Agustin Lara

Few Mexican musicians in the twentieth century achieved as much notoriety or had such an international impact as the popular singer and songwriter Agustín Lara (1897-1970). Widely known as el flaco de oro (the Golden Skinny) this remarkably thin fellow was prolific across the genres of bolero ballad and folk. His most beloved Granada a song so enduring that it has been covered by the likes of Mario Lanza Frank Sinatra and Placido Domingo is today a standard in the vocal repertory. However there exists very little biographical literature on Lara in English. In Agustín Lara: A Cultural Biography author Andrew Wood''s informed and informative placement of Lara''s work in a broader cultural context presents a rich and comprehensive reading of the life of this significant musical figure. Lara''s career as a media celebrity as well as musician provides an excellent window on Mexican society in the mid-twentieth century and on popular culture in Latin America. Wood also delves into Lara''s music itself bringing to light how the composer''s work unites a number of important currents in Latin music of his day particularly the bolero. With close musicological focus and in-depth cultural analysis riding alongside the biographical narrative Agustin Lara: A Cultural Biography is a welcome read to aficionados and performers of Latin American musics as well as a valuable addition to the study of modern Mexican music and Latin American popular culture as a whole.