One Day of Life

by Manlio Argueta

Book Overview

Celebrated for the authenticity of its vernacular style and the incandescence of its lyricism, One Day of Life depicts a typical day in the life of a peasant family caught up in the terror and corruption of civil war in El Salvador.

5:30 A.M. in Chalate, a small rural town: Lupe, the grandmother of the Guardado family and the central figure of the novel, is up and about doing her chores. By 5:00 P.M. the plot of the novel has been resolved,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679732438
• ISBN13: 9780679732433
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.59 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Great Condition

I would recommend this seller to anyone. Although, the book was used it was still in great condition as described by the seller.

A good introduction to the Struggle of the poor in El Salvad

This was my introduction to El Salvador and I am glad I choose this book. The writing was unique and kept me interested throughout. I am even more interested now about the struggles of the poor in El Salvador during the civil war and even today.

Review of the book "One Day of Life"

To start off, "One Day of Life" is a marvelous book. A very shocking peice of truth in the history of El Salvador. The Book is peiced together by the stories of the people in a small town in El Salvador. Stories put as one to reveal the tradegies and poverty in Central American towns, where the people do not know their own rights as human beings. The time the story is set in, is 1936. A pre-war time where communism was being beaten and people were being beaten just as well for beliefs they might not have had. IF you wish to indulge yourself in a great book that shows the truth through the eyes of the poverty born world then this is the book for you. I highley reccomend you read this.

Unflinchingly honest account of El Salvador's prelude to war

Being Salvadoran and having traveled to El Salvador in 1991, before the peace accord was signed, I can attest to the brutal veracity of this novel. The violent schism between landowners and peasants, and the use of military forces as instruments of repression against the lower classes, intertwined with religion and allegations of communism, enveloped El Salvador's volatile social system in the late 1970's, presumably when this novel takes place. And the novel integrates each of these elements as it progresses through the course of a single day. The thoughts and actions of the main characters form the fabric of the novel, a tragic and ultimatley determined portrait of El Salvador as the picturesque nation collapsed. This novel is a fine translation of a fine author's passionate, bitter vision of his homeland. For those who have never spoken to someone affected by a third-world war, this novel will provide insight into the tortuous process of civil repression from the point of view of those who are trapped beneath police brutality and government ideology.

A must read for lovers of freedom and of the human spirit.

Manlio Argueta's uncanny ability to portray both the inner and outer struggle of the peasant caught in the mire of El Salvador's corruption during its infamous civil war makes this book a memorable and haunting experience. The story is laced with a taste of the all-too-common physical and psychological terror to which rural Salvadorans were cruelly and commonly subjected by the government. But aside from its inherent darkness, the book contains an underlying theme of hope, courage, and strength. The main character's growing awareness that her every day struggles are not in vain, that indeed, the people's collective spirit must not be dampened by the National Guard's offences but suffused with fervor and knowledge, is inspirational. I was particularly impressed with Mr. Argueta's use of the vernacular in his narration. He successfully portrays Lupe, the main character, as a simple woman--albeit one full of hard earned wisdom and grit--in the middle of extraordinary circumstances. What is fascinating is her awareness that her small actions can directly affect the larger scheme of things. The end of the book is disturbing but on a deeper level, it is highly uplifting. One cannot help but be touched by the scope of Argueta's message. One Day of Life is certainly a must read for lovers of freedom and of the human spirit; a true source of enlightenment and courage for all.