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Identity, past and present in Mario Benedetti's stories of exile
Mizzau, Carla ; Poláková, Dora (advisor) ; Marešová, Jaroslava (referee)
The purpose of this paper is to identify and to highlight the main rhetoric and narrative elements connected to the topic of identity in exile in the work of Uruguayan author Mario Benedetti. We will first analyze the sociopolitical situation in Uruguay as well as South America during the decade of 1970, as well as the consequences and the impact the experience of exile produces in an individual's self-perception Five representative stories, created by this writer during his own exile, are used to deal with various aspects of identity. The focus will be first on the characters' perception and awareness regarding the changes, the everyday habits as well as the anomalous life situation in which they find themselves. We will also discuss how their physical reality reflects a spiritual and irreversible condition due to the extreme drama experienced. Then reference will be made to the habits and values that necessarily go into crisis when, in order to survive under conditions of pressure, a new social and cultural environment is chosen. Finally, we will focus on the individual's sense of belonging to his place of origin, and how it is affected after living for some time in the host country when nostalgia, feelings of guilt, and adaptation to a new socio-cultural environment play a crucial role.
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