Queering Chilean History in "Tengo miedo torero" by Pedro Lemebel
Titles of the Individual Presentations in a Panel
Queering Chilean History in "Tengo miedo torero" by Pedro Lemebel - Martin Ward
Subject Area
Gender Studies
Abstract
My essay examines how new historical novels offer a new look at history from perspectives possibly not included in official versions of history. I examine Pedro Lemebel's Tengo miedo torero, in which the author creates a queered version of the attempt on Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. Lemebel shows us a new perspective in which despite Pinochet's attempts to keep queer figures out of his military and out of Chile, they surround him at every corner and influence his decisions whether he realizes it or not. Lemebel's retelling of the attempt on Pinochet positions the former dictator in a precarious position in which he is not as in control as he would have had everyone believe. This queering of Chilean history breaks down the myth of Chile's supposed strong man.
From the very beginning, we meet La Loca del Frente, a key character that aids the rebel group in their attempt to plan and carry out their attack on Pinochet and his government. A leader figure in the group, Carlos, emerges as a love interest from La Loca and the two construct alternative realities for men and members of the queer community during the repressive dictatorship. Together, they fashion a love story that not only challenges Pinochet's concepts of masculinity and acceptable relations, but also his downfall as a political leader.
Brief Bio Note
I am a fourth year Ph.D student at the University of Georgia. I work with 20th and 21st century Latin American Literature. I am interested in the representations of queer figures written before, during, and after Latin American dictatorships and the ways in which they negotiate power, space, and identity in the post dictatorship era. I also like to look at (re)presentations of queer figures in historical contexts and how they work to claim space and identity denied by hegemonic discourses/ideologies. I work primarily with queer theory, gender/sexuality studies, and feminist thought in the US and Latin America.
Keywords
Chile, Lemebel, gender, sexuality, queer
Location
Room 218/220
Presentation Year
2018
Start Date
4-5-2018 4:05 PM
Embargo
11-4-2017
Recommended Citation
Ward, Martin, "Queering Chilean History in "Tengo miedo torero" by Pedro Lemebel" (2018). South East Coastal Conference on Languages & Literatures (SECCLL). 38.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/seccll/2018/2018/38
Queering Chilean History in "Tengo miedo torero" by Pedro Lemebel
Room 218/220
My essay examines how new historical novels offer a new look at history from perspectives possibly not included in official versions of history. I examine Pedro Lemebel's Tengo miedo torero, in which the author creates a queered version of the attempt on Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. Lemebel shows us a new perspective in which despite Pinochet's attempts to keep queer figures out of his military and out of Chile, they surround him at every corner and influence his decisions whether he realizes it or not. Lemebel's retelling of the attempt on Pinochet positions the former dictator in a precarious position in which he is not as in control as he would have had everyone believe. This queering of Chilean history breaks down the myth of Chile's supposed strong man.
From the very beginning, we meet La Loca del Frente, a key character that aids the rebel group in their attempt to plan and carry out their attack on Pinochet and his government. A leader figure in the group, Carlos, emerges as a love interest from La Loca and the two construct alternative realities for men and members of the queer community during the repressive dictatorship. Together, they fashion a love story that not only challenges Pinochet's concepts of masculinity and acceptable relations, but also his downfall as a political leader.
