Justin Kerr-Smiley

GOODBYE TO THE PRESIDENT

On 11 September 1973, Chile’s President Salvador Allende was overthrown in a coup led by General Augusto Pinochet. The president took refuge in the palace La Moneda, which was bombed by the air force and assaulted by troops. Overwhelmed, the defenders surrendered. In the smouldering ruins Allende lay dead. 

‘Goodbye To The President’ is a novel which vividly recounts the terrors of the coup and its brutal aftermath. Years later Pinochet is arrested in London. Although the former dictator is released and returns to Chile, he dies broken and disgraced. 

'Goodbye To The President' is a unique testament to the victims who perished during the coup and also to those who, against all odds, managed to survive. The narrative is based on interviews, eyewitness accounts and the author's experiences.

Justin Kerr-Smiley is also the author of ‘Under The Sun’. The Sunday Telegraph called it ‘a small masterpiece’. Publishers Weekly described it as ‘an accomplished literary war novel’.

GOODBYE TO THE PRESIDENT ... 'Justin Kerr-Smiley's second novel is a powerful chronicle of a crucial moment in recent Latin American history. It's also a great read.'- Aamer Hussein, Author of 'The Cloud Messenger'

GOODBYE TO THE PRESIDENT ... 'It truly is an extraordinary story and told in a masterful way by Kerr-Smiley. I urge everyone to read it.' - A. J. W. Hayward, Amazon Books Reviewer

UNDER THE SUN ... 'It is a small masterpiece; the best novel that I have read about war since Captain Corelli's Mandolin.' - The Sunday Telegraph

UNDER THE SUN ... 'It is an accomplished literary war novel ... Kerr-Smiley's passionate tale should convince readers that remarkable, as well as horrific, things can happen in the midst of war.' - Publishers Weekly

UNDER THE SUN ... Justin Kerr-Smiley is 'an intriguing new talent'. - William Dalrymple, Author, Historian, Broadcaster and Critic