Developments: Encounters of Formation in the Latin American and Hispanic/Latino Bildungsroman, a notable contribution for students and scholars of Latin American, Brazilian, Hispanic and Latino literature, explores a significant but overlooked area in the literary production of the twentieth century: the connections between development and the narrative of formation after World War II. Recognizing development as a discursive construction that shapes significantly modern national identity in Latin America, Alejandro Latinez argues that its ideals and narrative relate to the Bildungsroman genre – the narrative of formation or development. The study presents a historical background of similar ideals of development in Latin America as well as reflects on a seminal philosophical interplay about youth and modern national identity between the Mexican authors Samuel Ramos and Octavio Paz. Furthermore, it examines Mario Vargas Llosa’s 1963 La ciudad y los perros, José Lezama Lima’s 1966 Paradiso, a selection from Clarice Lispector’s 1960 and 1964 short narratives, and Elena Poniatowska’s 1971 testimony La noche de Tlatelolco. The narrative experience in the United States is analyzed in Sandra Cisnero’s 1984 The House on Mango Street and Esmeralda Santiago’s 1993 When I Was Puerto Rican.

Alejandro Latinez earned his doctorate at Vanderbilt University. His previous publications include studies on the works of Clarice Lispector, José Lezama Lima, and Abraham Angel.