The literary works of Carlos Franz: Santiago de Chile in essay format and the second person mode of address as aesthetic approach

Abstract

These notes consist of a commentary on three works by Chilean writer Carlos Franz. The first of these is The Buried Wall (La muralla enterrada, 2001), a volume in essay format. In adopting a first-person voice in its introduction, this work contributed to the canon of the Latin American essay and became a reference for authors in the 21st century who were reflecting on the impact of their work in the contexts they integrate. The two novels likewise examined here serve as a synopsis of the elements that characterize his narrative style, the literary techniques that predominate his narrative voices, and the aesthetic approach that distinguishes his body of work overall. Both Vampires’ Lunch (Almuerzo de vampiros,2007) and If You Saw Yourself Through My Eyes (Si te vieras con mis ojos, 2017) lend clarity to the philosophical underpinnings of Franz’s work.