Onetti, between Lavanda and Montevideo. (The construction of the analogous city)

Abstract

The configuration of space in the narrative of the Uruguayan writer Juan Carlos Onetti reminds certain constructional systems applied in urban design, such as the analogous city concept coined by the architect Aldo Rossi. According to Rossi, urban space can be envisioned through the superposition of different architectural possibilities, both imaginary and real, enabling the creation of a new design not existing yet. Applying this concept, this article analyzes the configuration of space in Dejemos hablar al viento, one of Onetti’s mature novels, published in 1979. The city of Lavanda, the setting of the first part of the novel, is mainly configured through references that point to the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo. These places, together with additional locations of more ambiguous origin, establish between both cities an analogous relationship, leading to a constructive model that offers new reading perspectives.