A forgotten historical novel

A estirpe, by Carla Maliandi

Abstract

In this essay, as the title itself suggests, the intention is to analyze how a historical novel project is outlined in the plot of the book A estirpe (2023), by the Argentine author Carla Maliandi (1976). Ana, the protagonist of the novel, is a writer and researcher engaged in the project of writing a book that addresses the history of her family, deeply connected to the Conquest of the Desert or Desert Campaign, a military campaign carried out by the government of the Argentine Republic under the orders of General and future President Julio Argentino Roca (1843–1914), against the Mapuche, Tehuelche, and Ranquel peoples, aiming to gain territorial control over the Pampa and eastern Patagonia, which until then were under indigenous control, known as “Wall Mapu”. However, after suffering an accident that takes away her memory, Ana must resume her personal life and the forgotten project. A estirpe is a unique book that combines the peculiarities of a historical novel, family drama, and personal narrative in a plot that intertwines randomness, historical events, family setbacks, anguish, and estrangement. The literary project of the novel transcends its pages, as it seeks to account for a Latin American history filled with lapses, violence, and trauma.