Elena Poniatowska is one of Latin America's most distinguished and innovative living writers. Advocacy of women and the poor in their struggle for social and economic justice, denunciation of the repression of that struggle, and a tendency to blur the boundaries between conventional literary forms characterize her writing practice.

Asserting that Poniatowska's writing has been uniquely shaped by her experience as a journalist and interviewer, Beth Jorgensen addresses four important texts: Palabras cruzadas (interviews), Hasta no verte Jesus mio (testimonial...