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Dead Men Cast No Shadows
Translation from the Spanish of Tongolele no sabia bailar
On the dangerous journey back to Nicaragua from their Honduran exile, Inspector Morales and his old revolutionary comrade Serafín witness the brutal murder of their guide. Agents of the secret police are on their trail, forcing them to take temporary sanctuary with leftist priests, loyal friends, and common Nicaraguans, all swept up in the deranged cynicism, graft, and violence of a dictatorship built on the lies of a long-since-abandoned idealism. As Managua heaves with student protests, and hundreds die at the hands of police and paramilitary units, the inspector continues his dogged quest, uncovering a murky network full of secrets, betrayals and dark maneuvers that he will have to face, or be overwhelmed by. Dead Men Cast No Shadows is an unsparing portrait of a society shaped by corruption and poverty―yet even though it led to the author’s exile, Ramírez’s vision of the Ortega regime’s savagery never overwhelms his exuberance or appreciation of the Nicaraguan people’s humanity, their capacity for irony, resilience, and resistance. “The novel, episodic and long on colorful characters, often resembles a reunion. . . Banter flows, and references to pop culture and Nicaragua’s recent political turmoil abound. A lively valedictory caper from an ebullient storyteller“―Kirkus Reviews “[Sergio Ramírez’s] life is a burning mixture of a double words and justice. Words like a delirium, like a game, like a challenge, like a pleasure. Justice turned into the daily eagerness with which he loves, denies and fights for Nicaragua.”―Ángeles Mastretta
On the dangerous journey back to Nicaragua from their Honduran exile, Inspector Morales and his old revolutionary comrade Serafín witness the brutal murder of their guide. Agents of the secret police are on their trail, forcing them to take temporary sanctuary with leftist priests, loyal friends, and common Nicaraguans, all swept up in the deranged cynicism, graft, and violence of a dictatorship built on the lies of a long-since-abandoned idealism. As Managua heaves with student protests, and hundreds die at the hands of police and paramilitary units, the inspector continues his dogged quest, uncovering a murky network full of secrets, betrayals and dark maneuvers that he will have to face, or be overwhelmed by. Dead Men Cast No Shadows is an unsparing portrait of a society shaped by corruption and poverty―yet even though it led to the author’s exile, Ramírez’s vision of the Ortega regime’s savagery never overwhelms his exuberance or appreciation of the Nicaraguan people’s humanity, their capacity for irony, resilience, and resistance. “The novel, episodic and long on colorful characters, often resembles a reunion. . . Banter flows, and references to pop culture and Nicaragua’s recent political turmoil abound. A lively valedictory caper from an ebullient storyteller“―Kirkus Reviews “[Sergio Ramírez’s] life is a burning mixture of a double words and justice. Words like a delirium, like a game, like a challenge, like a pleasure. Justice turned into the daily eagerness with which he loves, denies and fights for Nicaragua.”―Ángeles Mastretta
285 pages, Paperback
Published August 31, 2023
33 people want to read
About the author
Sergio Ramírez
152 books147 followersSergio Ramírez Mercado (born August 5, 1942 in Masatepe, Nicaragua) is a Nicaraguan writer and intellectual who served in the leftist Government Junta of National Reconstruction and as Vice President of the country 1985-1990 under the presidency of Daniel Ortega.
Born in Masatepe in 1942, he published his first book, Cuentos, in 1963. He received his law degree from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua of León in 1964, where he obtained the Gold Medal for being the best student.
In 1977 Ramírez became head of the "Group of Twelve", a group of prominent intellectuals, priests, businesspeople, and members of civil society who publicly stated their support for the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) in its struggle to topple the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza Debayle. With the triumph of the Revolution in 1979, he became part of the Junta of the Government of National Reconstruction, where he presided over the National Council of Education. He was elected vice-president of Nicaragua in 1984 and was sworn in 1985.
Born in Masatepe in 1942, he published his first book, Cuentos, in 1963. He received his law degree from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua of León in 1964, where he obtained the Gold Medal for being the best student.
In 1977 Ramírez became head of the "Group of Twelve", a group of prominent intellectuals, priests, businesspeople, and members of civil society who publicly stated their support for the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) in its struggle to topple the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza Debayle. With the triumph of the Revolution in 1979, he became part of the Junta of the Government of National Reconstruction, where he presided over the National Council of Education. He was elected vice-president of Nicaragua in 1984 and was sworn in 1985.
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