El Llano en llamas

El Llano en llamas is a collection of short stories written by Mexican author Juan Rulfo. Four English translations have been published:

• The Burning Plain and Other Stories (University of Texas Press, 1971), translated by George D. Schade.
• The Plain in Flames (University of Texas Press, 2012), translated by Ilan Stavans and Harold Augenbraum.
• El Llano in flames (Structo Press, 2019), translated by Stephen Beechinor.
• The Burning Plain (University of Texas Press, 2024), translated by Douglas J. Weatherford.

The stories were written over several years for different literary magazines, starting in 1945 with "They Gave Us The Land". The collection itself was first published in 1953 by the Fondo de Cultura Económica as part of the collection Letras Mexicanas. After its publication, two other stories, "The Legacy of Matilde Arcángel" and "The Day of the Collapse", were included in its second edition in 1970.

The stories in the book are set in the harsh countryside of the state of Jalisco where Rulfo was raised, with the context of post-Mexican Revolution events such as the distribution of ejidos after the land reform and the Cristero War. They explore the tragic lives of the area's inhabitants who suffer from extreme poverty, family discord, and crime. With a few bare phrases the author conveys a feeling for the bleak, harsh surroundings in which his people live.