Stories from Nicaragua

In ""Charles Atlas Also Dies,'' a young Nicaraguan befriends a U.S. Marine captain, part of the force that hunted Sandino in the '20s and '30s, and with the American's help, travels to New York to visit his hero, Charles Atlaswhereupon he is told that Atlas is an invention, then learns that he exists but is terminally ill. ``To Jackie with All Our Heart'' is the tale of a Nicaraguan who convinces his country club to buy the Queen Elizabeth as a place to stage a welcoming banquet for Jackie Onassis, who, despite the assurances of a U.S. friend, does not arrive. (``Every dawn brings us renewed hope that this will be the day for celebration.'') In other stories, the author's Nicaraguan characters enjoy an easy-going conviviality while suffering occasional, unpredictable pain, as in the baseball story, ``The Perfect Game.'' The vice-president of Nicaragua, Ramirez shows great skill at depicting the allure and pitfalls of developed countries for some third-world people. (February)