We dive into short fiction by queer and femme writers from Argentina, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. Think haunted rivers and gothic landscapes: stories that use magical realism to expose the violent legacies of colonialism, capitalism, and ecological collapse. We’ll read texts like Gore Capitalism by Sayak Valencia to explore how fiction captures — and perhaps softens — the horror of reality.

Wed 6/08, 18:00 - WIELS

Sun 10/08, 17/08, 24/08 & 31/08, 12:00 - argos

In English

Free, max. 15 participants. Register here.

Organised by Ros del Olmo & Ire. Questions? maravilloso_reading_group@protonmail.com

Good to know

The Maravilloso Reading Group is connected to the exhibition Magical Realism at WIELS and argos. If possible, we recommend visiting the exhibition beforehand.

No prep or materials needed. You’re welcome to attend multiple sessions — or just one. The lobby at argos is wheelchair accessible. Coffee and snacks will be provided.

Context from the organisers

"Capitalism and its production of gore imagery has crossed over the strange, thin line between fantasy and reality, producing a complete reversal that re-established reality as something horrifying and true that increasingly resembles fiction, but differs from fiction in that it is heartbreakingly palpable and irreparable." *

What if what lies within the magical is not necessarily a space of refuge but a deposit of terror? How does land contamination affect contemporary myth-making? How to write fiction in a world where reality already looks like a splatter film?

The Maravilloso Reading Group attempts to reflect on the cultural interpretations of violence in nations distressed by neoliberal capitalist logic. Through an analysis of contemporary southamerican fiction, we will look at the ways writers use the magical to illuminate the terror that’s woven into their surrounding ecosystems. The syllabus includes a selection of short gothic fiction** written by queer and femme writers from Argentina, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Peru and Mexico in the second decade of the 21st century. The theoretical backbone of this reading series is a 2010 philosophical essay by Sayak Valencia entitled “Gore Capitalism.” From drug trafficking industries to femicides to ghosts to black rivers, the Maravilloso Reading Group will uncover the inescapable gore of 21st century’s magical reality.

The Maravilloso Reading Group aims to serve the audience of the Magical Realism exhibition. The artworks presented at WIELS and argos will be positioned in dialogue with the reading materials. It is encouraged to see the exhibition before attending the meetings. We also invite you to bring questions or observations from your personal viewing experience and share them with the hosts or the group.

* quote from Sayak Valencia’s Gore Capitalism, p. 235.

** Latin American Gothic is a subgenre that gained significant popularity amongst 21st century southamerican writers. In their practice the writers draw from the aesthetics of fear and haunting and apply them to the political and geographical specificity of their contexts.