: M ex ican ▁black - and - white ▁films <0x0A> </s> ▁( M ister ▁President ) ▁is ▁a ▁ 1 9 4 6 ▁novel ▁written ▁in ▁Spanish ▁by ▁Nobel ▁Prize - win ning ▁Gu atem al an ▁writer ▁and ▁diplom at ▁Miguel ▁Áng el ▁Ast ur ias ▁( 1 8 9 9 – 1 9 7 4 ). ▁A ▁land mark ▁text ▁in ▁Latin ▁American ▁literature , ▁▁ ▁expl ores ▁the ▁nature ▁of ▁political ▁dict ator ship ▁and ▁its ▁effects ▁on ▁society . ▁Ast ur ias ▁makes ▁early ▁use ▁of ▁a ▁literary ▁technique ▁now ▁known ▁as ▁magic ▁real ism . ▁One ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁notable ▁works ▁of ▁the ▁dict ator ▁novel ▁genre , ▁ ▁developed ▁from ▁an ▁earlier ▁Ast ur ias ▁short ▁story , ▁written ▁to ▁protest ▁social ▁in just ice ▁in ▁the ▁after math ▁of ▁a ▁dev ast ating ▁earth qu ake ▁in ▁the ▁author ' s ▁home ▁town . ▁ ▁Although ▁ ▁does ▁not ▁explicitly ▁identify ▁its ▁setting ▁as ▁early ▁tw enti eth - century ▁Gu atem ala , ▁the ▁novel ' s ▁title ▁character ▁was ▁inspired ▁by ▁the ▁ 1 8 9 8 – 1 9 2 0 ▁presiden cy ▁of ▁Manuel ▁E str ada ▁Cab rera . ▁Ast ur ias ▁began ▁writing ▁the ▁novel ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 2 0 s ▁and ▁finished ▁it ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 3 , ▁but ▁the ▁strict ▁c ensor ship ▁policies ▁of ▁Gu atem al an ▁dict atorial ▁govern ments ▁delayed ▁its ▁publication ▁for ▁th ir teen   year s