The Literary Portrayal of General Juan Vicente Gomez

These two novels by renown Venezuelan authors, Miguel Otero Silva and Francisco Herrera Luque both treat the Venezuelan dictator Juan Vicente Gomez who remained in power until his death in 1935.. While Otero Silva's "Fiebre" was written during his reign and is a testimonial of student resistance under Gomez, "En la casa del pez que escupe el agua" was published some forty years after the legendary dictator and Herrera Luque in this novel of historia fabulada (ficcionalised history) mythifies and demystifies the dictator. Caudillismo, militarism and dictatorship which have been touchstones of Latin American history and politics have also been inspiration for a plethora of literary works. These two novels, then, belong due an established tradition of the narrative of the dictator.While the approaches to the central figure of the dictator differ, both point to his importance and legacy which continue to shape and influence the Latin American psyche.