O planalto e a estepe by Pepetela

forquirky yetrealistic regionalism thatsurprisedreaderspleasantly in his first novel,Anamisis denekes (2008; One-and-a-halftin can). Although thesubject ofI DexiaTsepi tou Rassou: Nouvela (Theright pocket ofthecassock:A novella)is drawn from items ofHellenic interest, and trueonesat that - thedeathofthe head of theGreekChurch, ArchbishopChristodoulos , on January 28,2008, andthesubsequent election of Archbishop Hieronymos as his successor - Makridakis's plotdevice ofsetting theactionawayfrom the "real"worldandinthetimelessness of an old islandmonastery, abandonedbyallbuta hermit monk and his dog, barestheallegorical and satirical substratum ofhistaleto a universal understanding. While believersmourntheir popular archbishop,and public interest is drawntotheclandestine ecclesiastical battlesamongpotentialsuccessors andtheir supporters, theinnocent monk Vicentius - a bittersweet parodyof a Good Shepherd ,as he no longerhas a flock to guide,and terribly aloneand in needofguidancehimself - mourns muchmoretruly forthelossofhis only companion, his littlefemale dog,and agonizesoverthesurvival of its onlyremaining newborn puppy,ironically referred tobythe author as the"successor" untilthe lastchapter, whenwe understand that themonk hasnamedthesurvivorpuppy "Rony," a short version of "Hieronymos." Vicentius's disavowal ofpublicjoysand honors, his struggle with,and strength of, faith, hisasceticism andhisgenuine lovefortheanimal, hisstruggle to givethemother a decent burialand tokeeptheheir alive, andhissimple buttrue relations with theoccasional pilgrim contrast eloquently withthe fancymedia show thattheburial becomes, thesideline haggling and scheming ofthechurch leadersfor power,and their spiritual distance from their flock. It is characteristic that their presence ismostly projected through themedia, notdirectly. In a stroke ofgenius, Makridakisdoes notmakehissatireovert: themeekness and kindness of the monkand thelove expressedfor theChurchand itsrepresentatives by the visitors are overwhelming and indisputable, thusleadingthe worldlyreaderto draw her own conclusions by juxtaposition. The novella canalsobereadasa teleologicalallegory , examining thequestion oftheorigin offaith in thehuman need to relate,and the paradoxical affirmation ofthepoweroflife and religiousness despite, or rather becauseof,thefailings ofitsearthly politics. There isanunhurried, carefulcrafting of thehermit's world, hisagonyofloneliness, histriumph offaith, andthewaythesparseness ofhis surroundings contrasts with thewealth andwarmth ofemotions among livingcreatures, elements thatimperceptibly drawthereader towardthis reluctant protagonist andleavesherwitha warmfeeling attheend. Christina Dokou University of Athens, Greece Pepetela. O planalto e a estepe. Lisbon . Dom Quixote. 2009. 190 pages. €14. ISBN 978-972-20-3784-6 Award-winning Angolannovelist Pepetela (b.1941)isa prolific writer and a politicalpersonality whose novelsdeal withAngola'smythologyas well as withthecountry's (post)colonialhistoryand recent international politics. O planalto e a estepe (Theplateauand thesteppe) revisits partof thehistory of the Popular Movementfor the liberationof Angola(mpla) and the country's relationships withseveral communist regimes throughout the twentieth century. ThesoulofJulio, a retired general whodied oflung cancer,revisitsthe protagonist's ownlifeas a student inMoscowin the1960sandas a soldier inAfrica up to themoment of thewriting process. Julio, a young,whiteAfrican man studying (Marxist) economics inMoscow, falls inlovewithSarangerel ,a youngMongolianstudent who is expected to marry a fellow countryman. Political idealsandcollective interests rule,and pregnant Sarangerel is forced to return back home,while the youngAngolan father is notallowedto leave the SovietUnion.Ifthefirst twochaptersremind us ofa bildungsroman, andthereader witnesses Julio's coming -of-age in Africa, Portugal, and spy-ridden Moscow, theprotagonist laterdiscovers thatcommunism is 66 1WorldLiterature Today nothing butidealism. O planalto e a esiepe illustrates thedisillusionment ofseveralyoungmindsthatquestionan ideologicalregimewhich represents itself as perfect, unaware that itdisplays thesamevicesas the foreign regimes itcriticizes. Julio leavesMoscowandbegins a military career fighting for the Soviets , settles inArgel, flies toMongolia to look forhis daughter and girlfriend , and laterjoinstheAngolan MPLA - first against thePortuguese andlater tofight, as a leader, inthe Angolan civil war.Hispersonal path isnowthepathofAngola'shistory. Thenarrator emphasizes theemptiness of ideological discourses that lead to thefallof hollowpolitical regimes, whileEurope, Cuba,Asia, the SovietUnion,and Africaare linked byan intricate webofpolitical interests. Juliorevisits his life, and thisretrospective gaze allows himtoevaluate thespecialrelationshipsofcommunist regimes suchas Cuba and theUSSR withAngola, whilemenfight for anideology they don'trespect. Thenarrator alsocriticizescorruption inAngola, a country atpeacethat doesnotempower itsown people,wheretheformer colonizers stillprofit themostand a privileged minority "getspornographically rich." Pepetela's novel depicts an intricateweb of (post)colonial and personalinterests and paths through theAngolanplateausand theMongolian steppes, geographical metaphors thatsymbolize Julio andSarangerel's questfor love.The reencounter of thecouplein communist Cubaandthereunion ofthe wholefamily in a war-free Angola neutralize thenegative intertextual dialoguesofthenovelwithShakespeare 's Romeo andJuliet throughout thethirdchapter and preparethe , -muÊÊÊÊÊmmÈ happyendingfora lusophone love story anda generation tired ofwar. Rogério MiguelPuga Universidade Nova/FCT, Portugal Adam Schwartzman.Eddie Signwriter. New York.Pantheon. 2010. 293 pages. $25.95. ISBN 978-0-307-37873-6 AdamSchwartzman's debutnovel, Eddie Signwriter, is a powerful work ofprose.Inchronicling thecomingof -ageof eponymousprotagonist Kwasi Edward Michael Dankwa, knownas Eddie Signwriter

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