This blog post explores the artistic power of literature and the social messages it contains through Augusto Monterosso’s ‘The Black Sheep and Other Fables’.
Literature is art. We are moved when we read a good literary work, watch a film, attend a concert, or appreciate a work of art. This is because art possesses the power to stir the human heart. What distinguishes literature from other art forms is its unique ability to most easily capture the hearts of the masses. Literature is particularly familiar and accessible compared to other art forms, as it provides an artistic experience through the language of everyday life. The greatest reason it can capture the public’s heart is that no other art form captures the realities of its time as meticulously and intimately as literature does. Simultaneously, it allows for imagination while reading.
Literature enables readers to view reality from a different perspective and stimulates imagination, allowing them to experience new worlds. As readers progress through each sentence, imagining alongside the text, they fall into the illusion of becoming the protagonist within the story. They empathize with the protagonist’s emotions and understand the realities of that era more deeply than anyone else. At this point, readers become immersed in the world the author has created, discover themselves within it, and deeply absorb the message and emotion the literary work seeks to convey. Through this understanding, they grasp the core message the writer intended to deliver. Another crucial characteristic of literature is that its meaning expands through interaction with the reader. Even when reading the same work, each reader, drawing on their unique experiences and emotions, can arrive at different interpretations. This diversity of interpretations adds to the richness of literature.
Reading literature transcends the mere act of reading words; it is a process of understanding and empathizing with the author’s intent and the world they have created. In this process, readers forge new meanings through their own interpretations, creating an artistic experience co-crafted by author and reader. To fully grasp the message a literary work intends to convey, one must consider its symbols, metaphors, and context. While there is a drawback in that one must read the text to grasp the core message the writer intended to convey, there is also an advantage: works that have moved many readers are considered humanity’s heritage. They are translated into multiple languages and transmitted across eras, ensuring the work itself does not disappear. And because of this advantage, the story the writer wanted to tell can be conveyed beyond national and temporal boundaries.
The author, Augusto Monterroso, founded the ‘Guatemalan Young Artists and Writers Group’ in 1937 at the young age of 16. While his personal inclination toward writing may have motivated this group, just four years later, his writings began appearing in newspapers and magazines. and later, he led creative writing workshops at the National Autonomous University of Mexico’s Cultural Center and the National Museum of Modern Art, producing numerous students. This alone shows his writing was beyond a mere hobby. As a reader of his work, it becomes clear that the author’s disposition and the stories he weaves into his writing did not begin lightly as a simple hobby.
He is a man with much to say, yet he knows how to speak wisely. How wise is an author who uses literature as a means to convey their opinions. Furthermore, reading ‘The Black Sheep and Other Fables’ reveals how wise an author is who conveys their opinions through fables, a genre within literature. Fables, like this, carry meaning beyond simple stories, offering readers food for thought through satire and lessons.
Opening the book, these words appear on the first page.
Animals resemble humans so closely that sometimes it is impossible to distinguish them.
– K’NYO MOBUTU –
Whether this text was written by the author while compiling his work or reflects the editor’s opinion is unclear, but it clearly indicates Augusto Monterosso’s desire to use fables to narrate the lives of the human world. Assuming this text reflects the editor’s perspective, it seems like an editing approach that fully understood the author’s tendency to convey his intended message concisely, stripping away unnecessary sentences and extraneous details.
Augusto Monterosso is the foremost figure in the field of ultra-short fiction (palm-sized stories) of the 20th century. Though his works are classified as microfiction, they are shorter than poetry, even shorter than aphorisms or proverbs. This is so radical that it completely overturns the conventional concept of the novel genre. While some found this refreshing, others perceived it as a challenge or a subject for debate, making his fiction the focus of countless literary critiques. However, simultaneously, they positively influenced many writers by providing diverse creative motivations for variations. Whether his works sparked controversy or offered inspiration for diverse variations, their impact on many is undeniable, and they undoubtedly left a significant mark on Latin American literary history.
Considering that it became a subject of controversy yet is now recognized as a new genre and has positively influenced numerous writers, I wonder if it is precisely those who break existing frameworks and undertake new challenges and practices who ultimately leave their mark on history. The essence of literary works lies in constant challenge and innovation. Writing is a process completed only after countless revisions and attempts; it is only when sustained by the effort to overcome the trials of this process and create something new that works capable of moving many are born. If, within such work, the vision to view the same subject from a fresh perspective and originality coexist, then undoubtedly, good works can emerge.
That his work, despite much controversy, was ultimately accepted as meaningful, I believe, stems from the affection and effort invested in it, coupled with an originality that broke free from existing frameworks. Packing countless meanings and core messages into brief words is harder than one might think. Especially, capturing a universal story that transcends time, generations, and nations is even more difficult. Yet the author made it possible through the genre of fable. The more one reads these stories, the more one wonders why the author wrote them, while simultaneously recognizing there was a motive. This curiosity also sparks an interest in and understanding of the historical circumstances the author endured and the emotions felt while navigating that reality.
The satire and humor embedded in the fables do not explicitly reveal the intended meaning and core message. Instead, through appropriate omission and compression, they provide the reader with a starting point for thought. This starting point ultimately ensures the reader does not forget the core message. Another strength of fables is their accessibility; they are appealing and can be read regardless of era, social class, or age, offering insights tailored to each reader.
The message the author conveys through literature transcends personal experience and emotion, containing deep reflection on the society and era to which he belongs. Readers of fables go beyond simply understanding the events within the story to discover the hidden social and political messages within. This is the result of the author’s deep understanding and contemplation of the times and society, and through it, readers come to view the world they inhabit from a new perspective.
The author’s excellence lies in skillfully guiding readers to discern the hidden meanings within the text, tailored to the work’s unique characteristics. Simultaneously, this draws readers into the narrative, creating a compelling force that compels them to read to the end. After finishing the book, readers gain new experiences through their insights, and these experiences positively influence their lives. Thus, literary works transcend mere entertainment, playing a vital role in instilling profound awareness in readers.
