Synopsis
"Gripping story of planning and execution of Somoza's 1980 assassination, as told to Alegrâia and Flakoll in 1983 by the Argentine guerrillas who carried it out. Well-translated inverviews woven into narration lend aspect of a thriller in suspense and drama. Much historical and political background on both Nicaragua and Argentina. Excellent for classroom use"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1996-02-01 |
| Size | | Length: | 161 pages | | Height: | 8.5 in | | Width: | 5.8 in | | Thickness: | 0.5 in | | Weight: | 7.2 oz |
Publisher's Note
Death of Somoza reveals the inside story of the assassination of Somoza in Asuncion, Paraguay in 1980. Alegria and Flakoll, on the recommendation of Julio Cortazar, met "Ramon", a leader in the Argentinian Revolutionary Workers' Party (PRT) and with his help were able to interview all the survivors of the commando team that carried out the "bringing to justice" of Somoza. Alegria and Flakoll then rewove these testimonies into a narrative that reads like a thriller, as well as giving a vivid picture of the political and social climate of the time. Enlivened by its colorful cast of characters, Death of Somoza is the definitive account of how Anastasio Somoza Debayle was brought to justice. This story is not an apology for terrorism, but rather the chronicle of a tyrannicide.
Industry Reviews
No one has ever known by whom or precisely how Anastasio Somoza Debayle, the repressive Nicaraguan strongman, was assassinated in Asuncion, Paraguay, in 1980, after being forced out of office a year earlier. This book, based on firsthand interviews with the surviving Argentine commando group who carried out the assassination as representatives of the People's Revolutionary Army, conveys their actions in a mix of nonfiction description and fictional dialog. The book effectively reveals interesting points about linkages among revolutionary groups in the 1970s, the disjointed situation in Nicaragua immediately following the Sandinista triumph, and the incompetence of Paraguayan security forces in pursuit of the assassins. Yet the event itself no longer draws much interest. For academic Latin American studies collections. [See also the authors' Tunnel to Canto Grande, reviewed below. Ed.] Roderic A. Camp, Latin American Ctr., Tulane Univ., New Orleans
Breitman
If truth is stranger than fiction, historical fact can be just as fascinating, as Alegr!a and Flakoll prove here. Originally published in Nicaragua and Venezuela, this fast-paced account of the pursuit of the elusive Anastasio Somoza Debayle by his self-appointed assassins (a commando team composed of revolutionary veterans of Argentina's "dirty war"), provides the missing chapter of the Nicaraguan revolution. Because this reads like a suspense novel with elements of espionage, it will be of interest to a curious cross section of readers including military intelligence buffs, mystery lovers and students of Latin American affairs. The text includes many voices of its true-life "characters": Susana, the young rebel; Ram?n, the grizzled freedom fighter; even that of a lamenting Somoza, the deposed dictator quoted from his book Nicaragua Betrayed, published in 1980. Alegr!a is an eminent Salvadoran poet, journalist and author of numerous books including Luisa in Realityland and Family Album. Flakoll, her husband, collaborator and translator, died last year. (May)
Lopate
If truth is stranger than fiction, historical fact can be just as fascinating, as Alegr¡a and Flakoll prove here. Originally published in Nicaragua and Venezuela, this fast-paced account of the pursuit of the elusive Anastasio Somoza Debayle by his self-appointed assassins (a commando team composed of revolutionary veterans of Argentina's "dirty war"), provides the missing chapter of the Nicaraguan revolution. Because this reads like a suspense novel with elements of espionage, it will be of interest to a curious cross section of readers including military intelligence buffs, mystery lovers and students of Latin American affairs. The text includes many voices of its true-life "characters": Susana, the young rebel; Ram¢n, the grizzled freedom fighter; even that of a lamenting Somoza, the deposed dictator quoted from his book Nicaragua Betrayed, published in 1980. Alegr¡a is an eminent Salvadoran poet, journalist and author of numerous books including Luisa in Realityland and Family Album. Flakoll, her husband, collaborator and translator, died last year. (May)
Publishers Weekly (04/01/1996)
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