"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.