I the Supreme (Paperback)

Paperback. A towering achievement from a foundational author of modern Latin American literature: through the historical figure of Paraguay's nineteenth-century "Supreme Dictator for Life," Jose Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia, I the Supreme brilliantly explores the relationships between language, politics, oppression, and freedom.I the Supremeimagines a dialogue between the nineteenth-century Paraguayan dictator known as Dr. Francia and Policarpo Patino, his secretary and only companion. The opening pages present a sign that they had found nailed to the wall of a cathedral, purportedly written by Dr. Francia himself and ordering the execution of all of his servants upon his death. This sign is quickly revealed to be a forgery, which takes leader and secretary into a larger discussion about the nature of truth: "In the light of what Your Eminence says, even the truth appears to be a lie."Their conversation broadens into an epic journey of the mind, stretching across the colonial history of their nation, filled with surrealist imagery, labyrinthine turns, and footnotes supplied by a mysterious "compiler." A towering achievement from a foundational author of modern Latin American literature,I the Supremeis a darkly comic, deeply moving meditation on power and its abuse-and on the role of language in making and unmaking whole worlds. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.…