17 OCTOBER 1992, Page 24

Cool dudes

Sir: Andro Linklater's otherwise excellent review of Mordechai Richler's Oh Canada! Oh Quebec! which appeared in the 26 September issue, is marred by unnecessari- ly dragging out the tired and silly old clichés about excitable South Americans.

Mr Linklater might find it revealing to learn that between 1500 and 1990 war and war-related deaths in Latin America, both military and civilian, amounted to approxi- mately 3.3 million, and in Europe to 93.4 million.

Excitable? Am I possibly missing some- thing? Maybe another, not so silly cliche? Something about stones in glass houses perhaps?

Hector Eduardo Luisi

7415 Beverly Road, Bethesda, Maryland, USA