The Dystopian Imagination in Contemporary Spanish Literature and Film by Diana Q. Palardy

Author:Diana Q. Palardy
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9783319928852
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Spanish Financial Crisis Dystopias: Landscapes of Postapocalypse and Avarice

It is not surprising that concerns about the crisis have also found an outlet in dystopian fiction. To date, more Spanish dystopias have been produced since the onset of the crisis as had been published in Spain in the entire history of the genre prior to 2008.27 Given the sheer quantity of publications, it would be challenging and beyond the scope of this project to undertake a comprehensive examination of all the postcrisis Spanish dystopias. Instead, I will mention some of the dominant trends in Spanish financial crisis dystopias (and works with strong dystopian leanings). I will first examine ones that emphasize their postapocalyptic settings to reflect the impact of the crisis and then look at ones that focus on the role of greed in contributing to it. In the postapocalyptic works, environmental concerns are as important as, and at times even eclipse, economic woes. Luis I. Prádanos observes that with the recent economic crisis, people have come to understand that there cannot be unlimited economic growth, yet they are reluctant to arrive at that same conclusion regarding the environment.28 Prádanos explores the connection between economic and environmental degrowth in El salario del gigante (The salary of the giant) by José Ardillo (which will be discussed at length in the next chapter) and Lágrimas en la lluvia (Tears in the rain) (2011) by Rosa Montero (which features Blade Runner–style replicants in a postapocalyptic setting).29 However, this topic is also investigated in a number of works which were published after Prádanos’ article, such as Cenital (Zenithal) (2012) by Emilio Bueso, which was awarded the Premio Celsius for the best novel of fantasy, science fiction, or horror.30 Bueso’s novel features the creation of an ecovillage before the entire world is hit by major economic and environmental crises that result from a severe oil shortage, generating a tension between utopia and dystopia that plays out in a postapocalyptic context.31 In Ana Merino’s play La redención (Redemption) (2016), she introduces an ecofeminist consciousness into a postapocalyptic, dystopian setting by calling into question all hegemonic relationships, especially in regard to anthropocentric attitudes. Although these works blur the line between the genres of dystopia and postapocalypse, they all offer pointed critiques of the structure of contemporary Spanish society.

In several dystopias, Eurovegas makes an appearance as an iconic, albeit imaginary place that symbolizes speculation, excess, and greed. It was supposed to have opened its doors in Alcorcón as early as 2021, yet it never materialized in real life due to innumerable controversies and complications.32 Nevertheless, it is still an important reference in the Spanish cultural imaginary and it appears in works of fiction with dystopian leanings like the novel 2020 by Javier Moreno, Nos mienten (They are lying to us), which will be discussed in detail in the next chapter, and the absurd (and at times painful to watch) film Torrente 5: Operación Eurovegas (Torrente 5: Operation Eurovegas). In these dystopias, the utopian aspirations of Eurovegas, which presumably was

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