Solitude and Exile in Roberto Bolaño

Abstract

Profoundly original and deliberately shocking, innovative and puzzling at the same time, Roberto Bolaño (1953 – 2003) is now considered one of the most important Latin American writers of the 20th century. Born in Chile, he grew up in Mexico and then traveled across the South American continent, finally settling in Europe, in his steady attempt to establish his reputation of a poet and a novelist. His entire work represents a constant challenge to the literary critics, given the fact that he distinctively addressed some important universal issues (like human loneliness or the impossibility to establish an authentic connection and dialogue in the midst of an alienated society); but he is also famous for his particular way of meditating upon the often hidden meanings of exile in the contemporary world. His characters travel around the world as well as within themselves, in order to find their identity and to assert the truth of their own existence at the same time. [Article copies available for a fee from The Transformative Studies Institute. E-mail address: journal@transformativestudies.org Website: http://www.transformativestudies.org ©2024 by The Transformative Studies Institute. All rights reserved.]