Mariana Enriquez, born in Buenos Aires in 1973, is a kind of poet of the dark, or, as she has sometimes put it herself, has always been attracted to the twisted, the bizarre, and the uncanny. Formally trained as a journalist, she has written four novels and six short story collections. Some of these works have been translated into English, and she has had material published in publications such as The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, Virginia Quarterly Review, Electric Literature, and others.
Mariana Enriquez Transforms the Ordinary into Pure Horror
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The worlds explored by Mariana Enriquez, from the supernatural to the quotidian to the political, whether in the form of a short story or a novel, are pretty much about everything. There are the expected beings within the genres, such as ghosts, serial killers, ghouls, and demonic entities, but you also have your abused wives, tourist guides, rock stars, and regular Joes. Some of the stories quickly immerse you in the fantastical and utterly surreal, while others seem almost too ordinary, at least at the beginning.
Following the Lovecraftian tradition (she did visit his grave in Providence, Rhode Island, the minute she had the chance), she has taken the genre far and beyond. In other words, being a creature of her time, Mariana Enriquez has delved into more current topics like feminism, and using her craft, she has a thing or two to say about poverty, injustice, corruption, class, economic power, and political power. She has also dealt with the recent past, particularly about events that occurred during the dictatorship years in her country.
This Writers’ Club: A Coven of Witches?
Mariana Enriquez belongs to what has been dubbed the “new Argentine narrative,” which seems to be dominated by women with writers such as Samanta Schweblin, Selva Almada, María Gainza, and others. This began about 20 years ago in Buenos Aires and has been considered a “cultural spring” when most of these authors began publishing their early work. This coincided with efforts made back then to bring to justice criminals who had been pardoned after the dictatorship years.
It is not hard to see how deeply the experiences of Mariana Enriquez’s childhood have influenced her work. The 1970s and 1980s were truly scary in Argentina. Because of the actual disappearance of many Argentines, the number of victims is hard to estimate, but most agree it is anywhere between 22 and 30 thousand souls. As I stated earlier, many of Mariana Enriquez’s stories sit squarely in the fantastical, but as they say, the devil is in the details. Because the horror was once very real.
Seduced by Darkness
I think Mariana Enriquez is one of the truly great writers to come out of South America in recent years. For those who are not familiar with her work, it is advisable to start with the much-praised short story collection “Things We Lost in the Fire” or “The Dangers of Smoking in Bed.” Then you may move on to “Our Share of the Night,” which is a dense, massive volume that will surely keep you up and may even creep into your dreams.
The Queen Is Not Dead
Mariana Enriquez’s writing probably isn’t for everybody. But it is also a fact that she has conquered an ever-widening readership over the years. Even if you’re not quite into the whole horror Gothic thing, you will immediately recognize brilliance in her prose. She has a wonderful ability to convey the message effectively and with a certain elegance, at times, it will massage your brain, caress your soul in others, and, eventually, chill your spine.
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