The story of Fray Servando's life in exile is a vivid account of the adventures of one of the most original ideologues of Latin American independence. On December 12, 1794, Fray Servando preached a sermon in Mexico City claiming that the Indies had been converted by St. Thomas long before the Spaniards arrived. This was a subversive and controversial notion because it took away the rationale for the Spanish conquest of the New World - the conversion of the heathen. Colonial authorities arrested him and he was exiled to Spain where he was imprisoned by his own Dominican order. Servando escaped and spent 10 years in exile travelling throughout Europe disguised as a French priest, issuing revolutionary manifestos and sermons. He returned to Mexico after Independence and served the new government before his death. This is the only English translation of The Memoirs of Fray Servando Teresa de Mier available.

About the Author
Susana Rotker is a Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Rutgers University and an internationally awarded specialist on 19th Century Spanish-American Literature. Helen Lane's many award winning translations include Tomas Eloy Martinez's bestseller Santa Evita, Mario Vargas Llosa's memoirs, and several volumes of Octavio Paz's essays.

Reviews
"Wonderfully clear translation, excellently rendered in the language of the period."--Carys Evans-Corrales, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford "Well-translated....These entertaining memoirs offer a lively portrait of their author. They are as eccentric, partisan, and slippery as Fray Servando himself."--Frederick Luciani, The New York Times Book Review



Book Information
ISBN 9780195106749
Author Fray Servando Teresa de Mier
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 357g
Dimensions(mm) 140mm * 208mm * 25mm