Gustavo Pereira is one of Latin America's most prolific poets, the best-known Venezuelan poet of his generation, a leading spirit in his country's Bolivarian revolution and a prominent supporter of President Hugo Ch vez (who once invited him to serve as Minister of Culture). Pereira has written over 30 books exploring Venezuela's Spanish, Indian and revolutionary traditions. In 2008 the Caracas World Poetry Festival was dedicated to Pereira. A member of the Venezuelan National Constituent Assembly, he is the author of the preamble to the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela which defines culture as a legal right. The Arrival of the Orchestra is the first publication of Pereira's work in English.