Primera Bienal del Cuento Ecuatoriano.

• Author: Silva, Aroldo Souza

The "boom" of the 1960s and early 70s intensified the process of internationalization of Latin American fiction begun decades before, bringing Hispanic writers to the forefront of the world literary scene. From Paris to London to New York critics applauded the magical realist style which, writes Gerald Martin in Travesias por el laberinto, allowed readers "both to enjoy the voluptuous delights of barbaric Otherness whilst satisfying the inherent sense of cultural superiority and ethnocentric attitudes that go with an ex-colonial mentality." But, Martin points out, by playing too concertedly "to the first-world gallery," Latin American writers sometimes lost sight of their own audiences back home.

Although the post-boom generation has not really altered its international focus, the last two decades have seen a turning away from the intellectual elitism of the boom. Today's writers look for inspiration to popular culture, feminism, sexuality and homosexuality, and the politics and history of their own countries. Even though they incorporate the subjectivity and unconventional chronology characteristic of boom fiction, they do engage general audiences--including their own national audience--by focusing on the immediate and the familiar.

In this sense, Bienal del cuento ecuatoriano is a reflection of the larger world of Latin American fiction. The thirteen stories included here are the winners of the first biennial national fiction competition sponsored by CEDIC, Centro de Difusion Cultural (Center for the Dissemination of Culture), in conjunction with several Quito and Guayaquil newspapers and other institutions. The impressive scope, depth and artistic excellence of this collection attests to the vitality of current Ecuadorean fiction, which encompasses all the themes that dominate other Latin America fiction, yet--judging from these stories--maintains a distinctly Andean flavor.

Edwin Ulloa Arellano brings into focus the tension between pop culture (symbolized by the United States) and traditional values in "Johnnie the Man," the story of a young Ecuadorean who abandons his Latin American identity in order to become Johnnie and go to Los Angeles to make homosexual porn movies. Torn between the mores of Latino-Andean society and the lure of the tawdry world of Hollywood--where he can express his unconventional sexuality but will nevertheless always be an outsider--Juanito/Johnnie becomes engulfed by his own insecurity. A victim of...