Lecturas personales: reflexiones nada académicas sobre Los poderes-omnímodos

Abstract

In this essay, the author reflects upon various aspects of Alfredo Pareja Diezcanseco's book Los poderes omnímodos. Firstly, it analyzes the equilibrium between personal history and that of the nation; more than the lite of President Velasco Ibarra, it seems to deal with reconstructing the memory of an age of tragic importance in Ecuador, within the context of world history. On the other hand, the character Pablo Canelos represents the model of a criticar conscience, aware, sometimes in tune with feelings, others detached from them. Thirdly, the feminine characters, in certain moments, seem also to be models; various traits of Juanita Rincón are highlighted: her feelings regarding relationships are almost always confused and her search for affection is marked by parricide and early maternal orphanhood. Balbina Carrillo has been constructed from traditional feminine values: she is affectionate, sentimental, sensitive, moved to please and satisfy aman beyond any proper notion of needs, impulses and desires. Finally, there is a reflection on disenchantment regarding frustrated revolutionary ideals. The novel can be considered a representation of how Ecuadorians, in the first half of the 20th Century, taced history and the intellectual, social and politicallife of their age.