An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

498. Evita: The Mystery of the Missing Body (Part 5)

September 25, 2024

Description

After lying in state in an open casket, Evita’s corpse is taken down to a secret laboratory in the basement. And as the Argentinian Victor Frankenstein, Dr Ara, busily embalms her body, her ghost...
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Books Referenced

Santa Evita

Author: Tomas Martínez

Context:

Described as a 'brilliant novel, very creepy, weird novel by an Argentine writer' that came out in 1996, telling the story of what happens to Evita's embalmed body. The hosts discuss whether the novel may have elaborated or fabricated certain details.

Parallel Lives

Author: Plutarch

Context:

Mentioned as Peron's favourite writer. Peron introduced both Evita and later Nelly Rivas to Plutarch's biographies, getting them private tutors and encouraging them to read his works.

Perón: A Biography

Author: Joseph Page

Context:

Referenced as 'Peron's biographer' and 'Peron's academic biographer' multiple times. His biography is cited regarding whether Evita would have made a difference to Peron's conflict with the Catholic Church, and later regarding the credibility of the warlock's occult rituals.

Esoteric Astrology, Secrets Revealed

Author: José López Rega

Context:

Described as López Rega's 'masterwork' about spiritualism, which he claimed was 'dictated to him by the angel Gabriel while he was asleep.'

The Honorary Consul

Author: Graham Greene

Context:

Referenced when discussing what role Tom might play in Argentine politics of the 1970s - comparing him to a character in Greene's novel who is 'taken hostage by mistake.'

Evita: The Real Life of Eva Perón

Author: Nicholas Fraser and Marisa Navarro

Context:

Referenced as 'Evita's biographers' at the end of the episode, quoted regarding the fear that Evita's body might disappear and the myth of the woman would reappear.