-- Over the course of a single afternoon, Macho Camacho's hit song 'Life Is A Phenomenal Thing' blares out of every radio in San Juan and connects the lives of Senator Vicente Reinosa, his poor mistress, his neurotic, aristocratic wife and his fascist son. Full of puns, fantastic wordplay, advertising slogans, and pop-culture references, Macho Camacho's Beat is a grimly funny satire on the Americanization of Puerto Rico.
-- One of Puerto Rico's outstanding literary figures, Luis Rafael Sanchez is renowned for his plays, short stories, essays and poems, as well as his novels. He currently teaches at the University of Puerto Rico.
-- First published in the U.S. by Random House (1980), most recent paperback by Avon (1982).

Translated by: Gregory Rabassa