Ricardo Piglia, Walter Benjamin, and the Latin American Intellectual History of the 1960s and 70s

• In Event: Frankfurt School in Latin America

Abstract

Starting in the early 2000s, the various (and often surprising) ways in which the works of the Frankfurt School made their way to Latin America, were translated, read, and appropriated, have been widely studied. Frequently mentioned in this context is the case of Ricardo Piglia. Scholars have called attention to traces of Benjamin’s thinking in Piglia’s literary texts. However, as I will argue in this paper, in order to evaluate the full extent of Benjamin’s influence on Piglia, it is necessary to consider other facets of his intellectual production, such as his involvement with literary journals and editorial projects. Eschewing conventional definitions of the figure of the literary writer, Piglia regarded these facets as integral to his work. In Benjamin’s words, Piglia conceived himself as a cultural producer engaged with, and directly intervening in, the conditions of production and circulation of culture. I will also show how the works of the German philosopher helped shape Piglia’s positions within key debates of Argentine and Latin American intellectual history of the 1960s and 70s, including 1) liberalism vs. Marxism, particularly following the Cuban Revolution; 2) Lukács’ theory of realism vs. Brecht’s defense of the Russian avant-garde; and finally, 3) local debates on the character of national literature.

Author

• Rebeca Fromm Ayoroa, Washington University / St. Louis