"Samuel Hazo’s most recent book takes us truly into the heart of human darkness—but also into the heart of love and goodness in a strange and remote dictatorship. His feeling for the extreme passions of the human psyche and its drive for power is unparalleled. He is one of the few moralists writing today. You won’t put this down."—Georgie Anne Geyer, syndicated columnist and author of Guerrilla Prince: The Untold Story of Fidel Castro
"A stunning, sobering examination of the duplicities of war. . . . A profound gaze into our time."—Naomi Shihab Nye, author of 19 Varieties of the Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East
"Samuel Hazo spins a spellbinding epic. . . . This Part of the World is a tale for our times; of war versus idealism, greed versus self-sacrifice, stupidity versus cunning. Unforgettable, insightful, wise, Hazo’s new novel is a thrilling, chilling read."—Valerie Hemingway, author of Running with the Bulls
"Gripping and intense. . . . Samuel Hazo writes with a clear and urgent tone that drives the novel to its wrenching conclusion. You come away convinced that such a new war has happened and that, as Milton wrote, he ‘who overcomes by force, hath overcome but half his foe’."—Keith Donohue, author of The Stolen Child
Description
Premier Caseres rules his country with a ruthlessness that puts him in the elite category of Truijillo, Mugabe, and Kim Jong Il. A potent orator with a martinet style of leadership, Caseres ability to instill fear and reverence in his people has secured his place in power. However, the dictator’s human frailties run as deep as his stoicism. He is plagued with a heart condition that keeps him popping “pills like pistachios” and a son and heir to his leadership who has a taste for fast cars and little else. Finally, his devotion to Magdalena, his mistress, threatens to disrupt his unchallenged autocracy.
This Part of the World traces a new path into the heart of darkness. Samuel Hazo offers the reader on an intrepid portrait of conscience, charisma, and the slow corruption of the human heart. Hazo writes with a steely clarity and sharp satirical edge, bringing to life his tragic subject and illuminating the fate of a nation.
About the Author
Samuel Hazo is the founder, director, and president of the International Poetry Forum in Pittsburgh and McAnulty Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus at Duquesne University. His latest works include A Flight to Elsewhere and The Song of the Horse (poetry), The Power of Less: Essays on Poetry and Public Speech, and the novel Stills, published by Syracuse University Press.
August 2008