Francisco Martín Moreno is one of Mexico’s best-known writers, and several of his more than two dozen historical novels have been national bestsellers. So I was surprised when he told me that his latest book — a thinly disguised novel about President Andres Manuel López Obrador — is not getting any traction.
The novel, titled “Ladrón de Esperanzas” (“Thief of Hopes’), is about a fictional Mexican president named Antonio M. Lugo Olea. His initials are AMLO, just like those of Mexico’s president. In the book, his predecessor is another fictional character, Ernesto Pasos Narro. His initials, EPN, are the same as those of former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto. The book’s cover shows a picture, taken from behind, of Mexico’s real-life AMLO.
The novel’s AMLO is a well-meaning but messianic — and somewhat unhinged — leader who lies constantly, unaware of it most of the time. These are some of the same things critics say about Mexico’s current leader.
