Benedetti in brief: short stories and haikus

Abstract

Mario Benedetti’s philosophical thought has been disseminated throughout his work, which spans various diverse literary genres. It represents the exercise of living guided by original beliefs and philosophical truths. I refer to this thought life as benedettianismo. I have also affirmed that the main principle of this thought-life is to seek knowledge on the daily life of those belonging to the urban middle class. This benedettianismo is characterized by a set of values that are always contrasting with their opposites. Another significant aspect of this thought-life is that it reaches its maximum expression when the length of the text is reduced to a minimum. This is the case for Benedetti’s mini short-stories and haikus, two genres totally neglected by critics. I center my study on these texts to reveal their extraordinary value because they condense and magnificently project benedettianismo.