John T. Reid

Knowing Venezuela through Books

Some years ago I published the results of an informal inquiry made among Cuban men of letters concerning the best books for a citizen of the United States who might be sincerely seeking an understanding of the people and problems of the Pearl of the Antilles. Despite its imperfections, that list of books about Cuba appeared to awaken such interest, both among North Americans and Cubans, that I decided to repeat the experiment in Venezuela during my tour of duty as an officer of the American Embassy in Caracas. It was undoubtedly worthwhile to do so because, perhaps even more than Cuba, Venezuela has been and continues to be for many North Americans a kind of fictitious land, a sort of fantasy built of lurid llanos, revolutions of the Richard Harding Davis model, and oil wealth beyond belief. These elements certainly have had their part in Venezuelan life, but simply to equate them with Venezuela and stop there is to deal in romance. I saw a television show recently whose highly melodramatic plot indicates how current is the legend: there Venezuela, like the Honduras, Nicaragua, and Mexico of the novels, is a land where primitive idylls prosper and cynical foreigners regain their faith through the simple maniana cure. Thoughtful Venezuelans protest with considerable justification in the face of these stereotypes. My informal questionnaire went to some two dozen Venezuelan literati and leaders in intellectual life. About half replied and the rest of this note is concerned with their very penetrating answers. The following list represents their basic and combined vote on the books which might best illuminate the foreigner when he honestly tries to trace, define, and coordinate the varying threads which are woven into the fabric of presnt-day Venezuela. Naturally I did not find, nor could one expect, anything approaching unanimity. However, at least three or four of my correspondents recommended most of the volumes listed. In each case I have indicated the most available edition (relatively speaking), followed by other significant editions in chronological order. The brief descriptive comments are intended primarily as guide-book notes and their value judgments can be taken with a grain of salt. I am indebted to these patient and generous Venezuelans for the raw material of this article and I wish to thank them here for their cooperation: Ram6n Diaz SAnchez; R. A. Rond6n MArquez; Mariano Pic6n Salas; Enrique Planchart; Jos6 Nuceti-Sardi; Juan Liscano; and Enrique Bernardo Ndfiez.