''Imagining Argentina'' (1987) is a novel by American author Lawrence Thornton, about the

Dirty War The Dirty War ( es, Guerra sucia) is the name used by the military junta or civic-military dictatorship of Argentina ( es, dictadura cívico-militar de Argentina, links=no) for the period of state terrorism in Argentina from 1974 to 1983 as ...

in 1970s

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, during which the military government abducted and "disappeared" suspected opposition activists. It was nominated for the

PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is awarded annually by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation to the authors of the year's best works of fiction by living American citizens. The winner receives US$15,000 and each of four runners-up receives US$5000. Fi ...

Plot summary

Cecilia, a

dissident A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established political or religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and in the political sense since the 20th ...

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, is kidnapped by the

secret police Secret police (or political police) are intelligence, security or police agencies that engage in covert operations against a government's political, religious, or social opponents and dissidents. Secret police organizations are characteristic of ...

, likely to join the ranks of the "

disappeared An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organi ...

." The city is the center of opposition to the military dictatorship during its

in the 1970s against opponents. Her husband Carlos, a

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

director, searches frantically for her and others through "imagining" their fates in prisons and cells.

Reception

The novel was highly praised. It was nominated for the

Adaptations

In 2003, the novel was adapted as a film of the same name, written and directed by British playwright and director Christopher Hampton.

References

American novels adapted into films 1987 American novels Novels set in Buenos Aires Novels about journalists Novels set in the 1970s Doubleday (publisher) books PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction-winning works Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award-winning works {{1980s-hist-novel-stub