ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the relationship between interpretive strategies, gender, genre and canonicity in the formation of the twentieth-century Mexican novelistic canon. El desfile del amor was Pitol's third novel and although his public profile was limited he was an established figure on the Mexican political scene. As Elena Urrutia noted in La Jornada, Pitol is part of a long-standing tradition of Mexican intellectuals and writers who have had diplomatic careers. When El desfile del amor was published Pitol was the Mexican ambassador to Czechoslovakia and he had worked in the diplomatic service since 1960. As the winner of the prestigious Premio Herralde awarded by the Spanish publisher Anagrama, El desfile del amor aroused the interest of critics and the curiosity of the reading public in his native country. The novel's divergence from the 'classic' model of detective fiction led many reviewers to suggest that El desfile del amor used the detective genre, but that it was not limited by it.
