Born in 1942, Dorfman is an exiled Chilean author who has been teaching at Duke University for more than twenty-five years. His writing often reflects his life experiences: the horrors of dictatorships and the difficulties of exile.
Booklist reviewed The Nanny and the Iceberg upon its publication on April 15, 1999:
In the form of a suicide note, Gabriel McKenzie pours out the events leading up to 11 October 1992, the day he plans to kill himself and the people he believes responsible for his miserable existence. Twenty-four-year-old Gabriel, who has lived in Manhattan with his mother since the age of five, has the face of a teenager, is still a virgin, and is frustrated by his inability to perform sexually. He is haunted by a bet his father, Christobal, made the day after he was conceived--that he could make love to a woman every day for 25 years. Hoping his father can free him from the curse on his sex life and teach him the secrets of seduction, Gabriel heads to Chile. But before Gabriel can reconnect with his father, he is drawn into solving the mystery of who is threatening to blow up Chile's iceberg exhibit at the World's Fair. Only his nanny, possibly the last of a presumed extinct Indian tribe from Patagonia, seems to take any interest in helping Gabriel establish a relationship with his father and sort out the mystery of the iceberg. Using the true story of Chile bringing an iceberg to the World's Fair as the central event, Dorfman (author of Konfidenz [1995] and Death and the Maiden [1992]) creates a fascinating tale of intrigue with a touch of dark humor. ~ Carolyn Kubisz
Other links to reviews of The Nanny and the Iceberg:
The New York Times
Fantastic Fiction
Ariel Dorfman links:
Ariel Dorfman's homepage
Duke University Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of Ariel Dorfman
