De perfil
De perfil (Profile view) is a 1966 novel by José Agustín. Like his first novel, La tumba, De perfil was a best-seller, and furthered Agustin's reputation as a writer.
| Author | José Agustín |
|---|---|
| Country | Mexico |
| Language | Spanish |
Publication date | 1966 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Preceded by | La Tumba |
Set in Mexico City, specifically in an urban middle-class neighborhood in the 1960s, the novel covers in detail three days in the life of the main character, an unnamed young man who is going to enter high school.
The novel is longer and more complex, yet more polished and natural than La tumba. It does not have a particular theme or purpose, following the main character most of the time, in the present, first person. X is rebellious but his naivety and inexperience embarrasses him from time to time. To protect himself he would assume an experienced or indifferent air, but he is aware of his hypocrisy. By the novel's end, the reader has felt what is like to be X, and reads a kind of wild dream of his future as boyfriend of Queta and student leader, and of his past as a tiny baby in his mother's arms.