GENETIC TRACES AND LITERARY VESTIGES IN THE SHORT PROSE OF PABLO PALACIO

Abstract

The Ecuadorian writer Pablo Palacio (1906-1947) is considered by the literary criticism as one of the more disconcerting avant-garde authors in Latin America. His brief body of work has been thoroughly analyzed, particularly his only short story collection, Un hombre muerto a puntapiés (1927), while overlooking the early learning narratives of the writer from Loja. This essay focuses on examining the textual traces, aesthetic marks, and thematic obsessions that appear in eleven of his formative narrative pieces, published between 1921 and 1930. The aim is to construct a more comprehensive map of his literary project and clarify certain stylistic features and aesthetic intentions in the provocative work of this singular avant-garde writer.