Skip to main content

Distributed for University of Wales Press

Latin America and Existentialism

A Pan-American Literary History (1864-1938)

An illuminating reevaluation of Latin America’s importance to existentialist thought.

This book is a comparative study of existentialism in Latin America, addressing and rectifying Latin America’s subordinated position in the existentialist canon. It is an intellectual history that prioritizes literature and contextualizes Latin America’s philosophical contributions from the 1880s to the late 1930s, decades that coincide with the canon's foundational years. Using a Pan-American approach, the book discusses key figures such as Juan Carlos Onetti, Carlos Astrada, and Ernesto Sábato within the broader context of Latin American existentialism and examines writers from less studied regions, such as Brazil's Machado de Assis and Graciliano Ramos, Colombia’s José Asunción Silva, Cuba’s Enrique Labrador Ruiz, and Chile's María Luisa Bombal.

University of Wales Press image

View all books from University of Wales Press

Reviews

"A well-researched book claiming a space long overdue to the significance of existentialism in the Latin American cannon. Murillo, a devoted scholar with a fine intellectual thread, analyses the works of authors like Machado de Assis, Labrador Ruiz and Bombal to reshape our understanding of existentialism since the nineteenth century and claim its importance in the Latin American letters."

Belén Rodríguez Mourelo, professor of Spanish, Penn State Berks

"In Latin America and Existentialism, Murillo presents readers with a hemispheric archive spanning the late-nineteenth century through the 1930s ... This study produces a carefully woven and nuanced argument that takes readers on a literary-philosophical journey that adeptly moves from Brazil and Colombia to Cuba and Chile, an indispensable reference for those interested in the convergence of Latin American literature and philosophy."

Juan G. Ramos, professor of Spanish at the College of the Holy Cross (USA)

"This is an enriching work that takes readers on a journey through the realms of Latin American literature and existentialism, presenting an in-depth analysis of how Latin American existentialism is misconstrued in the canon … Effortlessly weaving together literature and philosophical insights, creating an engaging exploration of the existential themes that permeate many Latin American literary works from the 1860s to the late 1930s, Murillo brings to light the profound sense of existential questioning embedded within the literary works of these key literary figures."

Dr Maria R. Matz, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Be the first to know

Get the latest updates on new releases, special offers, and media highlights when you subscribe to our email lists!

Sign up here for updates about the Press