Imagining Argentina

Carlos Rueda is the novel’s dynamic protagonist, despite not serving as its narrator. Carlos works at the Children’s Theater as its director and resident playwright, devoting his life to art. Carlos is married to Cecilia, though his “intellectual life” seems at odds with her more “hard-lined” perspective (18). However, as Martín realizes, Carlos harbors an infectious passion: As he speaks, his “whole body [becomes] animated” and resembles a “shower of stars” (18). This capacity to dazzle often encourages an audience—even Martín, typically skeptical, feels Carlos “beckoning [him] into a strange place” (31). Throughout the novel, Carlos’s energy will continue to attract crowds, from the sessions in his garden to the packed-house performance of his play The Names.

After Cecilia’s abduction, Carlos discovers a remarkable gift: The ability to imagine the fates of Argentina’s disappeared. In describing its workings to Martín, Carlos likens his gift to an “instrument” whose “vibrations” expand perspective (34). Indeed, throughout the novel, Carlos will express his inner feelings through music as well as writing: He composes the melody of The Names, applies for a gig at the Café Bidu, and resembles Picasso’s The Old Guitarist. Characteristically, music is a time-conscious artform, defined according to beat,

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