Substantial authenticity, (post/)modernity and transformation of otherness: the second trip of Camilo Jose Cela to the Alcarria

Abstract

A review of literature on authenticity argues in favour of what is called here substantial authenticity, against objective, constructed and existential notions, argued as non-mutually exclusive. Several themes in substantial authenticity are found in Nuevo viaje a la Alcarria (New Journey to the Alcarria), a book by the Nobel Prize winner for Literature Camilo Jose Cela: nostalgia/hostility to modern society; social integration; autonomy from society; opposition to capitalism/commodification and opposition to pose/style/fashion. Besides the characteristically modern stance implied by some of such engagements with authenticity, Cela's work also presents postmodern traits (such as disregard for knowledge and ambiguity as to its own (non)-fictional status), prompting a discussion on the limits of the non-fictional text. The discussion is especially relevant because the authority of Cela as a famous writer (which he reinforces by concealing sources and suggesting mystical access to Otherness) enables him to apparently change the very social and cultural landscape in which he travels. This takes place both in the long-run (the region already contains markers of his first trip, which are likely to be reinforced by the second) and in the short-run (immediate transformative effects in the interaction between the author and local people).