Description
Vlad is Vlad the Impaler, of course, whose mythic cruelty was an inspiration for Bram Stoker s Dracula. In this sly sequel, Vlad really is undead: dispossessed after centuries of mayhem by Eastern European wars and rampant blood shortages. More than a postmodern riff on the vampire craze, Vlad is also an anatomy of the Mexican bourgeoisie, as well as our culture s ways of dealing with death. For as in Dracula Vlad has need of both a lawyer and a real-estate agent in order to establish his new kingdom, and Yves Navarro and his wife Asuncion fit the bill nicely. Having recently lost a son, might they not welcome the chance to see their remaining child live forever? More importantly, are the pleasures of middle-class life enough to keep one from joining the legions of the damned?
