- Paperback: 160 pages
- Publisher: Picador; First Edition edition (Sep 1 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312422784
- ISBN-13: 978-0312422783
- Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 14 x 1.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 159 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#599,572 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #19 in Books > History > Americas > Central America > Nicaragua
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Bombay-born novelist Rushdie (Midnight's Children) visited Nicaragua in 1986 and here writes of poetry recitals, political rallies, meetings with peasants, soldiers and members of the opposition. PW noted that Rushdie believes the Sandinistas have made mistakes but that "the Nicaraguan people have a right not to be 'squashed' by the United States."
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Indian writer Rushdie adds his personal narrative to the crescendo of anti-contra books. He,too, finds little to support unbridled U.S. intervention in violation of international law (as interpreted by the International Court of Justice). Some of his arguments ring loud and clear: How could an oppressive and unpopular government dare to arm the civilian population as the Sandinistas have done? Where are the omnipresent photos of Lenin and Stalin so typical of "red" regimes? Isn't the United States engaged in another Chile or Vietnam-like debacle? In his view the Sandinistas see themselves as the saviors of Central American independence and the Nicaraguan people as struggling to maintain a measure of what they have gained. Rushdie writes well and the book is both amusing and informative. Recommended. Louise Leonard, Univ. of Florida Lib., Gainesville
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
Cristoforo Colon set sail from Palos de Moguer in Spain, to find the lands of the Great Khan, where there were castles of gold, and the species were growing up in a wildly way; and, when walking on the ways, precious stones were frequently found. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Cristoforo Colon set sail from Palos de Moguer in Spain, to find the lands of the Great Khan, where there were castles of gold, and the species were growing up in a wildly way; and, when walking on the ways, precious stones were frequently found. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Book, subject even more so, deserves reevaluation,
This review is from: Jaguar Smile, The: A Nicaraguan Journey (Paperback)
I just saw a film on present-day Nicaragua, a country that's no longer flavour of the month, at least as far as the world's press is concerned. It's been at least 15 years since I've read this book. I liked it fairly well then, and feel that, though Rushdie might have been a bit too kind to the Sandinistas (who deserve much of the criticism they received) the fact that Nicaragua was robbed blind by Somoza (who stole relief money for the earthquake that hit Managua in the 1970s)and, it seems, by the penultimate president, Aleman (convicted of financial wrongdoings but certainly not jailed)gives the Sandinistas' programs (redistribution of land,literacy, and the equal participation of women in Nicaraguan life)some credibility.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Literary snapshots with political bite,
By
This review is from: Jaguar Smile, The: A Nicaraguan Journey (Paperback)
"The Jaguar Smile," Salman Rushdie's record of his 1986 visit to Nicaragua, is a fascinating work with great value as an intellectual and historical document. The book is divided up into chapters, each of which stands alone as a unified and satisfying essay. The book as a whole paints an ironic portrait of Nicaraguan life during the Sandinista revolution.Rushdie makes no claim to be objective; he is sympathetic to the Sandinista government and recalls being given cordial official greetings by some of the major Sandinista figures. But despite this affinity, Rushdie doesn't hesitate to cast a critical, and even satirical, eye on what he sees. In particular, he is wary of the Sandinista policy of press censorship: "[W]hat worries me is that censorship is very seductive. It's so much easier than the alternative." Rushdie's keen powers of observation take in many of the institutions and personalities of Nicaragua, and he offers pungent insights on some of the racial, linguistic, political, and aesthetic issues facing the nation. "The Jaguar Smile" is particularly fascinating when Rushdie writes of his encounters with such eminent Nicaraguan authors as Gioconda Belli and Sergio Ramirez; reading Rushdie's accounts made me eager to seek out books by these writers. Rushdie's prose--often amiable, occasionally cynical--is a pleasure to read. "The Jaguar Smile" is neither a comprehensive history of Nicaragua nor an unambiguous political manifesto, and should not be viewed as such. But as a skilled writer's record of his impressions of a nation at a crossroads in its history, this book is an impressive achievement.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Well-written but inevitably lacking,
By
This review is from: Jaguar Smile, The: A Nicaraguan Journey (Paperback)
I "saved" this book for several years, thinking it would be another Rushdie book to savour. When I finally read it, I felt that it was mere journalism, OK, maybe well-written journalism, but.... I did not find the flavour of Central America (though I have never been to Nicaragua), but rather the observations of a keen mind in a situation that was quite unfamiliar. The resulting book, I fear, shows that unfamiliarity. I thought, "Yes, Rushdie, from another Third World country with a certain style of contradiction, would understand Nicaragua and the revolutionary process with a special eye." I think the latter (process) turned out to be largely true, but not the former (Nicaragua). I would recommend this book to all authors who might feel that they could produce an excellent book on a place they know little about. Travel writers are excused, because they write about travel, not necessarily deep insights. But a major novelist ? I thought it would be better.
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