Memory and nation in Episodios de una guerra interminable by Almudena Grandes

Abstract

Taking into account that Almudena Grandes is a well-known and recognized author with plenty of authority, it is obvious that her series Episodios de una guerra interminable occupies a central position in the struggle about the memory of the 20th century in Spain nowadays. The choice of the 19th century realistic novel as a genre —halfway between history and literature— as well as the narrative mechanisms constitute strategies of the author to legitimize the (re)vision of the past inherent to these novels. A transnational reconstruction if we take into account that the Episodios emphasize the continuity between the violence generated by the fascist regimes in Europe and the dictatorships in South America in the 70s. These novels articulate a specific view of the past which includes a particular concept of Spain, progress, politics and historical change. Grandes reinforces her personal interpretation of the past events thanks to intense activity in the public sphere, especially as a publicist, from a visible political position that also impregnates her literary work.