Anna Seghers, Das wirkliche Blau: Eine Geschichte aus Mexiko [Benito's Blue: A Story from Mexico]

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In 1967 Anna Seghers published

Das wirkliche Blau. Eine Geschichte aus Mexiko

. The title translates literally to “The Real Blue” but the story does not altogether take place in the realm of the “realistic”. Rather, the narrative in some ways resembles a fairy tale. As if foreshadowing the inevitable journey and subsequent transformation, Seghers' tale begins with the central character Benito slowly climbing up a hill. Consistent with the fantastic, the opening perspective does not come from Benito, but instead from Benito's mule. The animal, conscious of his master's actions, carries Benito's pottery that is painted with a certain “irresistible” and “inimitable” shade of blue. The mule introduces the importance of the pottery and its color to Benito's livelihood and…

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Citation: Boney, Kristy. "Das wirkliche Blau: Eine Geschichte aus Mexiko". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 July 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=19323, accessed 19 March 2024.]

19323 Das wirkliche Blau: Eine Geschichte aus Mexiko 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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