Felisberto Hernández’s influence in the short stories of Julio Cortázar

Abstract

The critique coincides with that “House Taken Over” –published in 1946- is an allegory in opposition to the Peronism, though Cortázar does not agree to have had this intention. On the other hand, the critique has not noticed the similarities with the story “The house of Irene”, published in 1929, by Felisberto Hernández. Nevertheless, Cortázar never recognized the influence of the Uruguayan writer. In this article, first, we will review the character of Julio Cortázar’s political commitment. And in both following sections, we will compare “The house of Irene” with “House Taken Over”, and we will check the recognized and furtive influences that are perceived in some stories of Unreasonable Hours, his latest collection of short stories which was published in 1982. In summary, we will try to verify the Felisbertian influence in the work of the Argentine writer.