Prólogos Book

What an excellent and astute collection of essays from such topics as the "Bobbit affair" to Camus. The man is brilliant and a joy to read in the translation by John King. Originally published in 1996, it was released again after his win of the 2010 Nobel prize in literature.

The pinnacle of this book is "The Story of the Massacre" based on his work in a commission set up by the Peruvian government to understand what happened when seven journalists were killed in the Andes in 1983. Vargas Llosa gives a very well-rounded background leading up to the massacre when Sendero Luminoso (The Shining Path) army began its war against the Peruvian government. I don't even remember this event but it was a central issue in Peru at the time. His journalistic background unravels a good story and I was surprised by the ending.

Opposite to this is his story called "My Son the Rastafarian". This is a personal recollection of a visit by his son Gonzalo Gabriel while he sat on the jury of the Berlin Film Festival. The title sums up his 16-year old son. His observations, anxiety and grief of a teen boy reminded me of my own (to a much lesser degree). It was a good laugh and I'm sure Vargas Llosa didn't laugh at the time but does now.

Throughout these 46 essays, Vargas Llosa gives his view from a Latin American about literature (James Joyce, Hemmingway, Doris Lessing, Faulkner to name a view), politics, art, existentialism and soccer. If you enjoy his books, don't miss this collection of essays.