Autobiographism and fototextuality in 21st century Galician narrative: As voces baixas by Manuel Rivas and Virtudes (e misterios) by Xesús Fraga

Abstract

As voces baixas (2012) by Manuel Rivas and Virtudes (e misterios) (2020) by Xesús Fraga are novels whose autobiographical content is combined with the documentary reproduction of photos from the authors’ family album through different iconotextual strategies. Based on the analysis of the relationship between word and image, this article studies how the phenomenon of phototextuality, in conjunction with autobiographism, influences the production and reception of both works. To this purpose, the substantial differences that exist between the novels of Rivas and Fraga are specifically examined, both in the use of visual resources and in the narrative treatment of memory. Finally, Galician and Spanish versions are compared with the aim of highlighting the extent to which the various editorial choices regarding the presentation of the photographs have repercussions on their perception by the reader/viewer.