The Time of the Hero

by Mario Vargas Llosa

"The scene: a pitch-black lavatory after lights-out at the Leoncio Prado Military Academy in Lima, Peru. Four cadets are drawing lots for the night's mission. Their objective: the captain's office. Their target: to steal a copy of the next day's chemistry examination. In this microcosm, this city within a city, a group of cadets form still another circle in their attempt to break out of the vicious round of sadistic hazing, military discipline, confinement, and boredom. The cadets' rebellion is ...