This biography was written in order to make available a brief summary in English of the life and deeds of Simón Bolívar. It is to be distributed without cost to professors and students of history throughout the United States. The efforts of the author and of the Bolivarian Society of the United States toward promoting a wider knowledge of one of the greatest men of the Americas deserve much credit. As might be expected, however, the work is inspired by an unqualified hero worship and presents a picture closely resembling the indomitable profile of the many equestrian statutes dedicated to the Liberator throughout the southern part of the hemisphere.
Del Río’s research has been guided by the labor and advice of the late Vicente Lecuna, from whose findings he differs in only a few instances—for example, in his evaluation of the Battle of Bombona. The darker side of Bolívar’s life, his occasional failures, and, more important still, the inner contradictions inherent in his political ideals are glossed over or not mentioned at all. This treatment makes it difficult for the reader to comprehend the tragic finale of Bolívar’s career. Needless to say, the name of Manuela Sáenz does not appear in the pages of this book, not even in its description of the events of September 25, 1828. In spite of such omissions, this short narrative succeeds in elucidating the chaotic turmoil in which most of the campaigns of Latin American independence were fought. The story of the liberation of Peru, 1823-1825, is especially adroit.
The bibliography that accompanies the volume covers little more than a page, and the principle guiding the selection seems obscure, at least to this reviewer. Minor treatises have been listed, but many standard works of both old and new vintage are excluded, a distinct disservice to the student of Latin American affairs.
