El discurso de la crueldad: 2666 de Roberto Bolaño

In this article I study the perception of dead bodies and their aesthetic representation in Roberto Bolaño's literature, especially in his last novel 2666 (2004). These corpses express numerous meanings; they are a way to address political violence and, since the novel was written when the artist was approaching death, a way to face the inevitable fate of human existence. Additionally, dead bodies in 2666 represent the missing bodies of the years of repression in the writer's native country; they also refer to the most recent and daily trauma of the ignored cadavers of women found in the Mexican desert. Finally, these bodies crystallize a new treatment of human remains tracing its roots to the dehumanized Nazi period which is a source of motivation to find the causes of evil. Bolaño's final work captivates us by showing the disturbing contradiction between aesthetic and horror. In 2666 both trends are present either in the form of the novel as well as in its content. Bolaño's narrative is inhabited by death and beauty and they run throughout the entire text with a threatening result.