Blogs in January 1970

Bel Canto 1st January 1970

In Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto, an unnamed South American country, a world-renowned soprano sings at a birthday party in honour of a visiting Japanese industrial titan. Alas, in the opening sequence, just as the accompanist kisses the soprano, a...

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Santa Evita 1st January 1970

Among the great corpses of our age are Lenin, Mao Tse-tung and Stalin. Mao, at least, is still on view for the masses to see, some two decades after his demise. But no corpse engendered as much intrigue as...

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The Ministry of Special Cases 1st January 1970

Kaddish Poznan chips the names off gravestones for a living, removing traces of disreputable ancestors for their more respectable kin. His wife Lillian works in insurance, earning money when people live longer than they fear. As Argentina’s Dirty War...

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The Devil’s Garden 1st January 1970

Scientist Dr Forle is deep in the South American rainforest studying a strange phenomenon: ants that work together to destroy all but one species of plant, thus creating areas known as Devil’s Gardens. Judge and the Colonel arrive at...

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In the Shadow of Papillon: Seven Years of Hell in Venezuela’s Prison System 1st January 1970

Following the collapse of his business and the loss of his home, Frank Kane made a catastrophic decision. In desperation, he agreed to smuggle cocaine out of Venezuela. Almost inevitably, he and his girlfriend, Sam, were caught. The price...

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