The Labyrinth Of Solitude Sparknotes

Octavio Paz Lozano once said: “Man does not speak because he thinks; he thinks because he speaks. Or rather, speaking is no different than thinking: to speak is to think” (N/A, 2000). Paz was a man of many talents. His knowledge and ability to write throughout his life earned him the title as on the greatest Mexican authors and diplomats of all time. Paz’s works supported both the surrealism and existentialism literary movements, two movements that he experienced first-hand while traveling throughout Europe in his young adult years. Octavio Paz and his literary works are forever remembered in Latin American history because of his success and impact on the world. To begin with, Paz was born on March 31, 1914 in Mexico City, Mexico. Both his
The book consists of nine parts, each titled after an important part of Paz’s Spanish heritage. In this book, Paz argues why solitude is responsible for the Mexican’s perspective on very personal things in the Spanish culture such as death, fiestas, and identity (N/A. 1998). He claims that part of every Mexican’s identity is denied because of the combination of the uncertainty behind death and the sense of communality behind fiestas. This “self-denial” traps all into a world of solitude, most without ever realizing it. Perhaps the most famous line in the book is: “Solitude is the profoundest fact of the human condition. Man is the only being who knows he is alone, and the only one who seeks out another” (Paz, 1950). In this quote, Paz describes how solitude is a personal choice, just as refraining from solitude is a personal
This source also describes Paz’s influence and purpose in writing this book. This book includes many mini collections of Paz’s poetry as well as sonnets and Quiroga describes as “soul-searching poetry.” Quiroga also discusses how some of Paz’s original collections are not published in English under appropriate titles, leaving most of the poems to appear in different collections that Paz did not intend. This hinders those who read the English-translated versions of Paz’s work because they do not receive the full experience in reading one of his complete collections as a whole. Parts of this text are helpful to my paper because of the discussion of Paz’s writing influences and purposes, and most importantly, how his travels effected his writing and political opinions.

N/A. Octavio Paz - Biographical. Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 13 Apr 2017.

This sources provides a lot of useful background information on Paz, with a specific focus on his winning the Nobel Prize in Literature. This source discusses how his works grew in popularity in nations outside of Latin America such as Europe and the United States. This source also touches on his childhood and how he was born into a family of writers. Parts of this text are beneficial to my paper when discussing Paz’s early life and his notable