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Breve historia de Chile
Este libro es una breve síntesis de la historia de Chile. Comprende desde el poblamiento americano, los pueblos y culturas aborígenes de Chile, pasando por la llegada de los españoles, la Conquista, el Estado, la economía y la sociedad coloniales, el proceso de la Independencia y la organización de la República, hasta la expansión y la crisis de la sociedad liberal en el siglo XIX; la evolución del país en el siglo XX y los importantes desarrollos políticos de los últimos años.
- GenresHistory
277 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 7, 2009
Who knew jellyfish could write? I'd use the word "emasculated" to describe the author of this pathetic "short history of Chile" if it weren't obvious that to do so would be a grievous inaccuracy. Sergio Villalobos Rivera never had cojones to begin with. Hell, on the evidence, SVR doesn't even have a backbone. Which may warrant the creation of a new bookshelf in my collection - one for "written by invertebrates".
OK, OK. Let me back up. All I was looking for was a "brief history of Chile", as the title of this execrable "book" promised. Enough to get me oriented, so that I wouldn't feel like a complete tourist-dickhead during my weeks here in the hellhole that is Santiago. Enough to distinguish Ambrosio O' Higgins from his progeny, Bernardo. And maybe to figure out just why the latter is known all about town as "El libertador", even to the extent of having Santiago's main drag named after him. (Understanding why and when the O' Higginses left Ireland would have been lagniappe, as would any available information about Viscount Mackenna, after whom the street where my school is located is named).
Now, believe me, I understand completely that your average goodreads member probably gives a flying Wallenda about the history of Chile. (Though if you were a U.S. citizen of voting age back in 1973, you might want to ask yourself if such insouciance is wholly justifiable, know what I'm saying?). But please bear with me here. If I don't get some of the incensitude that this "book" has provoked off my chest, I may just blow a gasket. And I shudder to think what Kaiser Permanente's coverage of gasket replacement in a Latin American capital might be.
What's so appalling about this book? Well, everything, really. Here's a short list:
* Despite its 200-page length, it's virtually devoid of information. There's a plethora of generic, meaningless, illustrations which help to take up space, but add nothing whatsoever. Examples: page 78, woodcuts of "mujeres chilenas" in quasi-national garb; page 73, drawing of generic pirate ships; page 66, peasants using wooden ploughs; page 67, a generic grain mill; page 117, drawing of a gentleman in the costume of the era; page 124 drawing of an impoverished peasant; page 114, a ball in the governor's palace; page 93, woodcut of the "building of the tribunal of the consulate", page 58, daily life under the conquistadors. Any of these freaking illustrations could be inserted into the history of any 'brief history" of any Latin American country and nobody would be any the wiser.
* Such text as there is in the book has the texture of cotton wool. Cliche follows platitude follows cliche follows platitude. After a couple pages, you have to stop, because you can actually feel your brain rotting inside your head.
* that spineless quality, alluded to earlier. the fall of the government of Allende is dispatched in less than a paragraph. the atrocities that followed under Pinochet get fewer than 3 lines, including the desultory observation that "more than 3000" people died. The closest Sergio ("Medusa") V-R comes to expressing anything approximating a point of view is to allow that the political situation in 1973 was "very confusing".
"Bah, humbug!", say I. If you are incapable of formulation an opinion, motherfucker, then you are not qualified to be writing history books.
On the plus side, I only paid $8 for this piece of basura. But, to put it another way - I PAID 8 DOLLARS FOR THIS PIECE OF TIME-WASTING RUBBISH?
Caveat lector. If, for whatever reason, you are interested in learning more about the history of Chile, be assured you won't find anything pertinent here.
Gaaaaah!
Fade, to the sound of gaskets blowing....
OK, OK. Let me back up. All I was looking for was a "brief history of Chile", as the title of this execrable "book" promised. Enough to get me oriented, so that I wouldn't feel like a complete tourist-dickhead during my weeks here in the hellhole that is Santiago. Enough to distinguish Ambrosio O' Higgins from his progeny, Bernardo. And maybe to figure out just why the latter is known all about town as "El libertador", even to the extent of having Santiago's main drag named after him. (Understanding why and when the O' Higginses left Ireland would have been lagniappe, as would any available information about Viscount Mackenna, after whom the street where my school is located is named).
Now, believe me, I understand completely that your average goodreads member probably gives a flying Wallenda about the history of Chile. (Though if you were a U.S. citizen of voting age back in 1973, you might want to ask yourself if such insouciance is wholly justifiable, know what I'm saying?). But please bear with me here. If I don't get some of the incensitude that this "book" has provoked off my chest, I may just blow a gasket. And I shudder to think what Kaiser Permanente's coverage of gasket replacement in a Latin American capital might be.
What's so appalling about this book? Well, everything, really. Here's a short list:
* Despite its 200-page length, it's virtually devoid of information. There's a plethora of generic, meaningless, illustrations which help to take up space, but add nothing whatsoever. Examples: page 78, woodcuts of "mujeres chilenas" in quasi-national garb; page 73, drawing of generic pirate ships; page 66, peasants using wooden ploughs; page 67, a generic grain mill; page 117, drawing of a gentleman in the costume of the era; page 124 drawing of an impoverished peasant; page 114, a ball in the governor's palace; page 93, woodcut of the "building of the tribunal of the consulate", page 58, daily life under the conquistadors. Any of these freaking illustrations could be inserted into the history of any 'brief history" of any Latin American country and nobody would be any the wiser.
* Such text as there is in the book has the texture of cotton wool. Cliche follows platitude follows cliche follows platitude. After a couple pages, you have to stop, because you can actually feel your brain rotting inside your head.
* that spineless quality, alluded to earlier. the fall of the government of Allende is dispatched in less than a paragraph. the atrocities that followed under Pinochet get fewer than 3 lines, including the desultory observation that "more than 3000" people died. The closest Sergio ("Medusa") V-R comes to expressing anything approximating a point of view is to allow that the political situation in 1973 was "very confusing".
"Bah, humbug!", say I. If you are incapable of formulation an opinion, motherfucker, then you are not qualified to be writing history books.
On the plus side, I only paid $8 for this piece of basura. But, to put it another way - I PAID 8 DOLLARS FOR THIS PIECE OF TIME-WASTING RUBBISH?
Caveat lector. If, for whatever reason, you are interested in learning more about the history of Chile, be assured you won't find anything pertinent here.
Gaaaaah!
Fade, to the sound of gaskets blowing....
December 31, 2016
Muy buen resumen. Con un sesgo centro derechista (no es un problema., ya que sabes a qué atenerse), Sergio Villalobos describe ágilmente nuestra breve historia. Muy recomendado a todos los chilenos para que recuerden su historia, y a los extranjeros para que sepan más sobre la tierra que los acoge.
April 20, 2025
sure, it's a history of Chile. I learned a lot, but man was it poorly edited. It also lacked a lot of dates. I kinda know what happened now..but when??? no idea. Too many pictures and not enough concrete information. this was a baby step towards knowledge of my own country that I virtually can't rely on.
February 15, 2019
Un muy buen libro perfecto para leerlo y entrar más al mundo de la historia.
March 1, 2015
I read an English translation. Not very helpful. Most of it is written in passive voice so you don't really know what or who was responsible for what. (Rebellions break out... But who is rebelling?)
Read
January 19, 2023No sé por qué no lo marqué leído si lo terminé hace unas semanas.
Tenía interés en leer algo de historia de Chile, algo que abarque todo pero sin ser denso. Creí que este folleto de 200 y pico páginas cumpliría, pero al leer, iba refrescando conocimientos escolares básicos.
Me pareció genial al inicio, bastante objetivo se lo que podría uno entender, pero al empezar la conquista/colonia e independencia, se tornó racista y tendencioso, asumo que faltando a una verdad o gozando de toques personales. Lamentablemente la historia está contada por quienes la escribieron, aunque el autor falla brutalmente en citar la evidencia.
Entretenido para sacar en un paradero, sugiero apuntar con un lápiz lo que no te gusta.
Tenía interés en leer algo de historia de Chile, algo que abarque todo pero sin ser denso. Creí que este folleto de 200 y pico páginas cumpliría, pero al leer, iba refrescando conocimientos escolares básicos.
Me pareció genial al inicio, bastante objetivo se lo que podría uno entender, pero al empezar la conquista/colonia e independencia, se tornó racista y tendencioso, asumo que faltando a una verdad o gozando de toques personales. Lamentablemente la historia está contada por quienes la escribieron, aunque el autor falla brutalmente en citar la evidencia.
Entretenido para sacar en un paradero, sugiero apuntar con un lápiz lo que no te gusta.
February 7, 2023
El libro es cortísimo y no ahonda, obviamente, en ningún tema. Le doy cinco estrellas de todas formas porque explica todo lo que puede en tan poco espacio. Abarca más de trecientos años en menos de docientas páginas.
Lo recomiendo para quién quiera tener una visión general de los hitos más importantes de la historia de Chile, casi a modo de línea de tiempo. Es una excelente introducción.
Lo recomiendo para quién quiera tener una visión general de los hitos más importantes de la historia de Chile, casi a modo de línea de tiempo. Es una excelente introducción.
August 31, 2025
Útil como resumen pero con gusto a poco
Visión resumida, en general útil como elemento ordenador, que merecía un mejor redondeo especialmente en la descripción del siglo XX. Una posición que parece querer ser neutra termina perdiendo profundidad y músculo. Los errores gramaticales y de ortografía son menos relevantes.
Visión resumida, en general útil como elemento ordenador, que merecía un mejor redondeo especialmente en la descripción del siglo XX. Una posición que parece querer ser neutra termina perdiendo profundidad y músculo. Los errores gramaticales y de ortografía son menos relevantes.
November 8, 2019
Es muy relativo lo que autor toma como más relevante de los periodos que va contando.
Si es un libro que sirve para tomar y recordar pequeños momentos de la historia de Chile.
Es curioso lo cíclica que es la historia y subrayo lo trascendental del momento que estamos viviendo hoy.
Si es un libro que sirve para tomar y recordar pequeños momentos de la historia de Chile.
Es curioso lo cíclica que es la historia y subrayo lo trascendental del momento que estamos viviendo hoy.
December 5, 2021
Un buen resumen de la historia, no profundiza en detalles.
May 31, 2025
me encanto, la verdad es q ahora siento más ganas de profundizar en la Historia de Chile. recomendado.
Read
May 20, 2011A concise, though slanted, view of Chilean history, focusing more on economic development and government reform than the systematic disenfranchisement of native populations and occasional political instability.
March 11, 2024
Es un buen libro sobre historia de Chile.
En los últimos tiempos ha vuelto a despertar el interés por la historia de Chile y sobre todo en las preocupaciones del presente que nos llevan a buscar en su historia la explicación de los problemas actuales.
En los últimos tiempos ha vuelto a despertar el interés por la historia de Chile y sobre todo en las preocupaciones del presente que nos llevan a buscar en su historia la explicación de los problemas actuales.
September 5, 2023
"Although the kings of Spain held absolute power, they ruled in a benevolent manner" (p. 48).
*Closes book.*
*Closes book.*
May 21, 2024
Sergio Villalobos nos entrega una pincelada de la historia del país, buscando ofrecer un relato muy descriptivo y amplio, sin entrar en detalles. Buen libro.
January 1, 2025
It's fine if you already know about Chilean history. Last paragraphs can be controversial and problematic with the author's opinion.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews