Name: Miguel Angel Asturias
Year Won: 1967
Read: El Senor Presidente
Original Language: Spanish
Reason: "for his vivid literary achievement, deep-rooted in the national traits and traditions of Indian peoples of Latin America"
About: "El Senor Presidente" follows the assistant/favorite of a corrupt Latin American president as he goes around doing awful things in the name of the president and struggling with the morality of what he does. And the lives of a number of other people, all broken under the horrible rule of the dictator.
It's apparently an early version of magical realism, and the world warps in strange and magical ways around the characters.
What I liked: The writing is beautiful and chilling. The story is compelling and it paints a dark picture of a morally conflicted man in the midst of a horrible situation.
What I Disliked: There are a lot of major characters, which can make it a confusing read. I think it would have been stronger with one protagonist vs. oh, say, 20.
Should it have won a Nobel: Yes. This is one of the better books on the list, between the beautiful writing, intriguing characters, and real world commentary.
Next Up: "The Thousand Cranes" by Yasunari Kawabata
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