Ungraspable: Black life in Juan Cárdenas’s novels

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the representation of Blackness in the fiction of Colombian author Juan Cárdenas, particularly emphasising the novels The Strata and Shadow Elastic. It explores the challenges faced by Cárdenas when integrating Black characters into narratives narrated by white male protagonists. The novels question the perspective of the male narrator, which often extends beyond the confines of European rationality. As a result, the act of portraying Black life becomes intricate when a character’s lived experience exceeds that of the narrator, prompting a reconsideration of the storytelling itself. The concept of the ‘shadow archive’, inspired by Tavia Nyong’o, plays a central role in Cárdenas’s vision of Black life. This archive serves as a repository of memory and self-representation, defying conventional narratives by recovering stories suppressed or disregarded by the white world. Cárdenas employs the notion of ‘afro-fabulation’, blurring the boundaries between reality and fiction and delving into the possibilities of what could have occurred by incorporating everyday, fantastic, and mythical elements. Through their elusive narratives, the novels disrupt hegemonic culture, challenge biased knowledge, and establish connections within Black cultures.