I, the Supreme
| File:Ithesupreme2.jpg The cover of the Spanish edition of the novel, published by Cátedra. | |
| Author | Augusto Roa Bastos |
|---|---|
| Original title | 'Yo el supremo' |
| Translator | Helen Lane |
| Language | Spanish |
| Genre | Historical novel |
Publication date | 1974 |
| Publication place | Paraguay |
Published in English | 1986 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | 1-56478-247-6 |
I The Supreme (orig. Spanish Yo el supremo) is a historical novel written by exiled Paraguayan author Augusto Roa Bastos. This book was first published in Spanish in 1974, and in English (translation by Helen Lane) in 1986.
This novel is a fictionalized account of the 19th Century Paraguayan dictator José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, who was also known as "Dr. Francia." Its title derives from the fact that Francia referred to himself as "El Supremo" or "the Supreme."[1]
Synopsis
As critic John King notes, "it is impossible to summarize this extraordinary novel in a few lines. It incorporates the latest developments in linguistic theory and practice, talks of the arbitrariness and unreliability of language that purports to describe reality, rereads and comments upon the various histories and travellers' accounts of Paraguay, ranges across the breadth of Latin American history, implicitly condemning Stroessner and debating with Fidel Castro, and exploring once again the gap between writer and reader."[2]
The novel opens with a pasquinade or (supposedly) forged note found on Asunción's cathedral door.
Style
I, The Supreme is a dense, complicated novel that requires considerable reader involvement. Helene Weldt-Basson suggests that symbolism plays an important role in the novel, one that goes hand-in-hand with the complexity of the writing. She references Tzvetan Todorov's theory of symbolism in literature which suggests that "[there is an] inseparability of symbolism and interpretation. There are, for me, simply two aspects of a single phenomenon." This theory dovetails quite well with the multiple meanings associated with different objects in I, The Supreme. [3] Although the novel is a dialogue between The Supreme and his secretary, Patiño, there are in fact six different types of narration in the text: notebook entries, dialogues that have been transcribed, a logbook, the "voice" of El Supremo's father, two documents, and, of course, the intallments of the perpetual circular, which is ostensibly the main project Patiño and Dr. Francia are working on.[4] In addition to the six different types of narrative, there are also three possible authors: Roa Bastos, the author-compiler, and the "implied author". The latter refers to the "behavior, attitudes, and backgrounds... necessary for a proper understanding of the text.[5] The multitude of possibilities regarding the author and the shift between types of narratives, combined with an absence of quotation marks, contribute to this book being referred to as "undoubtedly, [the authors] most complicated work to date."[6]
Characters
Dr. Francia (El Supremo)
The character the book is named after, José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia or "Dr. Francia" is undoubtedly the main focus of the book, although not in a bibliographic sense. Most of the book is dedicated to his dictates to his secretary, Patiño. El Supremo is a domineering man, frequently belittling his closest confidant. He is also an infirm man, as the book is set a short time before his death on September 20th, 1840. Bastos' portrayal of him walks the line between praise and condemnation. While other authors of the novelas de dictadores clearly present their dictators as villians, Bastos makes it unclear as to whether he is defending him or not.
Reception
Gerald Martin observes that "the publication of I the Supreme in 1974 was an exceptional cultural phenomenon." He goes on to note that Roa Bastos's novel "was more immediately and unanimously acclaimed than any novel since One Hundred Years of Solitude, and critics seemed to suspect that its strictly historical importance might be even greater than that of García Márquez's fabulously successful creation."[7]
See also
Footnotes
- ^ "I, The Supreme: "A DESPOT, NOW AND FOREVER", New York Times Book Review by Carlos Fuentes, April 6, 1986". Accessed March 6, 2008.
- ^ John King, "Augusto Roa Bastos: An Introduction." Modern Latin American Fiction: A Survey. Ed. John King. London: Faber and Faber, 1987. 297
- ^ Helene Carol Weldt-Basson Augusto Roa Bastos's I the Supreme: A dialogical perspective' University of Missouri: Columbia 1993 p. 77
- ^ Augusto Roa Bastos' I The Supreme, Harley D. Oberhelman Hispania 1994 p.450
- ^ Helene Weldt-Basson p.219
- ^ Augusto Roa Bastos' I The Supreme, Harley D. Oberhelman Hispania 1994 p.450
- ^ Gerald Martin, Journeys through the Labyrinth: Latin American Fiction in the Twentieth Century (London: Verso, 1989): 278
References
- Buffery, Helena (30). "Roa Bastos and the Question of Cultural Translatability (or how does one get to Paraguay?)". Dissidences. Hispanic Journal of Theory and Criticism. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|journal=(help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|quotes=ignored (help)