The metamorphosis of space in Mario Bellatín's beauty salon

Abstract

The following essay aims to analyse the representation of space in Salón de Belleza [Beauty Salon, 1994]. In Mario Bellatin’s novel, two separated, yet, due to the narrator’s figure, intertwined spaces are present at the same time: one space splitting into two, two spaces making one. This spinning structure is maintained throughout the narrative, complemented with three recurring motifs: the presence of aquariums, the presence of enclosed bodies, and the prefixed rules for those who may enter this closed microcosm. As a result, the continuous metamorphosis of space is not only limited to the transformation of the beauty salon into a Moridero (dying place), but it is also complemented with the aforementioned aspects, creating a world regulated by its own rules.