At first, I thought this was definitely not a topic for me.

However, the South American environment interested me a lot as I really like to travel there on vacation. I really like translation, so I continued and gradually it started to appeal to me more and more. Some passages didn't sit well with me. I am becoming more and more lenient with such hardships. But it was all written with such ease that even the more difficult passages could be overcome without harm.

Now I find out that this is the first part of a trilogy, so it's clear that I will have to embark on the other parts as well.

Wow. Stupendous. Magnificent. This work truly ranks right up there with the greats like Garcia Marquez and Allende. It is a glorious example of Latin American magical realism. Reading it is a wonderful experience every step of the way. The writing is brilliant, insightful, incisive, and sly. Each character is so fully drawn that one could easily pick them out in a crowd. To be able to write like this, in epic proportions, drawing from all walks of life and all types of human reasoning, is truly a wonderful talent to possess. I can't wait to read his other books.

It's too bad that the movie version of "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" was such drivel. Otherwise, I might have discovered Bernieres long ago. Well, now is as good a time as ever.

There is a wonderful couple of paragraphs about patriotism. It states that there are two types of patriotism, although sometimes they are mingled in one breast. The first kind is what one might call nationalism. Nationalists believe that all other countries are inferior in every respect and that one would do them a favor by dominating them. They think other countries are always in the wrong, less free, less civilized, less glorious in battle, perfidious, prone to falling for insane and alien ideologies, and irreligious and abnormal. Such patriots are the most common variety, and their patriotism is the most contemptible thing on earth.

The second type of patriot is best described by the example of General Fuerte. General Fuerte did not believe in "my country, right or wrong." On the contrary, he loved his land despite the faults he could so clearly see and that he labored to correct. It was his frequently stated opinion that anyone who supported their country when it was obviously in the wrong or who failed to see its faults was the worst kind of traitor. While the first kind of patriot really glories in his own irrationality and not in his country, General Carlo Maria loved his country as a son loves his mother or a brother his sister.

Take that, George Bush.

**Expanded Article**

Life is an unpredictable dance of coincidences and chance, rarely following the planned or foretold path. Often, one discovers happiness in an unchosen journey or misery in a chosen one. How often does one wonder what momentous events might have emerged from a seemingly trivial circumstance that has gained significance far beyond itself?

A spoiled matron desires to divert the local river to refill her stagnant pool, while an Army General takes a solo vacation in the mountains to pursue butterflies. Unintentionally, they spark a war in an imaginary Latin American republic, a fictional place that combines elements from many. Before achieving fame with his vivid portrayal of rural life during World War II on a small Greek island, Louis de Bernieres showcased his literary prowess in this debut novel by painting a vibrant and subversive picture of life in an isolated village between the Andes and the Amazonian jungle.

The story encompasses a wide range of human experiences, including politics, mythology, black humor, economics, tragedy, war crimes, nature, passion, religion, philosophy, death, and new life. It revolves around the "dingleberries" of Don Emmanuel, a British expat who abandoned the uncertain benefits of higher education for the freedom and laid-back lifestyle of the tropics. Don Emmanuel attended Cambridge to study botany and joined multiple political parties simultaneously to gain a balanced view. On his first trip to the Andes, he decided to go AWOL, sample the local ladies in the whorehouse, and become a cattle farmer.
Despite being the title character, Don Emmanuel is not a major active force in the plot. Instead, he acts as an "eminence gris" in an advisory role, allowing his charitable deeds to speak for themselves. The majority of the story is told through the eyes of the villagers, a diverse group including former black slaves, descendants of the Incas, mestizos, aboriginal tribes, guerilleros, American investors, and a French couple of expats. Opposing them in the budding war are inept government soldiers, corrupt politicians, a trio of power-hungry Army Chiefs of Staff, death squads, rapacious ministers, and a scatterbrained president married to a pole dancer.
Bernieres acknowledges his debt to Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and the influence of the great storyteller is evident in the earthy, exuberant lives of the local peasants and the intrusion of magic into a harsh reality. Elements such as a plague of laughter after a terrorist attack, an invasion of fast-growing cats, conversations with ghosts, miraculous healings, and even the resurrection of the dead are as much a part of the landscape as mosquitoes and drug dealers. Pedro, the local hunter and witch doctor, combines materials and philosophical schools into a practical credo: "If you think for a minute, everything is natural, and everything is spirits."
While the comparison to Marquez has merit, for me, the novel's tone is closer to the combination of black humor, sarcastic observations of human folly, and deep humanism that characterizes the work of Kurt Vonnegut. This may be because I recently read "Galapagos," a fable set in Ecuador that, like "Don Emmanuel and his Friends," deals with political, economic, and social breakdown. Of the two writers, I must admit that de Bernieres is the superior storyteller. His characters come alive, their passions intensified by the stifling heat and the fertile jungle. The joys of life, such as food, dancing, and love, contrast with the squalor, poverty, and constant threat of death. In this world, half-measures and timidity have no place, and those who take control of their fate will survive.
Even the villains in the story have a larger-than-life presence, like those in an opera libretto. The small-scale invasion of a barren rock in the ocean escalates into a conflagration of epic proportions. A building project in the capital aims to surpass all the wonders of the world. A clueless president engages in tantric sex to reduce the national debt. Generals play with bombs like children with marbles. It's a thrilling ride, but de Bernieres also knows how to bring the reader back to the残酷的 reality of "collateral" victims, such as innocent Indians sprayed with napalm, children maimed by landmines, young girls raped by soldiers, liberals tortured and killed, and dumped on garbage dumps. Life in Latin America is cheap, and there is a long history of insurgency and counter-insurgency fueled by superpower ambitions, drug dealer interference, and corporate greed. The author skillfully balances his portrayal of right-wing and left-wing mentalities, satirizing both with equal vigor. His sympathies clearly lie with the impoverished and exploited villagers, who are focused on survival rather than the power games played in the capital.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that many of the events described in the book are based on actual developments in Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, and other countries in the region. There is no need for fiction when reality provides such rich material for satire. Some of these events are uncomfortably close to home, mirroring the corruption of politicians and the ruthlessness of foreign investors who quickly strip a country of its resources after a political upheaval, a situation familiar to the Romanian people.
Latin America is also known for its machismo and male-dominated society. I found it refreshing that Louis de Bernieres presents women in positions of power, holding their own in a testosterone-filled environment. A hooker is elected to the village council, a spoiled landowner's wife discovers passion when removed from her luxury mansion, and the idealist daughter of a banker joins the guerilleros after being mistreated by the secret police. The strongest of them all, Remedios, a mountain girl, is chosen as the leader of a band of revolutionaries.
I may have already revealed too much about the novel's building blocks and main characters. I should have said more about the beautiful prose and the lush imagery of the countryside, nestled between imposing mountains and impenetrable jungle. It's hard to believe this is a debut novel. Bernieres' mastery of language and plot is impressive, a result of his years spent in Colombia as a teacher. Small details hide a deep concern for the preservation of the natural wonders and cultural diversity of the entire continent, which is reduced to a single imaginary country for the purposes of the story. Here's a short exchange between Don Emmanuel and Aurelio, the Indian farmer, about cutting trees from the jungle:
- "That tree is a quebracha, the wood is so hard that it can be used for paving roads. Try another one. [...] No, that is a rubber tree; it would be a waste. No, that is a brazil nut tree; it would be a waste. No, that is a sacred tree; it would offend Pachacamac."
In the end, Don Emmanuel abandons his tree-felling project, unlike many enterprises that thrive on clear-cutting the lungs of our planet. The jungle is fascinating and full of wonders, but if given the opportunity to visit the places described in the novel, I would set my sights on the Andes, just like the villagers who undertake a journey of biblical proportions. The mountains are a place where one can find whatever one desires by simply looking, as long as one remembers that they do not tolerate fools gladly, especially those with preconceived notions.
The next book in the series, which I eagerly anticipate after enjoying this one, promises more adventures in the mountains, the jungle, or the capital city. I hope my favorite characters will fare well in the sequel, although with de Bernieres, there is no guarantee of a happy ending or even a logical and compassionate universe: "You have to understand that some Gods have no more brains than a monkey, and play the same kinds of tricks."

Overall, "Don Emmanuel and his Friends" is a captivating and thought-provoking novel that offers a unique perspective on life in Latin America.