Tierra quemada by Óscar Collazos as an Allegory of Displacement in Colombia

Reindert Dhondt

doi:10.5195/ct/2020.487

Abstract

Through the portrayal of never-ending march of a caravan of internally displaced persons (IDPs), the novel Tierra quemada (2013) by the Colombian author Óscar Collazos explores the interrelation between different forms of violence and their devastating impact on the peripheric outposts of Colombia. This article proposes an allegorical reading of the novel by examining how it represents the difficulty to break the cycle of violence and the impact of a low-intensity conflict on the IDPs, without presenting a voyeuristic perspective of the violence nor a Manichean vision of the armed conflict.

Highlights

Resumen A través del retrato de una caravana interminable de desplazados internos, la novela Tierra quemada (2013) del escritor colombiano Óscar Collazos explora la interrelación de diferentes formas de violencia y su impacto devastador en las zonas periféricas de Colombia
Through the portrayal of never-ending march of a caravan of internally displaced persons (IDPs), the novel Tierra quemada (2013) by the Colombian author Óscar Collazos explores the interrelation between different forms of violence and their devastating impact on the peripheric outposts of Colombia
This article proposes an allegorical reading of the novel by examining how it represents the difficulty to break the cycle of violence and the impact of a low-intensity conflict on the IDPs, without presenting a voyeuristic perspective of the violence nor a Manichean vision of the armed conflict

Summary

Introduction

Resumen A través del retrato de una caravana interminable de desplazados internos, la novela Tierra quemada (2013) del escritor colombiano Óscar Collazos explora la interrelación de diferentes formas de violencia y su impacto devastador en las zonas periféricas de Colombia.

Results

Conclusion