Imaginar un país: la espacialidad, lo otro y el “yo” autoral en El interior de Martín Caparrós

Abstract

The main aim of Martín Caparrós' El interior, as indicated in the prologue, is to capture the essence of what can be understood as "Argentina." Subsequently, the narrative strongly adopts a spatial dimension. Leveraging the spatial theories proposed by Lefebvre (1974), Soja (1985), and de Certeau (2000), this article endeavors to examines how Caparrós portrays this social-spatial construct, which embodies a country, within his text. Additionally, it investigates how Caparrós employs the space within the reportage to relate his own life, his inner own journey. Utilizing theories that explore autobiographical concepts, this analysis scrutinizes the correlation between the reporter and historical intellectual and travelers, particularly Sarmiento, emphasizing the influence of said position on the spatial representation within the book. Furthermore, it explores the reporter’s stance on the center/periphery binary, highlighting the "camaraderie" evident in his text and its relevance to his interlocutors. Lastly, considering that Caparrós' narrative primarily seeks the imaginary, the article will delve into the theme of tropographic representation (Andermann 2000) of space, analyzing the symbols of popular mythology present in the text.

Keywords

• Latin-American literature
• non-ficction
• Martín Caparrós
• travel writing
• spatiality
• autobiography