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Winner of the Cervantes Prize Carlos Fuentes, one of the world�s most acclaimed authors, is at the height of his powers in this stunning new novel�a magnificent epic of passion, magic, and desire in modern Mexico, a rich and remarkable tapestry set in a world where free will fights with the wishes of the gods. Josu� Nadal has lost more than his innocence: He has been robbed of his life�and his posthumous narration sets the tone for a brilliantly written novel that blends mysticism and realism. Josu� tells of his fateful meeting as a skinny, awkward teen with Jeric�, the vigorous boy who will become his twin, his best friend, and his shadow. Both orphans, the two young men intend to spend their lives in intellectual pursuit�until they enter an adult landscape of sex, crime, and ambition that will test their pledge and alter their lives forever. Idealistic Josu� goes to work for a high-tech visionary whose stunning assistant will introduce him to a life of desire; cynical Jeric� is enlisted by the Mexican president in a scheme to sell happiness to the impoverished masses. On his journey into a web of illegality in which he will be estranged from Jeric�, Josu� is aided and impeded by a cast of unforgettable characters: a mad, imprisoned murderer with a warning of revenge, an elegant aviatrix and addict seeking to be saved, a prostitute shared by both men who may have murdered her way into a brilliant marriage, and the prophet Ezekiel himself. Mixing ancient mythologies with the sensuousness and avarice and need of the twenty-first century, Destiny and Desire is a monumental achievement from one of the masters of contemporary literature. From the Hardcover edition. (less)

Winner of the Cervantes Prize Carlos Fuentes, one of the world�s most acclaimed authors, is at the height of his powers in this stunning new novel�a magnificent epic of passion, magic, and desire in modern Mexico, a rich and remarkable (…more)