▁iron ▁regime " ▁throughout ▁the ▁novel . ▁Franklin ▁goes ▁on ▁to ▁her ald ▁the ▁synth esis ▁of ▁these ▁two ▁elements ▁as ▁" a ▁real ▁contribution ▁to ▁the ▁novel istic ▁genre ▁of ▁America ". ▁ ▁D ict ator ▁novel ▁ ▁Ast ur ias ▁first ▁wrote ▁ ▁in ▁response ▁to ▁the ▁dict atorial ▁rule ▁of ▁Manuel ▁E str ada ▁Cab rera . ▁Because ▁Ast ur ias ▁spent ▁a ▁de cade ▁writing ▁the ▁novel , ▁the ▁delay ▁in ▁its ▁publication , ▁and ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁it ▁never ▁names ▁its ▁e pon ym ous ▁President , ▁many ▁sch ol ars ▁have ▁noted ▁that ▁it ▁could ▁equally ▁be ▁taken ▁to ▁apply ▁to ▁the ▁subsequent ▁regime ▁of ▁Jorge ▁U b ico . ▁Moreover , ▁since ▁the ▁novel ' s ▁publication , ▁it ▁has ▁been ▁used ▁to ▁critique ▁dict atorial ▁rule ▁throughout ▁Latin ▁America . ▁In ▁its ▁exam ination ▁of ▁the ▁nature ▁of ▁dict atorial ▁power ▁in ▁general , ▁it ▁helped ▁initi ate ▁the ▁new ▁genre ▁of ▁the ▁dict ator ▁novel . ▁As ▁literary ▁critic ▁Ger ald ▁Martin ▁arg ues , ▁ ▁is ▁" the ▁first ▁real ▁dict ator ▁novel ". ▁ ▁The ▁dict ator ▁novel ▁is ▁a ▁genre ▁that ▁has ▁developed ▁as ▁a ▁vehicle ▁for ▁Latin ▁American ▁writers ▁to ▁critique ▁concentr ated ▁authority . ▁Ass istant ▁Professor ▁of ▁Spanish ▁at ▁Wal sh ▁University , ▁Jorge ▁J ▁Bar ru eto , ▁arg ues ▁that ▁ ▁has ▁been ▁her ald ed ▁as ▁ep it om izing ▁dict ator ship , ▁" a ▁phenomen on ▁perce ived ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁natural ▁and