Conference of the Disappeared

Bernardo Kucinski rose to prominence with his 2011 novel "K.: Report on an Investigation." His works revolve around the "black hole" of memory during Brazil's dictatorship (1964-1985), making his literary output a cohesive literary project that confronts policies of oblivion and the assassination of memory, policies that find fertile ground in Brazil.

His latest work - which you now hold - is perplexing in several ways. The novel includes, first and foremost, only victims of disappearance due to the practice of state terrorism, a practice widely used in Latin American dictatorships of the 20th century. However, Kucinski presents this within the context of colonialism, meaning since Brazil was founded.

In this (novel-manifesto), Kucinski reconstructs the country's history from the perspective of hegemonic policies and physical elimination, or what is known as necropolitics. It is clear that the novel aims to push us to re-sharpen the memory of anti-fascist resistance, as it was undoubtedly inspired by Juan Rulfo's well-known novel "Pedro Páramo," offering us a kind of self-critical reflection. Kucinski, as usual, blends historical and contemporary figures in this work, allowing us to imagine and redraw a clear picture of Brazil's dictatorship era. In this sense, the policy of enforced disappearance must be viewed as the epitome of Latin American fascism, and the "phenomenology of political disappearance" embodied by Kucinski leaves no room for doubt on this matter.