The testimonial novel and autofiction

Starting after the second half of the twentieth century, narrative forms known as “autobiographical writing” (Molloy 1991) or “writing of the I” (Giordano 2008) occupy a central position in Latin American literature. This chapter first studies the testimonial novel, which arises in the 1960s with the political intention of denouncing the violence and historical experiences of discrimination faced by traditional communities. In addition to studying the most influential of these texts, it analyzes the critical and theoretical discussion about this genre. The second part is dedicated to the study of autofiction, as a strategy or authorial figuration, beginning with those narratives that are close to the autobiographical novel and the literature of memory, and concluding with those characterized by metafictional play.