Die Entfernung, die uns trennt

As the son of one of the most important generals of the Peruvian military dictatorship, General Luis Federico Cisneros, known as El Gaucho, Renato Cisneros had insight into the behind-the-scenes events that are practically unknown to us Europeans. However, the notorious El Gaucho harbored another painful secret: the great love of his youth that was denied to him. Renato Cisneros recounts the search for this secret of his father. It reveals how the conflict between passion and convention shapes and deforms people across generations, creating recurring patterns. Years of research come together here to form a fresco that is equally personal, historical, and universal. Thus, the novel also reflects the transformation that South America is undergoing: a tormenting yet liberating confrontation with the past. It is tormenting because El Gaucho was no less than his friends Jorge Videla and Augusto Pinochet. It is liberating because the discovery of the drama that haunted this feared man throughout his life saves the son's love for his own father. As an anatomy of evil, the book itself becomes a document of liberation for its readers, as it evokes compassion for those who are unable to feel any. 2018 Pen Translates Awards, 2017 nominated for the Prix Médicis, awarded the Prix Transfuge du meilleur roman de Littérature Hispanophone, finalist for the Vargas Llosa Biannual Award.