O véu e a lágrima

imaginário e erótico e velhice em dois romances chilenos.

Abstract

Pedro Lemebel and Jorge Edwards are Chilean writers occupying different positions  in twentieth-century Chilean canon. Considering their contrasting approaches and concerns, this paper aims at a comparative analysis of two of their novels, namely El orígen del mundo by Edwards (1996) and Tengo miedo torero by Lemebel (2001). The leading argument follows two main motives that appear in both narratives: firstly, the historical background of the Chilean Military Dictatorship (1973-1990); and second, as the novels’ driving force, the endeavor of representing eroticism from an old-age perspective. By considering the differences and the uniqueness of their prose, this work points towards the subtle similarities that appear throughout the procedures employed by each of the two narrators. This approach intends to be a contribution to the bibliography of both authors, aiming to offer a perspective that compares them not only from the point of view of historical representation, but from specific literary procedures.