▁identity ▁and ▁letting ▁the ▁President ' s ▁mind ▁in va de ▁his ▁own ▁could ▁he ▁hope ▁to ▁remain ▁alive ". ▁So , ▁when ▁he ▁failed ▁to ▁comp ly , ▁he ▁did ▁indeed ▁lose ▁his ▁life . ▁ ▁Re ception ▁In ▁Gu atem ala , ▁ ▁received ▁significant ▁attention ▁from ▁the ▁date ▁of ▁its ▁first ▁publication . ▁Most ly ▁this ▁was ▁from ▁other ▁left - wing ▁writers ▁and ▁intellect uals , ▁who ▁recognized ▁and ▁pra ised ▁both ▁its ▁sty list ic ▁innov ation ▁and ▁its ▁political ▁commit ment , ▁if ▁sometimes ▁with ▁the ▁compla int ▁that ▁the ▁novel ▁was ▁over ly ▁influenced ▁by ▁European ▁modern ism . ▁ ▁But , ▁as ▁D ante ▁L iano ▁obser ves , ▁" th ose ▁in ▁power ▁have ▁not ▁been ▁able ▁to ▁stand ▁Ast ur ias ' s ▁voice ". ▁ ▁Crit ical ▁reception ▁elsewhere ▁in ▁Latin ▁America ▁was ▁also ▁enthus i astic . ▁One ▁of ▁the ▁book ' s ▁first ▁review ers ▁was ▁María ▁Rosa ▁Oliver , ▁writing ▁in ▁the ▁influ ential ▁Argent ine ▁journal ▁Sur ▁shortly ▁after ▁the ▁novel ' s ▁second ▁edition ▁was ▁produced ▁in ▁Buenos ▁Aires . ▁She ▁particularly ▁pra ises ▁the ▁plot : ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁the ▁novel ▁is ▁more ▁than ▁simply ▁a ▁lyr ical ▁still ▁life . ▁R ather , ▁she ▁arg ues , ▁ ▁" st irs ▁our ▁five ▁sens es ." ▁ ▁And ▁her ▁conclusion ▁str esses ▁the ▁book ' s ▁Latin ▁American ▁qual ities , ▁arg uing ▁that ▁it ▁" en ch ants ▁us , ▁st irs ▁us ,