Talking In One Language And Talking In

The Best Translators Slip Into The Glove Of A Text And Then Turn It Inside Out Into Another Language, And The Whole Thing Comes Out Looking Like A Brand-new Glove Again. I'm Completely In Awe Of This Skill, Since I Happen To Be Both Bilingual And A Writer, But Nevertheless A Lousy Translator.

So, You Know, I Always Say That I'm A Mexican, But If I Had To Be A Citizen Of Anywhere Else, I'd Be A Citizen Of Manhattan. I Feel Very Much A New Yorker.

An Essential Part Of The Magic Involves Turning Everyone Into An Enemy, To Ward Off Surprises.

And, Of Course, Millions Of Us Cross The Border To Work In Us Homes And Gardens And Factories And Carpentry Shops And Restaurants, And If You Go To A Restaurant Pretty Much Anywhere In The United States, The Chances Are That The Dishes Will Be Washed By A Mexican.

I Realized That I Had Traveled To Havana During What Now Seems Like The Childhood Of The Cuban Revolution, If You Think That Fidel Has Now Been In Power For 44 Extremely Long Years. I Started Looking At The Revolution As History, And Not As Part Of The Daily News.