I Need, Therefore I Imagine.

I Have Never Considered Myself A Writer In Exile Because I Grew Up Outside Of My Own Country, Because My Father Was A Diplomat. Therefore, I Grew Up In Brazil, Chile, Argentina, The United States, I Studied In Switzerland - So I've Always Had Perspective On My Country - I Am Thankful For That.

I Am A Mexican. The United States Lived Seventy-five Years With The One Party System In Mexico - The Pri - Without Batting An Eyelid, Never Demanding Democracy Of Mexico. Democracy Came Because Mexicans Fought For Democracy And Made A Democracy Out Of Our History, Our Possibilities, Our Perspectives. Democracy Is Not Something That Can Be Exported Like Coca-cola. It Has To Be Bred From The Inside, According To The Culture, The Conditions Of Each Country.

Things Have Changed In Latin America Now. We Mostly Have Democratic Governments In Latin America, So The Position Of The Writer Has Changed. It Is Not As Neruda Used To Say, That A Latin American Writer Walks Around With The Body Of His People On His Back. Now, We Have Citizens, We Have Public Means Of Expression, Political Parties, Congress, Unions. So, The Writer's Position Has Changed, We Now Consider Ourselves To Be Citizens - Not Spokespeople For Everybody - But Citizens That Participate In The Political And Social Process Of The Country.

Cuba Needs A Dose Of Perestroika.

The United States Condoned Dictatorships In Latin America For Much Of The 20th Century.