Luisa Valenzuela’s The Censors is set in Argentina during the mid-1970’s, a time of political unrest where all communications were screened and censored for anti-government content. The protagonist (Juan) is worried that something he may have innocently written in a letter to a friend could be interpreted the wrong way. He decides to get a job at the censorship office and try to intercept the letter. In an ironic twist, Juan is so good at the job that he is promoted to a top position. Unfortunately, Juan’s effectiveness and dedication to the work leads to his downfall.
Original Text / PDF / Audio (1,090 words)