An Unfinished Song

“Victor Jara was one of the most famous musicians to come out of Chile in the 1970s. He was also one of the most famous victims of the military coup. He was arrested, taken to the notorious football stadium in Santiago and tortured in the most horrible way. He was a musician known for playing the guitar and they broke every single finger and his arms before they killed him. It was absolutely horrible…Joan Jara was a British woman—she died recently—who came to Chile in the 1950s, long before the military coup…Although she went into exile after the coup, she came back in 1984 and fought for justice for her husband. It took a long, long time. Not until 2012 was the person who was held responsible for Victor Jara’s murder found guilty and extradited to Chile to face justice. That was a huge achievement. Her story is one of incredible endurance and courage and it’s also very moving. I admire Joan Jara enormously.” Read more...

The best books on Chile

Natascha Scott-Stokes, Travel Writer

“Victor Jara – who was closely associated with the movement to get Salvador Allende elected and then keep him in power when businesses, rival parties and the American government were all conspiring to get rid of him. During the coup Jara was arrested, identified, tormented and mocked. He had his hands broken and then he was killed. Only recently did they really work out what happened to him…She could quote from letters he sent her, and really break down what it was like in those final days during the coup. She writes about what it was like identifying his body and having to flee Chile. It is just one of those rare things.” Read more...

The best books on Protest Songs

Dorian Lynskey, Musicians, Music Critics & Scholar