About this ebook
Dictatorship in Fact and in Fiction focuses on independence movements led by “dictadores” in Latin America and the Caribbean. It presents theses and antitheses concerning the intellectual determinants and social conditions that give rise to and sustain what many call dictatorships. It also considers the false attribution of “dictatorship”, relying sometimes on the stigma produced by the word and its cognates to refer to such figures as José Martí, Simón Bolívar, Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez.
Paraguayans named their “dictador,” José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, “El supremo Dictador Perpetuo”. Unlike his fellow “dictadores”, such as Simón Bolívar, who achieved Independence by daunting deeds of physical and intellectual leadership, Francia ensured Paraguay’s independence by enhancing its unity and productivity. And yet Sarmiento, despite his ethnic cleansing, is more widely admired. This example points to our moral duty to define “dictatorship” and, by extension, to the indispensability of the present volume.
About the author
Keith Ellis is Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, Canada, and Professor of Merit at the University of Havana, Cuba. He writes, lectures and publishes on literary genres, Latin American and Caribbean culture, poetry, the short story, and Francisco Ayala, who endured exile in Latin America from Franco’s dictatorship; and has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications in these areas. Ellis’s own poetry has appeared in several journals in the Caribbean and North America. His many awards include the Dulce María Loynaz International Prize (Cuba), the Andrés Bello Medal (Venezuela), Doctor honoris causa (University of Havana), Order of Distinction (CD) (Jamaica), and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. His translation of Derek Walcott’s play, The Joker of Seville into Spanish, and of works by Nicolás Guillén, José Martí, José María Heredia, Rubén Darío, and Naín Nómez into English have explored the treatment of dictatorship and other themes by these brilliant writers.
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