WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE
**
A landmark collection of essays on the Nobel laureate's conception of
Latin America, past, present, and future**
Throughout his career, the Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa has
grappled with the concept of Latin America on a global stage. Examining
liberal claims and searching for cohesion, he continuously weighs the
reality of the continent against the image it projects, and considers
the political dangers and possibilities that face this diverse set of
countries.
Now this illuminating and versatile collection assembles these
never-before-translated criticisms and meditations. Reflecting the
intellectual development of the writer himself, these essays distill the
great events of Latin America's recent history, analyze political groups
like FARC and Sendero Luminoso, and evaluate the legacies of infamous
leaders such as Papa Doc Duvalier and Fidel Castro. Arranged by theme,
they trace Vargas Llosa's unwavering demand for freedom, his embrace of
and disenchantment with revolutions, and his critique of nationalism,
populism, indigenism, and corruption.
From the discovery of liberal ideas to a defense of democracy, buoyed by
a passionate invocation of Latin American literature and art, Sabers
and Utopias is a monumental collection from one of our most important
writers. Uncompromising and adamantly optimistic, these social and
political essays are a paean to thoughtful engagement and a brave
indictment of the discrimination and fear that can divide a society.
