Great Translations: Terror in Peru
A Review of The Neighborhood by Mario Vargas Llosa
Class wars in Peru. Guerrilla rebels vs. the pampered elite. The author gives us a strong sense of the inequality between those who enjoy superfluous wealth while others are starving. But we also feel the terror of the elite. Bodyguards are often in cahoots with the kidnappers; security guards are often tied in with the rebels. Will you make it to work today in your chauffeur-driven limousine? Will your two daughters make it home from school? Will your car blow up when you turn the key? What’s it like to live in a country where there’s a patron saint of thieves?
The Setting: The Neighborhood is set in Lima, Peru in the period 1990–2000 when Alberto Fujimori was president and the country faced violent revolutionary activities and terrorism from two different rebel groups. One group was Tupac Amaru, a Marxist USSR-influenced group, and the other was Shining Path, a Maoist Chinese- influenced group. The rural-based rebels bring terror to the city. Bombings, kidnappings, killings, power blackouts and curfews were daily events. (One event captured world attention in 1997 when 72 hostages were held in the Japanese embassy for 126 days.)
