Tríptico de la infamia by Pablo Montoya, the permanece of helplessness

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze the issues of helplessness and art as means of reporting violence in the novel Tríptico de la infamia by the Colombian writer Pablo Montoya. We consider the writing constructive principle based on intertextuality and a recursive structure related to the idea of a triptych. The hypothesis of this article is that the novel is a centre where different texts from Latinomarican literature converge, from Indian Chronicle to contemporary writings. Montoya´s work shows a series of relationships among texts within Latinoamerican literature which also focus on those subjects and tries to remember the tragic facts of the American conquest, such as native genocide and religious violence. We can also read in the novel Montoya´s voice enters into the novel as a self-fiction character to show the investigation in which the story is based on. So, the novel condemns horror and violence not only in our continent but in Europe as well and shows the writer´s commitment on social issues.