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The Inferno: A Story of Terror and Survival in Chile
As a member of Salvador Allende’s Personal Guards (GAP), Luz Arce worked with leaders of the Socialist Party during the Popular Unity Government from 1971 to1973. In the months following the coup, Arce served as a militant with others from the Left who opposed the military junta led by Augusto Pinochet, which controlled the country from 1973 to1990. Along with thousands of others in Chile, Arce was detained and tortured by Chile’s military intelligence service, the DINA, in their attempt to eliminate alternative voices and ideologies in the country. Arce’s testimonial offers the harrowing story of the abuse she suffered and witnessed as a survivor of detention camps, such as the infamous Villa Grimaldi.
But when faced with threats made to her family, including her young son, and with the possibility that she could be murdered as thousands of others had been, Arce began to collaborate with the Chilean military in their repression of national resistance groups and outlawed political parties. Her testimonial thus also offers a unique perspective from within the repressive structures as she tells of her work as a DINA agent whose identifications even lead to the capture of some of her former friends and compañeros.
During Chile’s return to democracy in the early 1990s, Arce experienced two fundamental changes in her life that led to the writing of her story. The first was a deep spiritual renewal through her contacts with the Catholic Church whose Vicariate of Solidarity had fought for human rights in the country during the dictatorship. The second was her decision to participate within the legal system to identify and bring to justice those members of the military who were responsible for the crimes committed from 1973 to1990. Luz Arce’s book invites readers to rethink the definition of testimonial narrative in Latin America through the unique perspective of a survivor-witness-confessor.
But when faced with threats made to her family, including her young son, and with the possibility that she could be murdered as thousands of others had been, Arce began to collaborate with the Chilean military in their repression of national resistance groups and outlawed political parties. Her testimonial thus also offers a unique perspective from within the repressive structures as she tells of her work as a DINA agent whose identifications even lead to the capture of some of her former friends and compañeros.
During Chile’s return to democracy in the early 1990s, Arce experienced two fundamental changes in her life that led to the writing of her story. The first was a deep spiritual renewal through her contacts with the Catholic Church whose Vicariate of Solidarity had fought for human rights in the country during the dictatorship. The second was her decision to participate within the legal system to identify and bring to justice those members of the military who were responsible for the crimes committed from 1973 to1990. Luz Arce’s book invites readers to rethink the definition of testimonial narrative in Latin America through the unique perspective of a survivor-witness-confessor.
402 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 11, 2019
This book is essential to understand the situation of detenidos-desaparecidos in Chile. Luz describes in painfully honest detail the endless torture, pain and difficulties of that dark time she calls the "Inferno". It's a very difficult read but it's definitely worth it. I feel that if she has made an effort to show the truth, we should also make the lesser effort of discovering the truth through her testimony. Everyone should know the truth of what happened in this black period of Chilean history.
January 30, 2025
This book was one of the hardest I have ever had to read in my career as a Holocaust and Genocide scholar to date. That is saying something. Arce’s details are ones that stick with you and make you think for hours on end. Thank you for writing your story and allowing me to bear witness with you to help you heal.
September 20, 2021
No es que sea un buen libro, pero son de esos que hay que leer, pensar en lo que no está escrito, contrastar con lo que otros han contado, y plantearse cuestiones éticas... algunas tienen respuesta, otras no.
August 15, 2023
From a MIR militant to a DINA collaborator: Luz Arce is an unreliable narrator.
In my opinion, Luz Arce uses this book to retell her life during the Pinochet dictatorship in what seems to be an effort to make the audience pity her and justify the atrocious decisions she made once she joined DINA.
In my opinion, Luz Arce uses this book to retell her life during the Pinochet dictatorship in what seems to be an effort to make the audience pity her and justify the atrocious decisions she made once she joined DINA.
January 25, 2025
Inferno A Story of Terror and Survival in Chile is the testimony of Luz Arce, a woman who in her youth was part of the Chilean left. After the government coup, Arce was forced underground, eventually detained, released, and detained again. Both times she was assaulted, raped, and tortured. Eventually Arce began to collaborate with the dictatorship's "intelligence" organizations in order to save herself and to protect her family. Her testimony recounts her experiences as she lived them, as a "subversive," a traitor, and her pursuit of a normal life.
I found this book a hard one to rate. This is a very moving testimony; it is incredible that what Arce survived and witnessed, and even more courageous that she has spoken out, testified, and written a public account.
However, from a reader's perspective, I found it difficult to read (not just for the emotional content) and to follow. The text is absolutely littered with names and aliases (and dates), seemingly without regard to importance. My guess is that Arce was trying to be as thorough as possible, but in effect it blurs them all together. Also, without a background in this era of Chilean history, I found the events and politics are to follow; a general knowledge would probably make this an easier text.
I really respect all that it must have taken Arce to write and publish this for the world to see. I think it is also important to include different perspectives (such as that of a "collaborator") in the literature of the Chilean dictatorship. But from a reader's standpoint, I found it difficult to follow the names, the time line, and often, what was happening in her life and in the political arena. In that respect, I found it very disappointing.
I found this book a hard one to rate. This is a very moving testimony; it is incredible that what Arce survived and witnessed, and even more courageous that she has spoken out, testified, and written a public account.
However, from a reader's perspective, I found it difficult to read (not just for the emotional content) and to follow. The text is absolutely littered with names and aliases (and dates), seemingly without regard to importance. My guess is that Arce was trying to be as thorough as possible, but in effect it blurs them all together. Also, without a background in this era of Chilean history, I found the events and politics are to follow; a general knowledge would probably make this an easier text.
I really respect all that it must have taken Arce to write and publish this for the world to see. I think it is also important to include different perspectives (such as that of a "collaborator") in the literature of the Chilean dictatorship. But from a reader's standpoint, I found it difficult to follow the names, the time line, and often, what was happening in her life and in the political arena. In that respect, I found it very disappointing.
June 18, 2019
This was a very powerful book that captured the horrors of Pinochet's Chile. Luz Arce explored in great depths the links between sexuality and politics under the Junta regime. And how the misogynist Junta attempted to use control over the bodies and sexuality of Leftist women to break the revolution. It was very chilling to read. When women like Luz joined the revolution, they knew they might face torture or even death. But they never expected politics would be taken into sexual violation and even sexual slavery. The machismo Junta guards unleashed a torrent of sexual abuse and humiliation upon Luz even after she had betrayed her cause and submitted to the DINA secret police.
While the story of a heroic martyr for the cause might be more inspiring. It is hard to judge women who were repeatedly abused, raped, humiliated without any hope of rescue. I can't imagine how defeated and terrified they felt. Even women who unlike Luz resisted till the end, still suffered the extreme humiliation and degradation.
While the story of a heroic martyr for the cause might be more inspiring. It is hard to judge women who were repeatedly abused, raped, humiliated without any hope of rescue. I can't imagine how defeated and terrified they felt. Even women who unlike Luz resisted till the end, still suffered the extreme humiliation and degradation.
June 21, 2012
Good lens through which to learn about the interrogations and disappearances that occurred under Pinochet in Chile during the 1970s and 80s. Arce's writing is meh (she is unreliable as a narrator and has a tendency to jump around too much), but subject material is intereseting, albeit really dark and disturbing.
January 21, 2013
This has to be one of the most difficult books that I have ever read. The book is difficult because of the content about torture, sexual violence, and about leftist revolutionary turning to become an informant for state repression. It takes a lot of courage to finish this book.
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April 21, 2019Lu pour l'école et c'était vraiment horrifiant. J'ai fait un travail de 4000 mots dessus mais un très mauvais travail alors je n'en dirai pas plus.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews