Fiction and Reality in Diarios de viaje y regreso by Juan Emar

Abstract

This article analyzes Diarios de viaje (2017), by Juan Emar, in light of contemporary theories of autobiography, articulating it with the posthumous work Regreso (2016). The study highlights three axes of modern referential writing: self-reflection, the crisis of the subject, and the multiplicity of the self, all evident in Emar’s diaries. Based on Philippe Lejeune’s concept of the autobiographical pact, it demonstrates that the work meets criteria of referentiality, although shaped by fictional elements. The text also engages with critical perspectives that question the truthfulness of autobiography, emphasizing the symbolic and narrative dimensions of writing. It further identifies the function of the diaries as a space for literary experimentation, anticipating themes and procedures later developed in Regreso. The article concludes that the work moves between document and fiction, establishing itself as a practice of self-knowledge and an aesthetic laboratory.