I like Llosa. I like him very much. I don’t consider him one of the great writers of the world, though. One of the best the present has to offer, yes. But you can’t place him next to the ones who innovated world literature. I’m proud to have read almost all the books he wrote and none of them disappointed me.
“Feast of the Goat” is the story of a Dominican tyrant, not very different from any other tyrant our world ever had the misfortune of producing. This one has a frightening libido. Maybe the climate bears a part of the blame. On that hot, salty island, blood begins to boil. And when you have access to any maiden, woman or wife under your power, it’s too easy to fall into temptation. And he did. Repeatedly and passionately when he was younger, ever more rarely now, when he’s over 70.
There is something new that I discovered about Llosa in this book: the passion for the detailed description of human cruelty. The dictator’s murder causes a torture orgy which will only bow in front of the intelligence of a real politician. Actually, if we strip this book of the blood and the sex, we will be left with the story of a beautiful and carefully planned political battle told with Llosa’s specific energy. Time is often fractured, another specific trait of Llosa’s work, by blending the present with the memories that suddenly flood the minds of the main characters.
It’s a very good book. I recommend it even for those who haven’t had a taste of Llosa yet. You can buy it here.
First photo: Mario Vargas Llosa – photocredits: The Guardian
Second photo: Tujillo – photocredits: www.mtholyoke.edu
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