Seen through the eyes of young Davico and his older brother
Felipe they witness the United states inspired coup d'etat which took place in
Guatemala in 1954. The military coup which overthrew the democratically elected
Arbenz government paved the way for the Central American country to become a
staging ground for numerous counterrevolutionary operations carried out by the
United States and its secret service organisation the CIA throughout Latin
America.
The elected government of Arbenz had tried to initiate a
limited amount of agrarian reforms but were opposed by the US and the politically
influential United Fruit Company who controlled most the country.
Throughout the 70s and 80s writes Jeffrey St. Clair the then
Guatemalan president Ríos Montt said "We do not have a policy of scorched
earth," he sneered. "We have a policy of scorched communists."
The fact that David Unger feels the need to write about this
in 2020 is not because this very dark chapter in Guatemalan history is a closed
book but unfortunately is very much alive in the thoughts of millions of
Guatemalans at home and millions of Latin Americans who suffered similar fates
in their own countries. Themes addressed in Unger's book are also addressed by
a new generation of Guatemalan and Latin American writers.
According to one writer "The CIA and other US agencies
still refuse to declassify documents containing information ranging from the
identity of individuals responsible for these crimes against humanity to the
actual location of secret prisons and mass graves".
Unger's storyline is deceptively and deliberately simple,
but it would be a mistake of the reader to believe that this just a simple tale
of childhood. To a certain extent, David attempts to come to terms with his own
childhood experiences. The book David will forgive saying is part if not all,
autobiographical. If this is the case, then he follows in the footsteps of all
great writers in drawing from a part of their own life experiences in order to
write their stories
The book in which each chapter begins beautifully
illustrated by the Mexican writer and illustrator Carlos Aquilera Unger deals with
several pressing political and social issues. Unger deals with the very real
problem of racism and immigration. Before and during the Second World War several
German immigrants were forced to leave both Germany and the United States. In
one part of the book, the Father of the boys said he did not leave Germany to
die like a dog in Guatemala.
Recently I asked David about the book in a very good
interview he said "Sleeping With the Light On is based on a short story
entitled "La Casita," that appeared in my 2009 book Ni chicha, ni
limonada (F y G Editores). I took this sweet autobiographical tale and enlarged
it into a chapter book. The major themes of the book deal with family
conflicts, war and loss, but since it is for children 6-9, these themes are
introduced and dealt with gently. As to your second question: I am not a career
writer, so I only write when I have something to say—I published my first novel
at age 52. When an idea or a character gets a hold of me, that is when I begin
to write. It has not happened in five years because I have nothing to say. This
awful covid pandemic, I would say, has almost rendered me mute".
Let us hope this gifted writer is not rendered mute for too
long. The Spanish version of this book will appear soon. I believe it can be purchased
in Sophos in Guatemala let us hope it can be published throughout Europe and
Latin American soon. It can be purchased on Amazon in the UK.
David Unger was born in Guatemala City in 1950 and now lives
in Brooklyn, New York. He is the author of The Price of Escape (Akashic Books,
2011), Para mi, eres divina (Random House Mondadori, Mexico, 2011), Ni chicha,
ni limonada (F & G Editores, Guatemala, 2009; Recorded Books, 2010) and
Life in the Damn Tropics (Wisconsin University Press, Plaza y Janes (Mexico,
2004), Locus Press (Taiwan, 2007). He has translated sixteen books into
English, including works by Nicanor Parra, Silvia Molina, Elena Garro, Barbara
Jacobs, Mario Benedetti and Rigoberta Menchu. He is considered one of
Guatemala's major living writers even though he writes exclusively in English.
