This course will consist of an in-depth study of four major short story writers of Latin America: Juan Rulfo, Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, and Gabriel García Márquez; we will also analyze selected stories by women writers such as Clarice Lispector, Elena Garro, and Cristina Peri Rossi. Class discussion will focus on the obsessive themes and writing techniques of these authors. From the cosmopolitan ambiance of Buenos Aires to rural Mexico and the steamy tropical coast of Colombia, these masterpieces of short fiction offer a fascinating insight into Latin America.