Arms, Letters, Love: The Novels of Nicolás Casullo and Francisco Urondo in the Early Seventies

Abstract

In this article I propose a cross-reading of two novels that recount and problematize the initiation into the amorous, intellectual, and political life of 1970s Argentina: Para hacer el amor en los parques (To Make Love in the Parks) by Nicolás Casullo and Los pasos previos (The Preliminary Steps) by Francisco Urondo. The hypothesis I maintain is that both texts, read autobiographically as fragments of their authors’ life trajectories, but also as epitomes of an era and a generation, uniquely and presciently expose the intertwining of violence, affectivity, sexuality, and commitment that developed during this historical and political period in question, no longer from the perspective of pure chronicle or documentary, but rather at the intersection of literary experimentation and testimonial record.