The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman
ISBN 0-436-20114-3 | | |
Preceded by | The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts & Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord |
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The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman is a novel by Louis de Bernières, first published in 1992.[1][2] It is the last of his Latin American trilogy, following on from The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts and Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord.
Setting
Set in an imagined Latin American country the novel's political themes parody the worst excesses of the
Although the name of the country of the trilogy is never directly disclosed, several reasons cause it to most resemble that of
Plot
Cardinal Guzman lives extravagantly in the capital, and immorally, due to the discoveries of his having had a young son and his loathing of the poor shanty-dwellers who live below his palace. Despite the downfall of El Jerarca in Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord, the drug trade continues and the economy of the country spirals ever downward. Cardinal Guzman's clergy and the corrupt military of the country set out to destroy the heresy of the countryside, and, more specifically, Cochadebajo de los Gatos, home of Dionisio and many of the other characters. In so doing the hypocrisy of the Cardinal's faith with his own promiscuity is revealed.
Style
De Bernières pays obvious homage to Latin American magic realism, in particular the comic awareness of life's transcendence which characterises the work of Gabriel García Márquez. However, his political themes are clear and unambiguous.[citation needed]
References
- ^ "The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman by Louis de Bernieres". www.publishersweekly.com. 4 April 1994. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ THE TROUBLESOME OFFSPRING OF CARDINAL GUZMAN | Kirkus Reviews.