Labatut’s First Stories Reissued in Spain

Anagrama publishing house in Spain is reissuing Benjamín Labatut’s first collection of short stories, La Antártica empieza aquí, originally published in Chile in 2010. The book contains six stories exploring chaotic realities and absurd situations. Labatut’s characters are often disproportionate, alienated, or mentally and physically ill, impacting those around them.

The stories, told in first or third person, create miniature worlds that feel like the beginnings of novels. “La Antártica empieza aquí” follows a journalist pursuing a forgotten writer rumored to be a candidate for a national literature prize. This search becomes a mental journey towards a remote, almost hellish location.

Another standout story, “Deseo,” details two unknown authors independently writing the same story while battling psychological ailments. The article notes that while short stories have lost some prominence in Latin American literature due to changing media and a preference for novels, Labatut’s talent reaffirms the genre’s potential. The author still explores the depths of the human psyche.