The Balkans at the oeuvre and the thought of Carlos Fuentes

Abstract

This article investigates the multiple relationships, opinions and inspirations of Carlos Fuentes regarding the Balkans. From his first books until the end of his life, the Mexican writer showed a deep interest in the turbulent history and powerful cultural heritage of the countries of Eastern Europe. The objective of this work is to show the influence of different Balkan themes in the Mexican writer’s thought: historical (the turbulent 20th century began in the Balkans with the attack in Sarajevo in 1914, and it finished with the bombing of Serbia in 1999). Political: Latin America suffered a balkanized and fractured policy, but it did not lose its own national unity nor its shared Ibero-American fraternity. And artistic: the Palace of Diocletian in Spalato/ Split is present in three books of Carlos Fuentes, and the Romanian Count Dracula constitutes the axis of the Fuentesian interest in the subject of vampires). Besides, we have also examined his critical attitude towards various events, people and monuments of that part of the world. Our research covers a dozen books by Carlos Fuentes: Cumpleaños, La nueva novela hispanoamericana, Terra Nostra, La campaña, En esto creo, Vlad, Todas las familias felices, El espejo enterrado etc., from various moments of his literary career.