Two Latin American novels about globalization

 
PIIS0044748X0005582-9-1
DOI10.31857/S0044748X0005582-9
Publication type Article
Status Published
Authors
Occupation: Senior Research Fellow
Affiliation: Institute for Latin American studies, RAS
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow
Journal nameLatin America
EditionIssue 8
Pages84-98
Abstract

The article discusses the two most significant works of two prominent representatives of contemporary literature in Latin America - the novels “Winter Gunther” by Juan Manuel Marcos (Paraguay) and “The Whisper of a Woman-Whale” by Alonso Cueto (Peru). The scale of the talent of both authors allows them to become the spokesmen of a broad public mindset. The theme of globalization occupies a significant place in these novels, correlating with the traditional for Latin American consciousness, an aggravated focus on the problem of ethno-cultural self-knowledge and self-affirmation. Each of these writers represents a particular, Marcos - early, Cueto - mature, stage of the process of globalization in Latin America, which makes it possible to reveal the dynamics of attitudes of Latin Americans to this phenomenon. The author of the article confirms the idea of foreign and domestic researchers about the connection of Marcos with the legacy of the “new Latin American novel”, which is primarily manifested in the desire to present Latin America as part of many-sided humanity. It is noted that Marcos' novel belongs to the phenomenon of postmodernism, with its tendency to relativize traditional ideas, which for Marcos turns out to be aesthetically productive (polystylism) and unacceptable in matters of ethics. The ethical dominant is also characteristic of Cueto’s novel, postmodern in the sense that it combines the tradition of literary classics in depicting the inner world of a woman (L.N.Tolstoy, G.Flaubert and others) with a modern "feminine novel." Both writers reject alarmist sentiments regarding the problem of “globalization and ethno-cultural identity”, both of them generally relate to globalization favorably, while in the Cueto’s novel ethno-cultural concern is less pronounced than in the book of the oldest, Marcos. The fate of globalization for these writers depends on how a person as an ethical being will be.

KeywordsMarcos, Cueto, postmodernism, identity, ethics
Received24.07.2019
Publication date24.07.2019
Number of characters39718
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