Joys of Joyce.” A recognized Joyce expert, Briggs has published many articles on Joyce’s work and has taught at Joyce’s own alma mater, University College in Dublin, Ireland.

On Tuesday, February 6, Bob Rivard, editor of the San Antonio Express-News, will read and discuss Trail of Feathers: Searching for Philip True, his book on a real crime story that he experienced. In 1998, Philip True, a fellow reporter on his staff, set off on a backpacking trip in Mexico to the remote mountainous terrain of the Huichol Indians. His body was found in a canyon, the first US journalist ever murdered in Mexico. Rivard was part of the search party that unearthed the body near the borders of Jalisco, Nayarit and Durango.

On Tuesday, February 13, former San Miguel resident Jim Johnston will take us on a visual journey to Mexico City, his current home. He will show photos and discuss his new book, Mexico City: An Opinionated Guide for the Curious Traveler, with suggestions on how best to enjoy the history, contemporary culture, and the great food of one of the largest and oldest cities in the world.

On February 20, the speaker is Jonathan Santlofer, artist and writer of several best-selling thrillers set in the art world. In his lecture, “The Written Picture,” he will investigate cultural reasons for the popularity of illustrated novels, including those of Jonathan Safran Foer and Umberto Eco, as well as his own.

The final event of the season, on Tuesday, February 27, features two writing women fascinated by the same theme: the creative edge in fiction. In “Creating Commercial Fiction,” Janice Macdonald explores the novel-writing process from inciting incident to emotionally satisfying ending. In “Changing Lanes: Commercial versus Literary Fiction,” best-selling author Sarah Lovett describes how a temp job at a penitentiary in New Mexico led to astonishing six-figure book deals and five novels.

These lectures are sponsored by the San Miguel chapter of the largest worldwide writers association, International PEN. At any time, throughout the world, nearly 1,000 writers are imprisoned or being threatened, subpoenaed or even murdered for what they have written. Friends and families of the writer are often at risk and are persecuted, as well. With 141 centers in 100 countries, the writers of International PEN intercede for their imperiled colleagues around the world. San Miguel PEN’s committees work on these international campaigns and promote literature and literacy in San Miguel. One program, a scholarship fund for children, provides not only money for tuition and books, but also advice and guidance through a unique family-oriented approach. San Miguel PEN scholarship children typically spend their Saturday mornings at the home of the scholarship coordinators, learning to use the computer, speaking English and swapping stories with other scholarship students.

Join us at Bellas Artes for one of the great cultural events of the year. Each lecture lasts about an hour and costs 50 pesos. It is recommended that you arrive by 5:45pm as events always start on time and some events sell out. For information about the lecture series or to contribute to San Miguel PEN, contact Lucina Kathman via email at lucina@unisono.net.mx or call 152-0614.