Latin America
When a Marxist Loses His Charm
The uruguayan Eduardo Galeano was once the author of elegant and charming journalism. Sadly, his new book is a dumbed-down travesty
Default Lines
An arcane deal for the UK to write off a chunk of Argentina’s debt in exchange for an end to squabbling over the Falklands was turned down by the British government. It would have saved a lot of trouble
Online Only: The A,B,Cs of Latter-Day Autocracy
Dictatorships may not be lumbering behemoths, but William J Dobson overstates the extent to which authoritarians have changed their ways
Super Mario
A brilliant writer with remarkable political gifts, Mario Vargas Llosa is a worthy winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
Havana: The Castros Will Not Be Absolved
“Cuba is decaying at a scandalous pace, physically and morally. The social capital of civil values and mutual trust has evaporated and hatred is taking hold”
Rio’s Heart of Darkness
The World cup in 2014 and the 2016 Olympics are an incentive and an opportunity to address inequality and drug-related violence in Rio de Janeiro. Will the state try to heal the problems in the favelas, or simply conceal them?
Guide to the Perplexed
Nazi Literature in the Americas by Roberto Bolaño, translated by Chris Andrews
Chávez’s Thugs
Chávez’s blanket control over the media is highlighted by the armed attack on Globovisión
Colombia: A Nation Reborn
Alvaro Uribe has brought prosperity to Colombia, and is now up for “re-re-election”. But the legacy of political chaos will continue to be felt, says Vanessa Neumann
On the Edge of the Abyss
2666 by Roberto Bolaño, translated by Natasha Wimmer
Why Remoaners should back Boris
“Boris, ironically, now offers Remoaners the best chance of a soft Brexit, or at least a sensible one. And to those who want a second referendum—’the people’s vote’—there may even be a chance of that too.”
On the road
“In the summer of 1980, in the grip of some Kerouac-ish fantasy, I opted to hitch-hike from Laredo to New York”
Discovering the Great War of China
A third of a million Chinese labourers helped the Allies defeat the Kaiser, but their huge unsung contribution ended in betrayal