The Lesbian and the Literary Tradition in Argentina: Monte de Venus as Foundational Text

Abstract

The following article stands on two hypotheses: 1) In 1970s Argentina, a number of texts that introduced “new” subjectivities and new political expressions began to appear; 2) the literary and cultural studies of homosexuality have kept lesbian figurations next to the place of the unthinkable/un-thought of. This article suggests that Reina Roffé’s long forgotten novel Monte de Venus (1976) is foundational when considering the possibility of a queer literary tradition in Argentina. It pays special attention to the ways in which the text constructs a lesbian voice and it suggests that Monte de Venus (in)augur(ate)s a future for this voice. In addition, this paper will analyze the novel as a key text that establishes bonds with other contemporary narratives, in order to draw an emergent and impassioned lesbian cartography.