![]() ![]() These disparate elements combined to make me question how and why a well-known third-generation Chilean writer would translate his Dalmatian roots and the challenges of immigrant settlement into his post-exile fiction. Third, I was acutely aware of the exile of numerous Chilean intellectuals and artists after the 1973 military coup, since Canada had acted as a host country. ![]() Second, I had spent time on the island of Brač, the birthplace of Skármeta’s grandparents. Since the ethnic diversity of our population is openly reflected in our identity discourses and in award-winning fiction, I first found it intriguing that fiction from the Southern Cone was less often studied from an ethnic perspective, despite significant waves of immigration to the region. In searching for a doctoral research topic, I became fascinated by the treatment of immigrant roots in two novels by prominent Chilean author Antonio Skármeta. This interest grew through my university years, studies in Caracas (Venezuela) and Guanajuato (Mexico), and several years spent on Spanish American projects for the Government of Canada, especially in Mexico, Chile and Peru. Although the ties to Spain were long forgotten, my Ottawa high school teachers fostered my affinity for the Spanish language and its literature. Yet, some years ago I learned that my mother’s paternal line descended from a man nicknamed l’espagnol born in Burgos into a French and Spanish family, who settled in the 1660s near Quebec City, where his only son was born. Finalement, je soutiens que ces récits constituent des lieux de mémoire (Pierre Nora) qui incorporent une mémoire subjective aux discours changeants sur l’identité chilienne, reconnaissant ainsi le pluralisme et favorisant la compréhension réciproque.Īcknowledgments As a tenth generation Canadian primarily of French descent, I have no obvious ties to immigration, exile, or the Hispanic world. Je démontre également que, au lieu d’envisager le roman historique traditionnel comme une représentation de la vérité, Skármeta a recours à la métafiction historiographique et à l’intertextualité pour souligner la nature littéraire de ce genre de discours et le rôle de personnages littéraires dans l’invention de la nation. De plus, j’argumente qu’il se fonde sur la tradition littéraire pour inscrire des histoires d’immigrants dans deux grands genres littéraires, le roman historique et la saga familiale. Skármeta vers la récupération littéraire de ses racines et l’amorce d’un dialogue critique avec les notions bien établies d’identité chilienne. Joignant des concepts de récits ethniques à des théories sur la mémoire, l’identité et la littérature, je trace l’évolution de J’évalue autant l’histoire de l’immigration au Chili que le développement de l’idée d’une identité nationale homogène. Selon mon hypothèse, l’exil en Europe et le retour au Chili ont mené l’auteur à repenser ses racines dalmates/croates et son sens de soi en réponse aux discours prédominants en matière d’identité nationale. Résumé Cette dissertation examine la représentation d’origines ethniques dans la création littéraire d’Antonio Skármeta. Finally, I contend that these narratives constitute literary lieux de mémoire (Pierre Nora), which incorporate a subjective memory into the evolving discourses on Chilean identity, thereby recognizing pluralism and fostering mutual understanding. I also show that, instead of accepting the truth-telling claims of historical fiction, Skármeta employs historiographic metafiction and intertextuality to emphasize the literary nature of fictional discourse and the role of literary figures in inventing the nation. I further argue that he grounds himself in literary tradition to inscribe immigrant stories into two major foundational genres, the historical novel and the family romance. ![]() Blending concepts of ethnic narrative with theories of memory, identity, and literature, I trace Skármeta’s literary shift towards reclaiming his roots and initiating a critical dialogue with established notions of Chilean identity. I assess Chile’s immigration history as well as the development of the idea of a homogeneous national identity. My hypothesis is that exile in Europe and return to Chile led the author to rethink his Dalmatian-Croatian roots and his sense of self in response to prevailing discourses of national identity. Modern Languages and Literatures Faculty of Arts University of OttawaĪbstract This dissertation examines the representation of ethnic origins in Antonio Skármeta’s fiction. Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In partial fulfilment of the requirements For the Doctorate in Philosophy degree in Spanish Antonio Skármeta’s Narratives of Ethnicity: Rewriting Chile’s Discourses of Identity ![]()
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