In his prefatory remarks H. S. Ferns advises the reader of three things: that his book is meant as an introduction to Argentina; that it is argumentative and not definitive; and that some will agree with parts of it and others with none of it. The last two statements are correct, the first one questionable.
The book’s eleven chapters treat Argentine history in more or less chronological sequence, the final one concentrating upon foreign relations. The author develops the course of events from discovery to present, emphasizing economics, politics, and institutions. He also includes anecdotal material designed to illustrate specific points or to catch a mood or tone of a person, time period, or particular group. Often, however, he assumes at least recognition on the part of the reader, and his highly subjective treatment of several topics present the novice with one special viewpoint. If for this reason the work is not an introduction to Argentina, it is more appealing to the aficionado. The interpretive analysis is challenging, at times brilliant, and nearly always controversial. The treatment of the “Generation of 1880” as continuer of Juan Manuel de Rosas is intriguing, and the discussion of the economic failures of the Peronist regime most lucid.
Each writer must choose his own ground, hut the reader may wonder at the lack of cultural and intellectual material here. Carlos Gardel is not mentioned, neither is “bife culture,” the barrio structure, the peculiarities of language which can be used effectively to explain much of the Argentine past and present, or the rich literary production of the area. Other readers will marvel at the lack of hard data on classes or society ; still others will question the failure to explain why local capitalists did not invest more in industry. Finally, all Argentines at least will do more than raise their eyebrows at the treatment of Britain imperialism. Sometimes Ferns denies its existence; sometimes he obliquely defends it.
The text contains a number of minor and major errors, inevitable in any book spanning so vast a period, and surely due to typographer as well as typewriter. For example, Carlos Pellegrini was sub-Secretary not Secretary of Finance (p. 104). Francisco and José Evaristo Uriburu are identified as the same person, important only in that continuity between the Miguel Juárez Celman and the Luis Sáenz Peña governments is argued on this basis (pp. 106, 112). Recoleto sounds more like an opera than the cemetery (pp. 138, 197); gleichgestaltung should probably be Gleichschaltung (p. 202); and finally, in the mention of Bomarzo’s ban in Argentina (p. 231) after a successful debut in Washington, D.C., “go-go” is confused with Freud.
Notwithstanding the points mentioned, this reader finished the text with the impression that it merits several readings. Too often books such as this one bog down in details and facts which pile on top of one another and fail to bring the past to life. This effort vividly focuses one version of the Argentine. Further, it imparts to the reader the feeling of having spent a lengthy session in the company of a quick and agile mind presenting its views on Argentina. Certainly the book will foment controversy, both in Argentina and elsewhere. That alone means that the author has successfully completed at least one of his major goals.
