Imagining Argentina (1987) is a novel by American author Lawrence Thornton, about the Dirty War in 1970s Argentina, during which the military government abducted and "disappeared" suspected opposition activists. It was nominated for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.

Imagining Argentina
First edition
AuthorLawrence Thornton
LanguageEnglish
SubjectArgentina's Dirty War
GenreDrama
PublisherDoubleday
Publication date
1987
Publication placeUnited States
Pages240 pp
ISBN0-385-24027-9
OCLC15316974
813/.54 19
LC ClassPS3570.H6678 I4 1987

Plot summary

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Cecilia, a dissident journalist in Buenos Aires, is kidnapped by the secret police, likely to join the ranks of the "disappeared." The city is the center of opposition to the military dictatorship during its Dirty War in the 1970s against opponents. Her husband Carlos, a theater director, searches frantically for her and others through "imagining" their fates in prisons and cells.

Reception

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The novel was highly praised.[1] It was nominated for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.[2][3]

Adaptations

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In 2003, the novel was adapted as a film of the same name, written and directed by British playwright and director Christopher Hampton.

References

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  1. ^ Hafrey, Leigh (20 September 1987). "THEY WILL HEAR SILVIO AYALA (Published 1987)". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  2. ^ Trueheart, Charles (9 March 1988). "5 NOMINATED FOR PEN BOOK AWARD". Washington Post.
  3. ^ "PEN/Faulkner Group Lists Award Nominees (Published 1988)". The New York Times. 9 March 1988. Retrieved 28 January 2021.