Between Memory and Trauma: Post-Memory in Mariana Enriquez’s Short Stories

Abstract

This article deals with the phenomenon of post-memory related to political and socio-political events in Argentina and its presence in the Argentinian short story. It analyses two texts by the Argentinian writer Mariana Enriquez: “La Hostería” (2016) and “Cuando hablábamos con los muertos” (2009). The main theoretical tool is the theory of postmemory created by Marianne Hirsch and presented in other works on this subject, which is introduced in order to apply it in the subsequent analysis of the texts. In addition, for context, it introduces information about the last Argentine military dictatorship, which serves as a historical and political reference in both texts of Mariana Enriquez. Using these tools, it analyses the reality presented in these stories and the postmemory experienced by the protagonists of the texts due to the trauma that is so present in Argentinian society. The aim is to answer the following questions: what influence do the events experienced by their ancestors have on the lives of the protagonists, how is the postmemory presented in both stories and why are elements of the fantastic used to introduce it into the texts? And most importantly, how do political events influence Argentinian culture and society?