In "The War of the Fatties," a campy, tongue-in-cheek retelling of an episode from the Mexican "Trojan War," naked fat women from Tlatelolco discombobulate Tenochtitlan’s invading army by squirting them with breast milk. Told with satiric allusions to the policies and tactics used by Mexico’s current ruling party, PRI, to consolidate its power, the play unfolds a history of vain rivalry and decadence, intricate political maneuvers, corruption, and unchecked ambition that determined the course of Mexican history for two centuries before the Spanish conquest. Novo’s other works in this collection―"A Few Aspects of Sex among the Nahuas," "Ahuítzotl and the Magic Water," "Cuauhtémoc: Play in One Act," "Cuauhtémoc and Eulalia: A Dialogue," "Malinche and Carlota: A Dialogue," and "In Ticitézcatl or The Enchanted Mirror: Opera in Two Acts"―represent nearly all of his Aztec-related writings. Taken together, they provide a delightful introduction to Novo’s later works and a light-hearted, historically accurate introduction to Aztec culture. The text is supplemented by a glossary of Nahuatl terms, notes on the historical characters, and an introduction that provides historical background and places Novo’s works within their cultural context. Five short plays and other writings by the late poet, playwright, and essayist Novo take a wise, farcical, and irreverent view of Aztec culture, along with jabs at contemporary Mexican politics. Little known in the States, Novo belonged to the Contemporneos, a controversial, influential group of writers in 1920s Mexico. An extensive introduction by translator Alderson places the playwright in his unsettled political and cultural climate, and a very helpful Nahuatl (Aztec) glossary illuminates the plays. Despite these aids and the entertaining, accessible writings themselves, the relative obscurity of both the Aztec and Mexican contexts may limit readership. Important for academic collections, but buy only for adventurous readers at public libraries. - Janet Ingraham, Worthington P.L., Ohio Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. Five short plays and other writings by the late poet, playwright, and essayist Novo take a wise, farcical, and irreverent view of Aztec culture, along with jabs at contemporary Mexican politics. ― Library Journal Five short plays and other writings by the late poet, playwright, and essayist Novo take a wise, farcical, and irreverent view of Aztec culture, along with jabs at contemporary Mexican politics. ― Library Journal One of the group of talented poets and playwrights known as los Contemporáneos, Salvador Novo (1904-1974) received the prestigious Premio Nacional de Literatura in 1969. The late Michael Alderson was an independent scholar and free-lance translator.