Examination of the forms in <i>Facsímil</i>, de Alejandro Zambra

Abstract

This paper will address the way in which the work of Alejandro Zambra (1975) is built on a project of unconventional literary art. It focuses on the analysis of Facsímil (2015), a work in which the Chilean writer takes as hypotext the form of the Academic Aptitude Test that was submitted in Chile to students who were applying to enter into the University. The work narrated through the format of the test allows to reflect not only on strategies of unconventional literary inspiration, but as well on the authority of the writer which is undermined through the uncommon form of the story. This work collects and reconstructs fragments that can be read as flash-fiction, poetry, short stories or, on the whole, as fiction. However, although the plot of Facsímil can be followed without difficulty, it is important to take into consideration that the form has not been chosen at random and it is neither a whim and responds to a particular interest in which the concept of the book stands out above the content of the work. This research takes into account the diverse contexts of literary, cultural and social significance with which the Zambra work dialogues.