Temptation of the Word

Forthright comparative criticism without the tics of jargon or pretentious literary philosophy, this is an excellent and eminently readable vade mecum for a world-class author. For anglophone readers, it is unquestionably the place to start in the pleasurable unraveling of the mysteries of Vargas Llosa's fiction.
--Choice Outstanding Academic Book 1998

Temptation of the Word manages to do what much extant criticism of this author has attempted and failed at: to give a virtually totalizing view of Vargas Llosa's work without reducing it to one single theme, or siding with one political position. This constitutes a new and original treatment of the subject and represents comparative literature at its traditional best.
--Enrico Mario Santi, Georgetown University