1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910810795003321

Autore

González Aníbal <1956->

Titolo

In search of the sacred book : religion and the contemporary Latin American novel / / Aníbal González

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Pittsburgh, Pa : , : University of Pittsburgh Press, , [2018]

©2018

ISBN

0-8229-8302-8

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (1 PDF (xi, 244 pages).)

Collana

Illuminations: Cultural Formations of the Americas Series

Disciplina

863

Soggetti

Latin American fiction - 20th century - History and criticism

Latin American fiction - 21st century - History and criticism

Religion in literature

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (pages [209]-227) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Introduction. A literary trinity : the novel, the sacred, and the nation -- Prophetic discourse in the naturalist novel : Frederico Gamboa and Manuel Zeno Gandía -- The other theologian : Jorge Luis Borges and "the death of the novel" -- Tales from eternity : María Luisa Bombal, Alejo Carpentier, Juan Rulfo -- In search of the sacred book : Julio Cortázar, Gabriel García Márquez, Jose Lezama Lima -- Desacralizations : Elena Poniatowska, Fernando Vallejo, Roberto Bolaño.

Sommario/riassunto

In Search of the Sacred Book studies the artistic incorporation of religious concepts such as prophecy, eternity, and the afterlife in the contemporary Latin American novel. It departs from sociopolitical readings by noting the continued relevance of religion in Latin American life and culture, despite modernity's powerful secularizing influence. Analyzing Jorge Luis Borges's secularized "narrative theology" in his essays and short stories, the book follows the development of the Latin American novel from the early twentieth century until today by examining the attempts of major novelists, from María Luisa Bombal, Alejo Carpentier, and Juan Rulfo, to Julio Cortázar, Gabriel García Márquez, and Jose Lezama Lima, to "sacralize" the novel by incorporating traits present in the sacred texts of many religions. It concludes with a view of the "desacralization" of the novel by more



recent authors, from Elena Poniatowska and Fernando Vallejo to Roberto Bolaño.