Clandestine in Chile by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Clandestine in Chile: The Adventure of Miguel Littin, is about Chilean film director Miguel Littin and his secret return to his country of birth during the Pinochet dictatorship. 

Littin was arrested during the Allende coup, as were many creative people during the coup. Littin found himself under arrest, facing the possibility of execution. In fact, whilst he was being held against his will his wife was told that he was already dead. Like many stories of escape during this period of time in Chile, Littin's escape was all done to luck - one of the arresting army officers holding him was a fan of his movies and gave him a chance to escape. He managed to escape the country but was exiled by Pinochet forever. Littin was then forced, like many of his countrymen, to watch the damage being done to his country from afar.

In 1985, Littin re-entered the country disguised as a Uruguayan businessman with the secret purpose of filming a documentary about the reality of daily life under the Pinochet dictatorship and to show the world the atrocities that were committed during this military dictatorship.

I had two motivations for reading this book.

The first was personal; my family in law are from Chile. Fortunately, my parents in law left the country before the coup, but they had family that suffered significantly at the hands of Pinochet.

The second was literary; I am a very big fan of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I greatly admire his fiction and was very keen to read his non-fiction.

Marquez writes this book in the first-person perspective, that of Littin. In order to write from Littin's perspective Marques spent over 18 hours with him, discussing Littin's experiences and feelings during this difficult and dangerous period of his life. In the introduction Marques says this about his decision to write the book from Littin's perspective:

"I preferred to keep Littin's story in the first person, to preserve its personal - and sometimes confidential - tone, without any dramatic additions and historical pretentiousness on my part.  The manner of the final text is, of course, my own, since a writer's voice is not interchangeable...Notwithstanding I have tried to keep the Chilean idioms of the original and, in all cases, to respect the narrator's way of thinking, which does not always coincide with mine".

I felt like this decision to write from Littin's perspective was successful. It was fascinating reading about Littin's 'adventure' from his point of view. Marquez's style in this book is very different to that of his fiction which is only to be expected given the difference in genre.

Littin returned to a very different country to the one that he left, and it was a little bit sad to see how he felt about the changes that had taken place since he was exiled. It was also very tense watching him attempted to remain anonymous and unemotional as he directed his documentary from afar. He was even anonymous to the film crews to protect himself and those that were assisting him to remain anonymous in the country and to meet those in the underground movement that acted against Pinochet's military dictatorship. His time in the country came under threat when he was nearly discovered and had to escape the country again.

What I want to do now is to share some quotes from the book with you, that reflect how the Pinochet dictatorship effected various aspects of the Chilean way of life. I know that some of them can be a little long, but I feel like I have learnt a lot about this book, and I want to really share some of the things that Littin risked his life (and others) to share with the world.

What happened to the individuals during the military dictatorship? Here is an example of what happened to the individuals that broke the law - torture and the effect on the family

This is a true anecdote about the experience of individuals under Pinochet's regime. He tells the story behind a cross and bunch of flowers on a cathedral in what is known now as Plaza Sebastian Acevedo:

"Sebastian Acevedo, a coal miner, had set himself on fire on that spot two years before, after fruitless efforts to find somebody to intercede for him at the National Centre for Information to stop the torture of his twenty-two-year-old son and twenty-year-old daughter who had been arrested for illegal possession of arms. Sebastian Acevedo did not plead, but he gave warning. The archbishop was away on trip, so he spoke to officers of the archbishopric, to reporters of the leading newspapers... to anyone who would listen, even to government officials, saying the same thing to everyone: 'If you don't do something to stop the torture of my children, I will soak myself with gasoline and set myself on fire in the atrium of the cathedral'. Some did not believe him. Others did not know what to do. Sebastian Avecado stood in the atrium on the appointed day, emptied a pail full of gasoline over his body, and warned the crowd gathered in the street that if anyone crossed the yellow line he would immediately set himself on fire. A carabinero, in an effort to stop the immolation, stepped over the line, and Sebastian Acevado became a human bonfire."

Chilean culture was destroyed

Littin also shares an anecdote about the cultural damage that Pinochet inflicted upon his country. It revolves around famous poet Pablo Neruda and what happened to his possessions during Pinochet's dictatorship:

"His principal residence was his house on Calle Marques de la Plata in Santiago, where he died a few days after the coup, of chronic leukemia exacerbated by grief. This house was sacked by soldiers who threw his books onto a bonfire in the garden".

The economy was destroyed

Littin describes the false sense of economic growth that Pinochet created and that ultimately landed the country in more debt and economic struggles that it was before his coup:

"Not only was Chile a modest country until the end of Allende's regime but even its conservative bourgeoisie considered austerity a national virtue. To give an immediate and impressive appearance of prosperity, the military junta de-nationalised everything that Allende had nationalised... The result was an explosion of flashy luxury goods and decorative public works... Within a five year period more goods were imported than in the previous two hundred years, using dollar credits guaranteed by the National Bank with money obtained from the denationalisations. The United States, in complicity with international credit agencies, did the rest. But when the time came to pay up, the illusion fell away; the economic fantasies of six years vanished in one. Chile's external indebtedness increased to $23 billion, almost six times the debt of the Allende administration... The economic miracle made a few of the rich much richer and the rest of Chilean society much poorer."

And what was the dictatorship like at the time Littin returned to his country? How did they treat the concerns of their own citizens?

Littin explains why he was late for a meeting during the making of his documentary:

"I arrived late, having been held up by a political demonstration. A new group for nonviolent resistance had formed on the heel of Sebastian Acevado's self-immolation in Concepcion. The police attacked the group with water canons while more than two hundred of them, soaked to the skin, stood impassively against a wall, singing hymns of love."

 This book focussed equally on the personal challenges that Littin faced making his documentary in the country he had been exiled from, as well providing excellent social commentary on this dictatorship that I suspect a lot of people don't know a lot about.

It took such a lot of strength and courage for Littin to do what he did, and I can't admire Littin enough for being willing to put himself at risk to bring the truth about such a dictatorship to the rest of the world.

The content of this book and the talent of Marquez are two wonderful reasons why you should read this book.

Summary

What kind of read is this?
It is a small book, so it is quick to read. It is a good blend of the political and the personal, with a dose of great story and skilled writing.

Do I recommend this book?
Absolutely. I think I learnt a lot from this book and I like the think that other people would as well.

Do I recommend that you buy this book?
No. This is one that you could get from the library and not be disappointed.

Star Rating

6 / 8

Really enjoyable and well written. I would recommend it.

What do you think? Do you know much about the Pinochet dictatorship and does learning more about it appeal to you? I would also love to know what people's opinion is of Marquez's decision to write the book from Littin's perspective, even though he acknowledges that the voice is more his own than Littin's.

Originally posted 15 August 2010 Page Turners

The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

This is the final instalment in Stieg Larsson's thrilling Millennium series.

The book begins exactly where it left off in Played with Fire. Lisbeth is in hospital recuperating from her horrific ordeal and her life is still in danger. She faces many significant criminal charges, and her friends rally around her to help prove her innocent. In the course of these events, the usual characters uncover a government conspiracy intimately involving Lisbeth that has been in existence for many decades and which needs to be exposed.

I don't have anything original to say about this book. Many other reviewers have said it before, and most of what I have to say about this book I have already said in relation to its predecessors.

The size of this book was quite off putting; it was so large that at times I found it difficult to hold in my hands. It was also probably the worst of the three novels for providing excess details that hold no interest to the reader. On this point, I did read this absolutely hilarious article in the New Yorker on this common complaint about the Millennium series. It is a comic re-write of the book, and you absolutely must read it if you have read these books!

The sub-plot involving Erika was a strange addition to the book. Don't get me wrong, I was guessing the whole time who her stalker would be (and I guessed right, go me!), but I didn't really understand why it had been included. I assume it was included because she was no longer working at Millennium and Larsson wanted to keep her in the story, but then, why make her leave the paper in the first place? I was just confused by it.

Having said all that, I was still engaged by the story; it kept me hooked until the end. I was pleased to see that some of the issues and relationships were tied up at the end, but it was also clear that Larsson meant there to be more books to follow. Lisbeth Salander is one of the most interesting characters I have ever read, and I really enjoyed this originality.

All in all, I enjoyed this book. For me though, some of the 'wow-factor' had left by the third instalment of this series.

Summary

What kind of read is this?
A quick read given its size, and a thrilling one.

Do I recommend this book?
Yes, it was a good read, and I would definitely recommend that you finish the series off.

Do I recommend that you buy this book?
Yes. I have recommended that you buy its predecessors so it would be silly not to recommend that you buy this one. I think that the whole series will make a great re-read.

Star Rating

6.5 / 8

Really enjoyable, I couldn't put it down. I recommend it.

Originally posted 14 July 2010 Page Turners

By Night in Chile by Roberto Bolano

I had wanted to read something by Roberto Bolano for as long as I could remember, so long in fact that I can no longer remember how he came to my attention. At the Sydney Writers Festival this year, I purchased tickets to attend a discussion about Bolano, that was hosted by Hugo Browne-Anderson and Chris Andrews. The latter is one of two people who have been translating Bolano's works from Spanish to English and so was able to add some really interesting perspectives to the discussion. This was the final motivation I needed to visit the library and borrow By Night in Chile, and I wasn't disappointed.

This is one of the most wonderful works of literary fiction that I have ever read. The plot is described thus on the back of the book:

"During the course of a single night, Father Sebastian Urratia Lacroix, a Chilean priest who is a member of Opus Dei, a literary critic and a mediocre poet, relives some of the crucial events of his life. He believes he is dying, and in his feverish delirium various characters, both real and imaginary, appear to him as icy monsters, as if in sequences from a horror film. Among them are the great poet Pablo Neruda, the German novelist Ernst Junger, and General Augusto Pinochet - whom Father Lacroix instructs in Marxist doctrine - as well as various members of the Chilean intelligentsia whose lives, during a period of political turbulence, have touched his own." 

Not uninteresting, that's for sure.

There is no comparing Bolano's use of language in storytelling to anyone else. The language is utterly unique; satirical, lyrical and full of wit. The imagery Bolano uses almost makes the reader part of the story, it feels as if you are seeing and feeling what Lacroix is. Reading the book felt a little bit like being part of a waterfall. The words flowed so rapidly that it was hard to lose control as you were swept along in its flow. At first, I actually found very challenging to focus on the story. I found that my mind wandered onto other things, in much the same way as the story wandered between the past and the present. As I got used to the language, though, I was able to sink deeper into the story and really appreciate the language.

This is a book about many things; but I would argue that it is largely about literature and the literary establishment. Lacroix is a priest, but he sees himself more as a literary critic and poet. He places little focus on his religious calling in his rememberings, instead recounting his experiences with famous literary critic Farewell, poet Pablo Neruda, author Ernst Junger and his experiences at the home of aspiring author Maria Canales.

Bolano is incredibly critical of the literary establishment in Chile, and Chilean literary tradition, although he is clearly in awe of Pablo Neruda. Bolano's critique is more aimed at the literary establishment's complicity in Pinochet's regime. These people see themselves as artists and progressives but offer no resistance to the violence and conservatism of Pinochet's regime.

Throughout his delirious ramblings, Lacroix talks to a "wizened youth" who if often present in his mind. It never clear exactly who this wizened youth is, but I believe that is a younger version of himself, and his ramblings are really Lacroix attempting to justify his own complicity with the Pinochet regime. The story begins:

"I am dying now, but I still have many things to say. I used to be at peace with myself. Quiet and at peace. But it all blew up unexpectedly. The wizened youth is to blame. I was at peace. I am no longer at peach. There are a couple of points that have to be cleared up."

In my mind, that wizened youth is that little voice at the back of all of our heads, telling us those things that we don't want to hear. Lacroix needs to convince himself, against the whisperings of that voice, that he has nothing to repent for.  

Despite his direct participation in Pinochet's regime, by teaching Pinochet and his Generals about the Marxist doctrine, he tries to justify his behaviour by trying to convince the reader (and himself) that he always attempted to hold himself apart from politics. The following quote is a long one, but describes how he experienced Allende's time in government:

"... and then a pro-Allende general was killed, and Chile restored diplomatic relations with Cuba and the national census recorded a total of 8,884,746 Chileans and the first episodes of the Chilean soap opera The Right to be Born were broadcast on television, and I read Tyrtaios of Sparta and Archilochos of Paros and Solon of Athens... and the government nationalised the copper mines and then the nitrate and steel industries and Pablo Neruda won the Nobel Prize and Diaz Casaneueva won the National Literature Prize and Fidel Castro came on a visit and many people thought he would stay and live in Chile forever... and the first anti-Allende march was organised, with people banging pots and pans, and I read Aeschylus and Sophocles and Euripides, all the tragedies..., and in Chile there were shortages and inflation and black marketeering and long queues for food... and the Bureau of Women's Affairs was set up and Allende went to Mexico and visited the seat of the United Nations in New York... and I read Thucydides... and there were strikes and the colonel of a tank regiment tried to mount a coup, and a cameraman recorded his own death on film, and then Allende's naval aide-de-camp was assassinated and there were riots, swearing, Chileans blaspheming, painting on walls, and then nearly half a million people marched in support of Allende, and then came the coup d'etat, the putsch, the military uprising, the bombing of La Moneda and when the bombing was finished, the president committed suicide and that put an end to it all. I sat there in silence, a finger between the pages to mark my place, and I thought: Peace at last".

He is almost trying too hard to convince us and himself that he is, as he puts it, "on the side of history", that we really see that this a man who knows that he has things to repent.

Ultimately, there are two things about this book that make it a work of art. It is a literary masterpiece with an entirely unique style and lyrical use of language. It is also a political critique of the complicity of the literary establishment in the brutal Pinochet regime. 


Summary

What kind of read is this?
Challenging, but compulsive. It is poignant and the language is so beautiful and unique that you will never read another book like it (unless it is another work by Bolano).

Do I recommend this book?
Without any hesitation, this is a book for true book lovers and people who really appreciate the use that language can be put to.

Do I recommend that you buy this book?
Yes. I borrowed it from the library and know that I will have to buy myself a copy so that I can re-read it again and again.

Star Rating

8 / 8

One of the best books I have ever read. Everyone should read it - it is totally amazing. I am in love.

Originally posted 17 June 2010 Page Turners