Resumo de Captain Pantoja And The Secret Service

Pantaleon y las Visitadoras - A novel by Mario Vargas-Llosa. In this farcical spoof -by the recognized master-writer- the Peruvian army guarding the border with Colombia in the Amazonian jungle has a problem. There has been an increase in incidents of sexual abuse of civilian women by the soldiers. The weather is hot, their wives far away, a provision for the physiological needs of the soldiers must be found. Here is a solution the troops were praying for: Create an army division of women ?prostitutes- call them Visiters, provide sexual relief to the soldiers and protect the town?s women. That was the job given to Pantaleon Pantoja, a Peruvian army captain of irreproachable curriculum and meticulous creativity. His wife advises him to refuse the job, He says he can?t, it is an order, the army needs his help. Pantoja and his family move to the jungle-border and he readies everything to begin Visitation services. He remains cool, recruits hookers from the local houses and soon others come from far away. The Army creates an official budget for the service and the army Chaplain looks the other way. The plan is working and soon the Visitation headquarters is inaugurated. -Best laid plans of mice and men?-A new Visiter heats the atmosphere to a new record. Olga Arellano, La Colombiana, a famed sexual worker joins the army and sets her sights on Pantaleon. The officer is married, very strict, loves his wife, has no intention to taste the merchandise his division offers until he falls for the gifts of Olga, a voluptuous, sensual woman who doesn?t take no for an answer. -Never mix business with pleasure- everything goes down hill from here. The local radio station announcer, el Cinchi, makes it his business to investigate the army?s new outpost activities. He tries to blackmail Pantaleon but he resists. Chided, Cinchi campaigns against Pantoja, discovers his affair with La Colombiana and tells the secret over the airwaves. The army headquarters of Pantaleon is re-named Pantyland! Pantoja wife leaveshim, the army leadership falls under attacks by the people for the use of their budget even though the prevalence of sexual attacks of the local women by soldiers drops dramatically. Pantaleon has developed new enemies, the township males, claim they too served the army in their youth, they should be entitled to the Visiters attentions. Pantoja misses his wife, Olga declares She doesn?t have to work anymore because She is the director?s lover, is the least she can receive in return for her companionship. A fateful day, as they travel to serve a riverfront outpost, the pontoon of the army Visiters is attacked by local men demandind services, in the incident, Olga Arellano is shot and killed. The whole scheme comes crashing down. The minister of Defence condemns publically the sexual headquarters and denies ?liar- any knowledge of the program. Pantaleon is devastated by Olga?s death. He orders for her a funeral with military honors provoking the outrage of the public and his superiors. His words at the funeral reflect on the loss of a great woman, both to the army and personally. Pantoja is demoted. In the bitterness of the unexpected outcome of his mission, Pantaleon declares he is a career military man. He will stay in the army and accept whetever denigrating duties he might be given. He is sent to a remote outpost. His wife and child join him there and they start again. This hilarious novel pokes fun at the small and large corruption strategies of the military of Peru as a case in point of other armies of Latin America or the world, as the case may be. It is ironic that Mr. Vargas Llosa himself ran for the Presidency of his country at one point. To judge by this book, his creativity could have done the country much service. He has elevated the Peruvian letters to a higher plateau.

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