Oficio de difuntos / Rite of the Dead
Novel , 1976
Drácena
Pages: 342
Rite of the Dead is a profound literary reflection on the figure of a rural, creole caudillo: through a "novelized" biography of Juan Vicente Gómez —or Aparicio Peláez in the narration—, Uslar Pietri reconstructs the historical void suffered by Venezuela during the dictatorship of this man who ruled the country from 1903 to 1935. The author, through a sharp psychological analysis, uncovers the mechanisms that fueled Gómez's ambition for power and the way he consolidated it throughout his career, occupying various positions on his path to absolute power. But beyond the biography, Rite of the Dead offers a precise look at the class of patriarchs who, like him, shaped the destiny of Latin America, from Porfirio Díaz in Mexico to the Somoza family in Nicaragua.
Through his keen irony and the humor characteristic of his style, Uslar Pietri distances the narrative from the harshness of history and creates a dazzling farce of political satire. With an observation that stems from his close relationship with Gómez in his childhood, the author builds a fierce critique of the silent rise of these caudillos who, under the guise of pacifiers, became omnipotent satraps capable of subjugating society without opposition. Rite of the Dead is, ultimately, an incisive look at power, submission, and the dark mechanisms of dictatorship.