New Trends in Contemporary Latin American Narrative ― Post-national Literatures and the Canon

Examining a rich new generation of Latin American writers, this timely collection offers new perspectives on the current status of Latin American literature in the age of globalization. Essays examine the anthology McOndo, which rejected magical realism as the primary literary mode of Latin America, and the Crack group, which argued for a return to more complex narrative, as turning points for Latin American narratives and for a new generation of authors. Instead of perpetuating the simple blueprint of Postboom magical realism, this volume argues that the authors studied in here combine social preoccupations, such as drug trafficking, with aesthetic ones. In many cases, authors like the Crack group members, Roberto Bolano, Rodrigo Fresan, Evelio Rosero, or Ena Lucia Portela, directly dialogue with the Boom authors while other authors, like Diego Trelles Paz or Yolanda Arroyo, utilize new technologies to create dynamic creative projects.

Timothy R. Robbins is Assistant Professor of Spanish at Drury University, USA. His recent research focuses on late twentieth and contemporary narratives, with special attention to popular culture and cultural interaction. He is currently co-authoring a reference text on Latin American popular culture.

Jose Eduardo Gonzalez is Associate Professor of Spanish and Ethnic Studies at the University of Nebraska, USA. He is the author of Borges and the Politics of Forms and co-editor of Primitivism and Identity in Latin America. His research focuses on contemporary Latin American narrative and his articles have appeared in numerous scholarly journals.