The Slackers

This book, Slackers, is a collection of short stories, part of International Publisher's ongoing Manuel Tiago series. The title story, "The Slackers," deals humorously with a mixed bag of misfits who are forced to report to a military correctional camp to com-plete their obligatory service. As in several of his other works of fiction, Tiago, (Álvaro Cunhal), based his tale on his own life. For a time, in late 1939 and early 1940, Cunhal was forced to complete his military service in a Disciplinary Company. "Hand in Hand" is a teenage love story set against the background of the post-1974 public flowering of the Communist Party as a significant partner in the democratic reconstruction of the country.