by Tracy Wilkinson
MEXICO CITY -- The book that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez gave his U.S. counterpart, Barack Obama, has long been regarded as a bible for the Latin American left, found on the bookshelves and university reading lists of a generation of students in the region.
"Open Veins of Latin America" recounts, as its subtitle says, "Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent" -- the harvesting of the region's cotton, rubber, coffee, fruit and other resources by U.S. and European powers. It argues, from a Marxist viewpoint, that such exploitation is the root cause of Latin American poverty.
When the book was published in 1971, Publishers Weekly called its author, Eduardo Galeano, "both impassioned and a hard-nosed scholar." Galeano was a hero to the left, and was ridiculed by the right and for years persecuted by military dictatorships.
Galeano fled his native Uruguay after a military coup in 1973 and ended up in Argentina. A few years later, he fled military rule there. "Open Veins" and other works were banned in many parts of South America, until the continent began to return to civilian elected governments in the 1980s.
A decade ago, "Open Veins" was attacked by a conservative literary movement and featured in an irreverent publication, "Manual of the Perfect Latin American Idiot." Most of Galeano's work was translated into English by a British-born Socialist, Cedric Belfrage, who was deported in the 1950s, during the McCarthy era.
See the story on Chavez's gift to Obama in the Los Angeles Times and here in the Swamp:
Galeano, who is a journalist, historian and essayist, has said his work cannot be pigeon-holed in a single category because of his mix of poetic imagery with hard political treatise.
A classic in Latin America, the book had become somewhat obscure in the mainstream U.S. until Chavez's gift-giving. A paperback version of "Open Veins" jumped from position 54,295 on the online retailer Amazon.com to the No. 2 slot, practically overnight, news agencies said.
Galeano, 68, remained pointed in his criticisms during a book tour in Mexico City this month.
"The contemporary world is not democratic, but profoundly fascist, chauvinistic, militaristic," he was quoted telling an audience of several thousand university students who waited in line for hours to see him.
He went on to say, however, that he was pleased to see that an "almost black" candidate, referring to Obama, had been elected president of the United States and hoped that that might help end racism.
Comments
Obama with his agenda has probable already read the book probable pass on to Axelrod.
Posted by: Inky | April 21, 2009 9:10 AM
He just gave him a "how to run a Dictatorship" hand book. It's the first book on how to run anything that the President will have read.
It will come in handy for BHO's second year.
Posted by: Greg | April 21, 2009 9:26 AM
We cannot deny the exploitation, but Latin America cannot deny its complicity. Latin America also has corruption and the Catholic Church to blame for its woes.
Posted by: DD | April 21, 2009 9:35 AM
Obama should have returned the favor and given the Dictator Chavez a hansom new Bible.
Posted by: LM Bass | April 21, 2009 9:50 AM
Five centruies of the pillage of a continent? So far that sounds like a pretty accurate assessment to me.
Posted by: Marty | April 21, 2009 10:12 AM
Why are all these idiots running out and buying this book?
Posted by: Denny Crane | April 21, 2009 10:21 AM
There is no question that Latin America has been pillaged from its discovery by Spain and Portugal to the recent period of American corporate imperialism, military forays, and CIA assassinations.
Posted by: naschkatze | April 21, 2009 10:22 AM
Many on the right are crying foul because of Obama's policy of opening or relaxing relations with foreign leaders that were in opposition to the US. There is an old saying, keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer.
Our President has the foresight to understand that diplomacy begins with an outstretched hand, which I'm proud to know that it's our President that is extending that hand.
Posted by: Dave | April 21, 2009 10:24 AM
DD, you are right corruption has much more to do with their poverty then the US and Europe purchasing their resources. I love how these far left leaders running practically every government in South America say they are victims of US and European oppression because we pump billions of dollars/euros into their economies. Other resource rich countries have increased the standard of living for their population. For instance Qatar has a GDP per capita of $87K, Venezuela's is $13K. Both are OPEC countries that receive substantial income from the sale of oil. The difference is how they use the income.
Posted by: Steve | April 21, 2009 10:48 AM
I can see why Obama supporters rushed on Amazon to buy it. Anything anti-American is now considered chic with supporters of this administration.
Posted by: Dalmatian847 | April 21, 2009 11:07 AM
I wonder if Obama will write the foreward in the newest printing of this book?
Posted by: Dalmatian847 | April 21, 2009 11:09 AM
What's up with the Secret Service these days?
Bush takes a shoe from a reporer..twice.
They let a brutal dictator approach Obama with an object out of their control.
I had some concern about the Bush incident but Obama getting killed is frightening.
One word: Biden.
Posted by: Greg | April 21, 2009 11:29 AM
Chavez should have given "that one" an iPod pre-loaded with his speeches, and a bunch of DVDs that won't work on an American DVD player.
Posted by: Kevin | April 21, 2009 11:58 AM
At least Obama didn't bow to Hugo when he handed him the book.
It was probably co-authored by Obama's buddy, William Ayers.
Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | April 21, 2009 12:07 PM
Barry will be able to place the book next to his other favorites - "Mein Kampf "and "The Communist Manifesto".
Posted by: BDD | April 21, 2009 12:15 PM
Why are all these idiots running out and buying this book?
Posted by: Denny Crane | April 21, 2009 10:21 AM
Why?
So they can join Comrade Obama.
Posted by: Inky | April 21, 2009 12:15 PM
Paulo, if Bush were still the president Chavez would have given him the book "My Pet Goat", since Bush doesn't have the intellect to read anything more complicated.
Posted by: BC | April 21, 2009 12:15 PM
Only the communist manifesto by Marx and Engels is further left than this book. Are the printing presses ready for that in case president Obama is given a copy?
Posted by: Gene | April 21, 2009 12:18 PM
is it just coincidence that galeano rhymes with guano,Hmmmmmm?
Posted by: laz | April 21, 2009 12:46 PM
The McCarthyism from the right continues.
Posted by: bill r. | April 21, 2009 2:33 PM
What gets me is how Pres. Obama was used by Chavez.
And please don't say he was just being polite.
Posted by: PG | April 21, 2009 2:36 PM
What gets me is how Pres. Obama was used by Chavez.
And please don't say he was just being polite.
Posted by: PG | April 21, 2009 2:36 PM
He was just being polite.
.
Go ahead, have a stroke over it.
Posted by: Op109 | April 21, 2009 3:05 PM
Posted by: Op109 | April 21, 2009 3:05 PM
Oh please. We continually hear how intelligent Pres. Obama is. He's a quick study...... yet this little dictator uses him with the book, the thumbshake, and a handshake (in the group) I'm not so sure he's such a quick study. This is the President of the Untied States, Chavez is a nobody, taking advantage of "the moment" to make himself somebody. Yes, Pres. Obama was used.
Posted by: PG | April 21, 2009 4:52 PM
I think BO thanked him and told him he had already read it.
Posted by: Terry | April 21, 2009 8:34 PM
Don't worry PG, we won't suggest that you're a quick study. So who was being used when Bush kissed the Saudi prince, when Reagan shook hands with Gorbachev, Nixon with Mao etc. This is a non issue.
Posted by: Flo | April 22, 2009 10:32 AM
congratulations to the both presidents. they are courageous.
Posted by: carlos | April 22, 2009 4:16 PM
You do understand (lets call it a gesture) when meeting the Saudi, was a subservient act in that part of the world.
There is a difference, with "all" you mentioned to the gesture Pres. Obama made (I won't say it was a bow) but to my dismay, Pres. Obama was used by Chavez 3 times that was shown on TV.
Posted by: PG | April 22, 2009 6:37 PM
Assasinations: President Madero and Vice President Pino Suarez (Mexico); President Allende (Chile);attempted assasinations of Castro: overthrow of democratically elected govenments of Guatemala, Colombia, Nicaragua, Mexico, etc. Grow up! Read some history.!
Posted by: Raymond Campos | April 23, 2009 2:41 AM