Product Description
One night, a personal friend of the President is assassinated. Who will pay for the crime: the guilty or the innocent? It hardly seems to matter in this Latin America republic, where the evil power of the President affects everyone. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

This is a review of EL Presidente
The reason that I picked up this reading is that I was told that this was an excellent portrayal of Latin American dictators. In terms of content and substance, I don't know if it is accurate. However, from the aesthetic point of view, the book is full of disgusting images and negativity that wastes anybody's reading time. In my view, it is impossible to create a work of art out of depressive images, sad emotions and vulgar language. I could not wait until I was able to throw this book down my trash chute. Hope this helps anyone who would think of wasting their valuable time on this piece of trash.

This edition is an abridgement. . .
1 star = Amazon's publication information
5 star = the novel itself.

This edition is an abridgement of the original novel. Be warned: there is no indication in Amazon's publication info that this is an abridgement, except for the page count (120 pages).

This edition is a good tool for those learning Latin American Spanish.

Again the Santillana Edition is not the full novel.

Un libro sumamente interesante de leer.
Este libro menciona las mas duras cualidades de una presidencia. Ademasincluye experiencias propias para darle mas poder a las descripciones queel autor hace. Incluso, el autor se pone dentro de la novelas para darlemayor fuerza a lo que esta escribiendo porque el ha vivido esos momentos deangustias y dolor. Lo recomiendo de verdad. Ademas es un libro que no debede faltar en su biblioteca.

An astounding novel of human misery and triumph
I read this great book by Miguel Angel Asturias a few years ago.It is set in the beautiful yet corrupt country of Guatemala, where justice is rarely done. The book is masterfully written by Guatemala's best know author and nobel prize winner, Miguel Angel Asturias. I definitely recomend this book to anyone looking for an entertaining and revealing look at Guatemala's former political and social situation, one that can still be seen in many countries of the world. ... Read more

Product Description
Miguel Ángel Asturias Rosales (October 19, 1899 – June 9,1974) was a Nobel Prize–winning Guatemalan poet, novelist,and diplomat. Asturias helped establish Latin Americanliterature's contribution to mainstream Western culture, andat the same time drew attention to the importance ofindigenous cultures, especially those of his nativeGuatemala. Asturias was born and grew up in Guatemala, butspent significant time abroad, first in Paris in the 1920s,where he studied anthropology and Indian mythology. Manyscholars[who?] view him as the first Latin American novelistto show how the study of anthropology and linguistics couldaffect the writing of literature. While in Paris, Asturiasalso associated with the Surrealist movement, and he iscredited with introducing many features of modernist styleinto Latin American letters. In this way, he is an importantprecursor of the Latin American Boom of the 1960s and 1970s.One of Asturias' most famous novels, El Señor Presidente,describes life under a ruthless dictator. Asturias' verypublic opposition to dictatorial rule led to him spendingmuch of his later life in exile, both in South America andin Europe. ... Read more

Product Description
A personal friend of the President is assassinated. Who will pay for this crime? It hardly seems to matter in this Latin American republic.Description in Spanish:Una noche, un amigo personal del Senor Presidente es asesinado. Quienes pagaran este crimen: culpables o inocentes? Poco importa esto es una republica americana donde el poder malefico del Senor Presidente alcanza a todos. ... Read more