Jim Koris

" the Odyssey of a Regime Victim " Jim Koris

This is the story of Armando, a university student, his wife Marisol, a school teacher and their little boy Juanito. Their story is similar to so many of its kind that took place in Santiago, the capital of Chile during that dreaded morning of SEPT 11, 1973. The day that the legally elected Socialist Government of Salvador Allende was violently overthrown by General Augusto Pinochet. That resulted in many thousands of followers of President Allende being arrested, tortured and executed. Many left the country as refugees seeking a new life. Canada was their favored country of preference and many sought asylum there. Our story is like many of its kind that its heroes suffered the new government's atrocities. Armando was arrested in his University grounds along with many other students. He was beaten and tortured for years, until finally lost his mind and memory. Meantime his wife and their little son were next in line. His wife was persecuted until she sought refuge in Canada and started a new life. This story represents the many of its kind that suffered from government atrocities of the time. But when our hero Armando, finally escaped from prison he was a wreck, his mind was gone. When he finally recovered from his torment and remembered his past, then his Odyssey started and like another Ulysses sought his Penelope...who unfortunately was not available to him anymore.