Vargas Llosa i tubylcy. O poznaniu Innego dla siebie samego
Vargas Llosa and the Natives. On the Understanding the Other for Yourself

Summary/Abstract: In the following text I take a closer look at the tension that arises between postcolonial themes and the tradition of the novel focused on the internal transformation of a white hero in two books by Mario Vargas Llosa, The Way to Paradise (2003) and The Dream of the Celt (2010). Both of these novels feature historical personas, the painter Paul Gauguin and the Irish patriot Roger Casement – two Europeans who traveled to colonial territories at the turn of the 20th century. In both novels natives play a subservient role towards the European heroes: literally, adopting a subordinate stance towards them; and at the plot level, as coming in contact with them is the catalyst of the protagonists’ internal transformation. I briefly explain the special situation of Latin American intellectuals, whose cultural ties with the former empire are stronger than in other colonial regions. Next, I comment on the relationship between Europeans and natives, arguing that the postcolonial character of Vargas Llosa’s novel is limited, paradoxically, by the successful and enjoyable implementation of the traditional European narrative in which the hero’s visions and plans come into conflict with the outside world.

• Details
• Contents