
The Prosecutor
Augusto Roa Bastos(Author)
Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
Published on 20. February 2018
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-1-68393-034-1 (ISBN)
Description
The Prosecutor is the third novel of a trilogy written by the internationally famous Paraguayan author Augusto Roa Bastos. It was preceded by the novels Son of Man and I The Supreme. Together these three works contemplate what the author has termed "the monotheism of power." The Prosecutor explores the atrocities of the Alfredo Stroessner dictatorship in Paraguay, which lasted from 1954 to 1989. Through connections with important Paraguayan historical figures, such as Francisco Solano Lopez, the novel links the protagonist to Paraguay's past as he struggles to give meaning to his life by assassinating the dictator and freeing the Paraguayan people. Combining autobiography, detective fiction, historical novel and philosophy, the novel examines the question of whether one man has the right to judge another. A provocative introduction and comprehensive notes by Helene Carol Weldt-Basson illuminate this translation of one of Roa Bastos's most important works.
Reviews / Votes
Weldt-Basson's translation of the last novel in the trilogy by Paraguayan author and political activist Augusto Roa Bastos gives English speakers access to political events and literary trends in 20th-century Paraguay. (The other two titles in the trilogy are Hijo de hombre,1960, and Yo el Supremo,1974). In her introduction Weldt-Basson provides an in-depth but not overly burdensome review of the historic, political, and literary knowledge needed for a deeper understanding of the novel and of Roa Bastos himself. She examines the novel's main themes, including the political and invasive power of dictatorships, Paraguayan history, the mixing of fantasy and reality (realismo magico), intertextuality with his other literary works, the inclusion of animals, the indigenous language of the Guarani, exile, death, and women in society. The well-researched footnotes throughout the novel and the annotated bibliography provide insight into the references Roa Bastos weaves through the telling of the story, which leaves the reader to figure out what truly happened.Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. * CHOICE *
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cranbury
United States
Publishing group
Associated University Presses
Dimensions
Height: 237 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
635 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-68393-034-1 (9781683930341)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Helene Carol Weldt-Basson is professor of Spanish and Latin American literature at University of North Dakota.
Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Prosecutor
Bibliography
Annotated Bibliography on The Prosecutor
About the Author
About the Translator/Editor
Introduction
The Prosecutor
Bibliography
Annotated Bibliography on The Prosecutor
About the Author
About the Translator/Editor