Galeano’s paradox: the language of the defeated
Abstract
The present academic work aims at the analysis of the use and purpose of the paradox in Eduardo Galeano’s book Mirrors. Stories of almost everyone (2008). By means of a prior selection, some of the pieces which compose the book will be evaluated in order to prove the fact that the presence of this stylistic device throughout Galeano’s work is not a mere consequence of gratuitousness or ornamentation, but rather a literary tool that the author employs deliberately. In front of a History monopolised by victors, the paradox is the weapon with which the defeated can demonstrate systems’ contradictions and faults. It provides them, simultaneously, the path to self-affirmation and empowerment.
Furthermore, Galeano seeks through the paradox the recovery of the memory of all the events and personalities which have been buried and forgotten by Official History books. And, what is more, this stylistic resource remains in connection with the fragmentary appearance of the book with the purpose of reproducing reality, which is understood as something diverse, composed by a wide range of voices.
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References
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