PAINTED MOUTHS

"Boquinhas Pintadas," the second novel by Argentine writer Manuel Puig, published in 1969, is a scathing critique of the Argentine middle class, centering on the plight of a young man suffering from tuberculosis and his relationships with the society that watched him die. The thousands of copies sold upon its release and the numerous translations into several languages confirmed the work's success. "The filmmaker died, and the writer was born, still passionate about cinema, but shielded by the inventiveness and power of narrative. Puig had managed to write a bestseller of good literature, the newest and most daring."