Which Dominican dictator is the subject of Mario Vargas Llosa's 'The Feast of the Goat'?

The Dominican dictator who is the subject of Mario Vargas Llosa's The Feast of the Goat is Rafael Trujillo. The 2000 historical novel portrays Trujillo's dictatorship, his assassination in 1961, and the political and personal consequences that followed.

Trujillo seized power in the Dominican Republic in 1930 and remained the country's effective ruler until his death, even during periods when others formally held the presidency. His regime was marked by authoritarian control, censorship, political violence, a personality cult, and the persecution of opponents. He was known by titles including “The Chief,” “The Benefactor,” and “The Goat.”

Vargas Llosa combines documented history with fictionalized interior scenes and characters. The novel moves among three viewpoints: Urania Cabral, returning to the Dominican Republic in 1996; Trujillo during the final day of his life; and the conspirators waiting to attack his car. The title refers to the popular merengue Mataron al Chivo, or “They Killed the Goat,” associated with Trujillo's assassination. Francisco Franco, Anastasio Somoza, and Fulgencio Batista were dictators of other countries, not the novel's central subject.