Fraile Muerto SPANISH- 376 pages. Based on actual historical facts, the novel is a mesmerizing portrait of the clash between the newly arrived pioneers and the inhabitants of the Pampas in 1856. British dandys, "gauchos", "decent criollos", Ranquel indians, railway workers and drovers mix in a telltale struggle of prejudices and true assessments that are deeply rooted in the baffling society that constitutes the present Argentina.