Salazar Pisca!

by David R. Slavitt, J. Pereira (Translator)

Although his government has lost power, no one dares inform the Portuguese ruler Salazar of the changes and thus begins a bizarre tale of a government under two leaderships

143 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1988

About the author

David Rytman Slavitt was an American writer, poet, and translator, the author of more than 100 books.
Slavitt has written a number of novels and numerous translations from Greek, Latin, and other languages. Slavitt wrote a number of popular novels under the pseudonym Henry Sutton, starting in the late 1960s. The Exhibitionist (1967) was a bestseller and sold over four million copies. He has also published popular novels under the names of David Benjamin, Lynn Meyer, and Henry Lazarus. His first work, a book of poems titled Suits for the Dead, was published in 1961. He worked as a writer and film critic for Newsweek from 1958 to 1965.
According to Henry S. Taylor, winner of the 1986 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, "David Slavitt is among the most accomplished living practitioners" of writing, "in both prose and verse; his poems give us a pleasurable, beautiful way of meditating on a bad time. We can't ask much more of literature, and usually we get far less." Novelist and poet James Dickey wrote, "Slavitt has such an easy, tolerant, believable relationship with the ancient world and its authors that making the change-over from that world to ours is less a leap than an enjoyable stroll. The reader feels a continual sense of gratitude."

Reviews

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a political satire set in Portugal in the final days of the Salazar administration. I think I needed a much better understanding of the history and politics of Portugal to fully appreciate this short work.

[Spike Gomes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've never read anything by David Slavitt before, heck never even heard of him before. Slavitt is a prolific writer, with over 100 books published, ranging from poetry, to literary novels like this one, to pulp novels, to translations and even some non-fiction. What drew me to this particular book was that it name-dropped Portuguese dictator Antonio Salazar on the cover, and mentioned the bizarre state of affairs that occurred in the final years of his life. I've always found Salazar a rather interesting dictator; ascetic, reserved, and pragmatic, he more or less stumbled into the position by chance, and took on what he considered his patriotic duty to modernize his small and backwards country. Devoid of paranoid fantasies, genocidal urges, grandiose belligerency or pomposity, he ruled with a heavy yet deft hand.

This short novel sort of attempts the post-modernist shifts in perspective, wry commentary on politics, art and love and a touch of magic realism, but honestly, there isn't much there there. It tries too many things and never really seems invested in any of them, and gives up the ghost halfway through. Indeed, it's a novel that's striving to say something, but doesn't really say anything novel. Politics can be absurd? Society women can be shallow? Secret Police can be capricious? You don't say! The most interesting part of the novel is Salazar, and despite him being the title role and the prime mover of the events in the novel (ironic since he's paralyzed by a stroke, you see?), he's at a remove from the novel. I guess I was wanting something of a more penetrating look into a leader I find fascinating, and not the tropes about the shrewd economist who kept the lid on dissidents with a calculated level of pressure, allowing it to steam off at times and brutally cracking down at others. I got a sick man in bed blinking his eye at a rather unlikable and pompous poet who doesn't seem to have anything to say that's not drenched in passive-aggressive misanthropy.

Oh well, at least it doesn't offend my sense of intelligence by trying to preach a message at me. I'll give this novel that. As for the writer? Well, he's gotten my attention a bit. Considering he's a mild conservative who has translated classical Greek and Roman poetry, I'm rather curious as to reading his own poetry as well as his translation. I don't really think that this novel is a sign of a bad writer. It's clear the guy knows how to write. This one just didn't really come together is all.

2 out of 5 stars.

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is political satire set in Portugal during the bizarre last days of dictator Antonio Salazar. Although Salazar has been disabled by a stroke, the people around him pretend he is still in power, because no one has the courage to tell him that a new government has been formed.
The story is told by Carlos, a poet who was once jailed by Salazar's secret police. The amazing thing about this book is the disturbing
portrayal of political sham. Makes you wonder just how much of all
politics is a sham. Certainly makes you see the danger of only having
'yes men' around.

[Robert Wechsler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel takes a very special approach to the end of the Portuguese dictatorship. With Salazar completely out of it, a poet is hired to read newscasts for him alone. It's a very funny, special approach to a serious situation, and it's amazing how well it works. This should be a classic, along with Julian Barnes' The Porcupine.