The Lightning of August

Fictional Army General José Guadalupe "Lupe" Arroyo, a veteran of the 1910 Mexican Revolution, attempts to dispel all sorts of "defamatory claims" made by his political rivals and tries to explain the plainly incompetent political and military strategies devised by him and his associates. ==Style==

In the novel, Ibargüengoitia caricaturizes the solemn language and rhetoric frequently found in some autobiographical memoirs of the period. Except in a few instances where the passage at hand is not controversial, most characters, cities, and even states are entirely fictional, as the author tried to avert a direct confrontation with members of the ruling party. ==Publication==

According to the author, he finished writing the novel in 1963 In Mexico, it was first available until May 1965 through Joaquín Mortiz; Most covers used by Planeta through both its Joaquín Mortiz and Booket imprints include a painting by his widow, British-born artist Joy Laville. As for its English edition, Ibargüengoitia negotiated a translation with Dr. Jack Robert in 1970 but, according to Víctor Díaz Arciniega, it was never completed. In total, the novel has been translated into seven languages. ==References==