Doctor Frigo

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Doctor Frigo ( English original title Doctor Frigo ) is a political thriller by Eric Ambler from 1974. The action is set in two fictional countries in the Caribbean and Central America , a French colony and a coffee republic . The contemporary background is the 1973 oil crisis . Thematically, the novel follows on from Ambler's Dirty Story from 1967.

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Frigo (French abbreviation for frigidaire = refrigerator ) is the nickname of Dr. Ernesto Castillo. The doctor of Central American origin lives in exile on the French West Indies island of Saint-Paul-les-Alizés . His father Clemente Castillo was the democratic-socialist president of a Central American coffee republic and was murdered 12 years earlier in a military coup . The son is completely apolitical and only lives for his profession, although his mother and former supporters of his father believe that he will eventually succeed him.

Unexpectedly, Castillo receives a visitor from Mexico . Manuel Villegas Lopez is one of the leaders of the Democratic Socialist Party and tries to involve Castillo indirectly in the politics of his home country. The French secret service found out about this intention and contacted Castillo. Since he is not a French citizen, he is blackmailed by the secret service into offering himself to Villegas as personal physician and at the same time providing information about his political activities. If Castillo refuses, he will lose his status as an exile.

Castillo realizes that Villegas, who is rumored to be partly responsible for the death of his father, has multiple sclerosis and will soon retire from politics. But the French agents force the doctor to keep Villegas functioning for as long as possible through treatment; Castillo does not tell the patient about the illness.

Through his girlfriend, the eccentric art dealer Elisabeth Martens, Castillo learns the background to Villega's visit. There are oil deposits off the coast of the Coffee Republic , the exploitation of which was previously unprofitable, but which have become attractive to international corporations due to the 1973 oil crisis. Various interest groups are now pursuing the goal of replacing the oligarchically oriented military government of the coffee republic with Villegas.

At home, Villegas has succeeded in uniting various political groups in a common opposition, such as El Lobo ( Spanish : The Wolf ), a Marxist-Leninist urban guerrilla , a peasant priest and the education minister of the current government, who has the radical students behind him united.

The international oil consortium has worked out a coup plan that is supported by the French government and tolerated by the US ; In return, Villegas is allowed to carry out social reforms:

“The new style coup, rationalized accounting, someone called it. The deal is arranged in advance - symbolic demonstration of strength, minimal use of force, maximum courtesy, no harassment, a plane to your chosen destination - nowhere a surprise, because surprises mean poor planning. "

Doctor Frigo , quoted in Howald, p. 423.

The coup was successful, but shortly afterwards the different political interests of the putschists broke out. El Lobo arranges a conversation between Castillo and his father's murderer , General Escalon , whom he kidnapped . Escalon admits the act, but also reveals to Castillo that Villegas was also involved in the death of Castillo senior. Villegas is now president and fears that the kidnapped general will reveal more details of the military coup at the time that could endanger his position.

Before Villegas can take any action, he himself is murdered in public. The authorities hold the peasant priest responsible for the murder, who allegedly committed suicide shortly afterwards . Castilo is appointed Minister of Education, but he now receives a post-dated French passport from the French secret service in return for his services and can thus return to Saint-Paul-des-Alizés and continue working as a doctor. His involuntary foray into politics is over.

criticism

“They (the acting characters, the author) are in reality the representatives of a world that no longer gives itself any rules, a world that is gradually becoming jungle . 'Dr. Coming along as a picaresque novel , Frigo 'is a serious novel about the collapse of political mores. "

Awards

See also

literature

  • Eric Ambler: Doctor Frigo . German by Tom Knoth and Judith Claassen, Zurich (Diogenes Verlag AG) 1975.
  • Stefan Howald: Eric Ambler. Eine Biographie , Zurich (Diogenes Verlag AG) 2002, pp. 419-431. ISBN 3-257-06325-3
  • Aurel Schmidt: How things are in the world , in: Gerd Haffmans (ed.): About Eric Ambler. Testimonials from Alfred Hitchcock to Helmut Heißenbüttel , Zurich (Diogenes Verlag AG) 1989, pp. 95–113. ISBN 3-257-206070

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Aurel Schmidt, How it goes on the world , p. 112 f.