Review Of "Hard Rain" By A. Dorfman, Translated By G. Shivers

Document Type

Book Review

Publication Date

3-1-1991

Published In

Choice

Abstract

This is the English translation of Moros en la costa, the Chilean author's first novel published originally in 1973 at the height of political turmoil in Chile. The text represents a fascinating portrayal of the antagonistic forces then at work in his native country during the short-lived Allende government and sheds light on why a military coup could have occurred in a country that always prided itself on its democratic traditions. As a novel Hard Rain eludes facile summary and classification. Its narrative sequences are composed of editorials, book reviews, movie scripts, interviews, newspaper articles, letters, and dialogue--all of which bombard the reader with multiple points of view on a reality laden with unending contradictions. While to a great extent it is a documentary on a specific period of Chile's past, it is also a profoundly experimental novel that questions traditional notions of literature, writing and the role of the writer in society. Similar to Dorfman's The Last Song of Manuel Sendero, (CH, Oct'87) this novel too has undergone serious editing by its now mature author and it gains noticeably in translation.

Comments

This work is freely available courtesy of Choice Reviews. The review has been reproduced in full in the abstract field.

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