Al pie del Támesis by Mario Vargas Llosa

context?Segel emphasizes the main characteristic of Eastern European literatures: its politicization. Starting with the end of World War II, litera ture across Eastern Europe has been a response to communist dictator ship, as much as in the last twenty years it examines the intricacies of societies in transition and the chal lenges of postcommunism. The finalchapters, "Glimpses of theOther World: America through Eastern European Eyes" and the "Postcolonial Literary Scene in Eastern Europe since 1991," are the most appealing in thisexcellent and meticulous literaryhistory. In the penultimate chapter, Segel examines writers who succeeded in visiting the United States, mostly through the InternationalWriting Program initiated by theUniversity of Iowa in 1967. Writers, whose impressions of theWest are rarely addressed beyond the context of exile, are not always mesmerized by theUnited States, recognizing in itthesocial gap and racial politics that, at least nomi nally, are eradicated from the com munist regimes. The closing chapter offers a provocative thesis. Harold B. Segel understands the post-1991 Eastern European literatures as post colonial, which although might be theoretically justified for countries that were a part of the Soviet com munist empire (Lithuania,Ukraine), is no less than challenging?as Maria Todorova suggests?for the other Eastern European states. Damjana Mraovic-O'Hare Pennsylvania StateUniversity Mario Vargas Llosa. AI pie del T?mesis. Lima. Alfaguara. 2008. 82 pages, isbn 978-603-4016-48-4 In Mario Vargas Llosa's latest drama, a one-act play that debuted Vargas Llosa provides creative, dynamic dialogue that soon creates multiple levelsof reality, complemented by a freeand expanding use of time as the plot unravels. in Peru inMarch 2008 under the direction of Luis Peirano, two old friends, Pirulo Saavedra and Chispas Bellatin, unexpectedly meet in a luxurious suite of the Savoy Hotel in modern-day London after thirty five years of separation. Although Pirulo and Chispas were once good friendsgrowing up as youngsters in Miraflores in their native Lima, one day theirstrong friendshipabruptly ended when Pirulo tried to kiss Chispas at the beginning of their teenage years. The incident proves to be a decisive and traumatizing moment for both characters during their formative years. As adults, Chispas goes on tobecome awealthy banker, while Pirulo abandons his middle-class, conservative upbringing in Peru and moves to London. There, he comes to terms with his true identity and, after a sex change, transforms into Raquel Saavedra. As the two characters discuss their present-day lives in London, they soon discover that they still shareboth an affectionforeach other and many good childhood memo ries. But while reminiscing about growing up inLima, theyalso realize that they have never come to terms with the event that pushed them apart. Repeatedly, Chispas's macho and intolerant behavior clearly con trasts with Raquel's more compas sionate new identity as a woman, allowing formany moments of tense melodrama and sharp humor as both characters exchange opinions on who they were as youngsters in Lima and slowly begin to unmask who they are today. Vargas Llosa provides creative, dynamic dialogue that soon creates multiple levels of reality, comple mented by a freeand expanding use of time as the plot unravels. Eventu ally, memory becomes an important vehicle for creating greater insight into each of the character's individu al aspirations during theirformative years, while also revealing each of their present-day scars and frustra tions as adults. Social and sexual identity is at the core of Al pie del Tdmesis, two themes thatVargas Llosa has explored at length in some of his best novels, including Los cachorros (Eng. The Cubs), published in the 1960s. Brought to the stage, how ever, these topics face the inevitable challenge of visually illustrating the complex nature of human sexuality and individual self-identity in the face of conservative social dogmas. Al pie del Tdmesis,however, handily demonstrates that all paradigms of social and sexual identityprove to be relative concepts in contempo rary society, leading theway to the most intimate explorations of the self, with all Freudianisms included. Neither Chispas nor Raquel man aged to escape unscathed fromtheir respective rites of passage early in their lives, and it is precisely their efforts to disentangle individual wishes and desires that nurtures

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