Néstor Robles' fantastic Northerner

Abstract

In 2017, appears the book of fantastic stories Réquiem por Tijuana, by Mexican Néstor Robles. We propose that in Robles’ fantastic plots, set in Tijuana, the idea of community is criticized and, on the contrary, the fragility of human bonds is demonstrated versus the unusual. To reach this conclusion, we place Robles first at the intersection of northern literature and fantastic literature. Second, we examine six stories where the weakness of the community is demonstrated through fantastic facts. Finally, we link Robles’ idea of community with that of the philosophers Pelbart and Esposito, summarizing the failure of what should be an heterogeneous community as an alliance, given the finite nature of the human being.

Keywords

• fantasía
• distopía
• sobrenatural
• comunidad
• apocalipsis