Rassegna iberistica

Mientras estamos muertos (2022): The cruel Autofiction of José Ovejero

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Abstract

The book Mientras estamos muertos (2022) by José Ovejero consists of 16 short stories that deal, through fragments of memory and experience, with some central aspects of the personal and literary identity of the narrator – whose name coincides with that of the author – in an inseparable relation with the family, social and economic context of the world in which he grew up, where he was educated and in which he lives. This article aims to show the singularity of this autofictional writing, critical with the usual egocentric attitudes and characterized by the textual energy of its narrative voice, a lucid and cold gaze, stemming from his feeling of alienation and awareness of social inequality. A cruel gaze – in the same sense that this author uses in his essay La ética de la crueldad (2012) –, fictionally created from the adult viewpoint, by means of a language devoid of ornamentation, a dynamic and fluid syntax, and a style characterised by being brief and concise.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Submitted: Dec. 4, 2024 | Accepted: Feb. 24, 2025 | Published June 20, 2025 | Language: es

Keywords Resentimiento social • Cruel stories • Social resentment • Ethics of cruelty • Autofiction • Literatura cruel • Ética de la crueldad • Autoficción • José Ovejero

Copyright © 2025 Celia Fernández Prieto. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/Ri/2037-6588/2025/24/002