Name: The War of the End of the World
ISBN: 9780571268177

Mario Vargas Llosa

The War of the End of the World is one of the great modern historical novels. Inspired by a real episode in Brazilian history, Mario Vargas Llosa tells the story of an apocalyptic movement, led by a mysterious prophet, in which prostitutes, beggars and bandits establish Canudos, a new republic, a libertarian paradise.

The War of the End of the World

war of the end of the world

Dana Kraft

Really enjoyed this. First, I enjoyed the historical perspective as I know very little about Latin American history in general or Brazilian history in specific. Even better was the different perspectives that the book presents of the actors in this awful series of events. The book was written in 1981 about events in the late 1800's but the descriptions of people doing unexpected things and of leaders who are at a loss to explain them seems very relevant in 2017; as is the description of people's amazing capacity for self-delusion. Many of the passages remind me of things I've read about the dangers of dualistic thinking. Quotes that will stick with me are below.

"Everything becomes easy if one is capable of identifying the good or the evil behind each and every thing that happens." P 379
"They could see and yet they didn't see. All they saw was what they'd come to see. Even if there was no such thing there."
"Fanaticism impels people to act in that way. It is not always lofty, sublime motives that best explain heroism. There is also prejudice, narrow-mindedness, the most stupid ideas imaginable." P. 505
"Happiness kept her-as nearsightedness and fear kept the man she was holding by the hand, as faith, fatalism, or habit kept those who were also running, limping, walking down to erect the barricade-from seeing what was all around her, from reflecting and drawing the conclusion that common sense, reason, lr sheer instinct would hace allowed her to draw from the spectacle..." p. 521

The War of the End of the World

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