Death of Somoza [Paperback]

Claribel Alegria (Author), Darwin J. Flakoll (Author, Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1996 | ISBN-10: 1880684268 | ISBN-13: 978-1880684269 | Edition: 1st

Death of Somoza reveals the inside story of the assassination of Somoza in Asuncion, Paraguay in 1980. Alegria and Flakoll, on the recommendation of Julio Cortazar, met "Ramon," a leader in the Argentinian Revolutionary Workers' Party (PRT) and with his help were able to interview all the survivors of the commando team that carried out the "bringing to justice" of Somoza. Alegria and Flakoll then rewove these testimonies into a narrative that reads like a thriller, as well as giving a vivid picture of the political and social climate of the time. Enlivened by its colorful cast of characters, Death of Somoza is the definitive account of how Anastasio Somoza Debayle was brought to justice. This story is not an apology for terrorism, but rather the chronicle of a tyrannicide.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

If truth is stranger than fiction, historical fact can be just as fascinating, as Alegria and Flakoll prove here. Originally published in Nicaragua and Venezuela, this fast-paced account of the pursuit of the elusive Anastasio Somoza Debayle by his self-appointed assassins (a commando team composed of revolutionary veterans of Argentina's "dirty war"), provides the missing chapter of the Nicaraguan revolution. Because this reads like a suspense novel with elements of espionage, it will be of interest to a curious cross section of readers including military intelligence buffs, mystery lovers and students of Latin American affairs. The text includes many voices of its true-life "characters": Susana, the young rebel; Ramon, the grizzled freedom fighter; even that of a lamenting Somoza, the deposed dictator?quoted from his book Nicaragua Betrayed, published in 1980. Alegria is an eminent Salvadoran poet, journalist and author of numerous books including Luisa in Realityland and Family Album. Flakoll, her husband, collaborator and translator, died last year.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

No one has ever known by whom or precisely how Anastasio Somoza Debayle, the repressive Nicaraguan strongman, was assassinated in Asuncion, Paraguay, in 1980, after being forced out of office a year earlier. This book, based on firsthand interviews with the surviving Argentine commando group who carried out the assassination as representatives of the People's Revolutionary Army, conveys their actions in a mix of nonfiction description and fictional dialog. The book effectively reveals interesting points about linkages among revolutionary groups in the 1970s, the disjointed situation in Nicaragua immediately following the Sandinista triumph, and the incompetence of Paraguayan security forces in pursuit of the assassins. Yet the event itself no longer draws much interest. For academic Latin American studies collections. [See also the authors' Tunnel to Canto Grande, reviewed below.?Ed.]?Roderic A. Camp, Latin American Ctr., Tulane Univ., New Orlean.
-?Roderic A. Camp, Latin American Ctr., Tulane Univ., New Orleans
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 162 pages
• Publisher: Curbstone Books; 1st edition (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880684268
• ISBN-13: 978-1880684269
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #636,051 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > History > Americas > South America > Paraguay

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An engaging read, January 3, 2008

By 

Peter D. Bellone - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death of Somoza (Paperback)

I just finished this book two weeks ago. It's short and engaging, so for anyone interested in central american history there is no excuse not to read this book. It's a day by day account of the plotting and carrying out of a murder of a man who probably deserved it. All the details are laid out: how they found out where Somoza was, how they got the safe house( which is a great story in itself which I won't reveal), their fears and gaffes, etc. What really struck me was the abscence of self-glorification. This group struck down the man who held the record for theft until Marcos and his wife left town about ten years later. You would think they were entitled to a little dance in the end zone, not them though, they were all business about it. So allow me to raise a toast for them. Though this isn't the kind of story that's supposed to warm one's heart, it does satisfy. In this age there are too many examples of dictators either dying of old age at home or living the life of riley in exile: stalin, pinochet, stroessner, imelda marcos, idi amin, and that guy from ethiopia whose name escapes me, and castro( technically he's neither but the man got away with it and that's my point) to name a few, it's good to know that justice prevails every once in awhile. And I think these people deserve our praise and more people should read and know this story.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Death of Somoza is..., August 26, 2003

By 

Brian M. Straight (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death of Somoza (Paperback)

.. without a doubt one of the best testimonials to ever be released to the Latin American revolutionary scene. This one definitely ranks right up there with Ana Guadalupe Martinez' "Las Carceles Clandestinas" and Roque Dalton's "Miguel Marmol". The reader will find the last chapter the best, when Comandante Ramon discusses the nervousness and apprehensions he and the "compas" feel when the moment for action is upon them. I had a hard time putting the book down, and for anyone who has ever lived/traveled in the Central American region and knows the hardships and history of the people well, this short piece is a must have, if for nothing else than its extraordinary retelling of one of the most remarkable events pertinent to the region in the last 50 years.

3 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The murder of a brutal dictator., December 4, 2007

By 

Kevin M Quigg (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Death of Somoza (Paperback)

The slant on this book is toward the left. It tries to justify the murder of A. Somoza, Former President of Nicaragua as bringing to justice a brutal leader. I have some problems with those that committed this murder, and how the authors wrote the book.

First off, the murderers were Argentine ERT terrorists, who were infamous in their own country for their brutal killings and kidnapping. These guys and gals were not pikers. They were experienced terrorists.

Second, they stated they wanted to rid the world of a brutal dictator and help international solidarity. Why not kill a more brutal dictator than Somoza. His name is F. Castro. I equate international solidarity to socialist imperialism. They condemn American actions in Latin America, but do not condemn Cuban meddling on the continent.

Third, murderers claimed they did act out of their gracious nature. Where did they get the money? They got the money from either the Cuban or Nicaraguan government. Thats where they got it. They were just paid assasins. Nothing more and nothing less.

Do not glorify these guys or gals for what they did. They were paid to perform a hit. The Sandinistas were as bad as Somoza. The book glosses over all these facts.

The writing on this book was OK and the story of the stalking itself was interesting. However authors tried to place a positive spin on people who were murderers and terrorists.