And while we are at it, the tale about killing someone and then trying to sneak the dead body out of town in a coffin only to have the corpse awaken is a real story. My dad spent lots of time in the jungles of Quintana Roo and Chiapas and met many guns for hire who, after a few tequilas, were more than happy to tell him all their stories. A lot of Filiberto’s stories come from them.
One last anecdote: The official-for-home-use-only name of the book is “El pinche complot mongol.” We all call it that, including Dad, who was very proud of the ending “¡Pinche velorio! ¡Pinche soledad!”
COCOL BERNAL