Heading South, Looking North

A Bilingual Journey

by Ariel Dorfman

A memoir by a Chilean writer who has spent his life, from the age of 10, shuttling between the United States and Latin America, switching languages and cultures, and more than once narrowly escaping death during a military takeover in Chile.

Editions of Heading South, Looking North

	ISBN 9780374168629	Binding/Format Hardcover	Publisher Farrar Straus & Giroux	Date 1998	Price $5.36	Good
	ISBN 9780140282535	Binding/Format Paperback	Publisher Penguin Group USA	Date 1999	Price $6.99	New

Publisher Notes

In this remarkable memoir, Dorfman describes an extraordinary life, torn between the United States, South America, and his Jewish heritage, between English and Spanish, between revolution and repression. Interwoven with the story of how Dorfman switched languages and countries -- not once, but three times -- is a day-to-day account of his multiple escapes from death during Pinochet's military takeover of Chile in 1973. Combining eight vignettes of his life before 1973 with eight scenes from the coup, Dorfman filters these events through an engaging, hybrid consciousness. A beautifully written and deeply moving autobiography by one of the "greatest living Latin American writers" (Newsweek), Heading South, Looking North is at once a vivid account of a life as complex and mysterious as the fictional characters Dorfman has created, and an enthralling search for a permanent home, a political cause, and a cultural identity.

Media Reviews

"With refreshing and clear-eyed honesty, Dorfman reflects on his successes and failures, and in a rare feat manages to resonate intellectually, historically, poetically and emotionally. 'Heading South, Looking North' is easily one of the most memorable memoirs in years."

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