Captain Pantoja and the Special Service

This comic novel follows Captain Pantoja, a rigid and dutiful Peruvian army officer sent to the Amazon region with an unusual task. The soldiers stationed there are causing trouble in nearby towns, and the army decides to quietly supply them with a discreet service. Pantoja, devoted to order and efficiency, sets about organising it with the same seriousness he brings to every duty.

The book is a satire of bureaucracy, military life and hypocrisy, told with humour, shifting voices and official documents. Beneath the comedy lie questions about moral blindness and the limits of obedience.