Mutilated Words/Crossed Gazes: The Black Writer and Autofiction in The Solitude of Time by Alberto Guerra Naranjo

Abstract

This article explores various dimensions of Cuban culture in the aftermath of
the fall of the Berlin Wall, starting with the premise that the impact of the Special Period in Times of Peace was racially differentiated, ranging from the marginalization
of people of color in the dollar economy to the commercialization
and folclorization of Afro-Cuban culture. Through a detailed analysis of “autofictional”
layers of Alberto Guerra Naranjo’s novel La soledad del tiempo (2009;
The Solitude of Time), I delve into the (re)configuration of the identity of the
“Black writer” at this new socio-economic juncture.