Tierra del Fuego is more than a suspenseful seafaring tale in the tradition of Captain Hornblower; it is also a chilling psychological and cultural tale, reminiscent of
Heart of Darkness or
Lord of the Flies, that probes deeply into human nature. Based on the true story of the Yámana Indian, Jemmy Button (parts of which are recorded in Chapter 10 of Charles Darwin's
The Voyage of the Beagle), the novel explores Captain Robert Fitzroy's abduction of Jemmy Button and his attempt to civilize him in England and return him to his country as a bearer of enlightened society. His experiment leads to tragic consequences. The novel deals with European arrogance and exploitation, but avoids falling into the cliché of the Noble Savage. Jemmy (the Other) remains strange and the attempt to co-opt him fails.
Tierra del Fuego has already won two major awards for the Spanish edition: The Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Award for the best work of fiction written by a woman and The Best Book of the Year Award at the Buenos Aires Book Fair.
