Synopses & Reviews
When the spoilt and haughty Dona Constanza tries to divert a river to fill her swimming pool, she starts a running battle with the locals. The skirmishes are so severe that the Government dispatches a squadron of soldiers led by the fat, brutal and stupid Figueras to deal with them.
Despite visiting plagues of laughing fits and giant cats upon the troops, the villagers know that to escape the cruel and unusual tortures planned for them, they must run. Thus they plan to head for the mountains and start a new and convivial civilization.
The War of Don Emmanuels Nether Parts is the first novel in a trilogy set in South America. It won a Commonwealth Writers Prize in 1991.
About the Author
Louis de Bernieres, who lives in Norfolk, was selected as one of the twenty best Young Novelists in 1993. His first novel, The War of Don Emmanuels Nether Parts, won a Commonwealth Writers Prize and was followed shortly by two sequels, Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord and The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman. His fourth novel, Captain Corellis Mandolin, won the Commonwealth Writers Prize, Best Book in 1995 and is now an international bestseller, having sold over 1.5 million copies.
Reading Group Guide
1. Many of de Bernières's characters appear to be fantastical. Do you think the characters function as representational types, or are they developed in their own right?
2. The battle horrors of Chiriguana and the torture parlours of Asado and El Electricista are treated with a macabre humour. How do you react to this juxtaposition of humour and horror?
3. What kind of issues do you feel might be involved for a British author writing about such radically different cultures?
4. Do you think that the episodic structure of the narrative enhances or detracts from the plot of the novel?
5. The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts is cited as an example of magical realism. What do you understand this to mean, and to what effect do you think de Bernières employs it here?
6. Sex and politics are central themes in The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts. To what extent do you think these issues are inter-dependent?