A review by bgg616
The Dream of the Celt by Mario Vargas Llosa

4.0

For me, this was a fascinating read as I knew very little about Roger Casement's life. I really was unaware of the pioneering human rights work he did in Africa, and later in Peru. His time, travels and work on those continents led to later infirmities, and likely carried a psychological toll as well as he observed some horrible atrocities. The reports he wrote on returning from these continents were important in shifting European's attitudes about colonialism and it's purposes. To enlighten and educate people living 'beyond civilization' or to mistreat them and abuse them while stealing all their natural wealth. The story of Casement's fervor for Irish nationalism is not as detailed but because that was the most familiar to me, I didn't feel I needed more here. Casement was a gay man living in a time when his sexuality was completely unaccepted. Casement at times yearns for the lives he sees friends with spouses and children lead. He was lonely for most of his life, and the one person included in the story whom he reportedly loved, may not have been who and what he thought.
I didn't initially know why Vargas Llosa chose to write about Casement because I didn't know of Casement's work in Peru to stop the exploitation of indigeous people in the production of rubber.Vargas Llosa does Casement a service by focusing in detail on the human rights work he did in great detail, while not avoiding the controversy in his life including his 'secret' diaries, his sexuality and his working with the Germans during World War I to get support for an Irish rebellion.