This Part of the World

"Premier Caseres rules his country with a ruthlessness that puts him in the elite category of Trujillo, Mugabe, and Kim Jong II. A potent orator with a martinet style of leadership, Caseres's ability to instill fear and reverence in his people has secured his place in power. However, the dictator's human frailties run as deep as his stoicism. He is plagued with a heart condition that keeps him popping "pills like pistachios" and a son and heir to his leadership who has a taste for fast cars and little else. Finally, his devotion to Magdalena, his mistress, threatens to disrupt his unchallenged autocracy."--BOOK JACKET.

Samuel Hazo is the founder, director, and president of the International Poetry Forum in Pittsburgh and McAnulty Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus at Duquesne University.