"Semejante a la noche" (El umbral de una catástrofe)

Abstract

Alejo Carpentier dedicó su producción a indagar en la particularidad cultural de América Latina y, tal vez, el momento más importante en la historia de ésta es el Encuentro/Choque de culturas. Este artículo se centra en el texto Semejante a la noche. El objetivo es comprobar que cada uno de los tres relatos que lo integran --los cuales en realidad son el mismo-- están construidos a partir del cronotropo del umbral, el cual aparece como preámbulo a una crisis.Alejo Carpentier dedicated his production to investigate in the cultural particularity of Latin America and, perhaps, the most important moment in the history of this one is the Encounter/Clash of cultures. This article is centered in one of the Carpenter’s texts that reflect on this subject, "Semejante a la noche". The objective is to verify that each one of the three stories that compose it -which, in fact, are the same one- are constructed from the chronotopo of the threshold, which appears as preamble to a crisis. Following the features of a space of the edge and a time of the imminence, the text outlines a particular image of the founding moment of America; as well as of the eternal return of the catastrophe and, therefore, its respective threshold.