The Latin American Herald Tribune sits down with Joel Hirst, a former Council on Foreign Relations Fellow who worked for US AID for 7 years in Venezuela, to discuss his new novel, “The Lieutenant of San Porfirio”
 By Latin American Herald Tribune staff Latin American Herald Tribune: “The Lieutenant of San Porfirio” -- What’s the novel about?
Joel Hirst: In Latin America there’s a genre called the dictator novel. It’s a genre that tries to capture the absurd but also malevolent nature of dictatorship that has been so much a part of the region’s political culture. Using magical realism to depict the transcendental and deep power struggles, the books are also a method for a powerless people to protest against the perpetual impunity of the dictatorships. I wrote this novel about the new dictatorships -- socialist dictatorships in Latin America. While it is based in Venezuela because that country has been emblematic in the last decade, it draws on realities from across Latin America. LAHT: What was your purpose in writing the novel?JH: I have lived for over twenty years in Latin America; and have struggled with the contrasts and made common cause with many of the struggles. I also lived in Venezuela for seven years and witnessed what socialist authoritarianism has done to that country. So I wrote this novel in part as catharsis, part in protest at the evils that I saw; but I also wrote it to a North American audience to try and express what life is like in a place very foreign to most people in the USA. LAHT: What is the story line?JH: It’s a story about four characters who interact over a period of a week at a youth forum organized by the socialist government. The characters are archetypal and rational. Each is keen to protect their perceived interests – and this act brings them all in conflict in many unexpected ways. I won’t give away the ending but suffice it to say there are a few plot twists as the story develops. LAHT: Why pick the vehicle of a novel?Policy discussions are often stale and opinion articles too often reach a limited audience. Also, these do not convey the rich nuances of the challenges of many countries in our hemisphere to find lasting freedom. I wrote this because I feel that in entertaining we educate; and that’s what I wanted to do with this book. LAHT: What authors inspire you?JH: In preparing to write this, I read lots of Latin American modern classics. Of course this means Mario Vargas Llosa, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Isabel Allende. I love the epical feel of the Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien. I find the stories about the human condition by W. Somerset Maugham very inspiring and I love the clarity of thought of Ayn Rand. I'd like to think that if you mix them all together, you will find “The Lieutenant of San Porfirio”.
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