Guillermo Martínez Explores Science vs. Mysticism in New Novel

Guillermo Martínez's latest novel, 'Un crimen dialéctico' (A Dialectical Crime), plunges readers into a profound ethical quandary: is it nobler to die for a cause or to kill for it? The narrative centers on a young scientist, a member of a political group known as 'the Party,' who is assigned a critical mission: assassinate a retired military official whose actions could jeopardize the election of an apparently incorruptible candidate.

Simultaneously, the protagonist must grapple with a report questioning the existence of free will. He also pretends to have returned to the country to study an hallucinogenic plant, deceiving his hosts and victims alike. Martínez frames this as 'lying with the truth: that the authentic be the disguise of the false,' a central tenet of the novel's philosophical underpinnings.

The "philosophical thriller" is set in a Latin American town emerging from a dictatorship. This year also marks the launch of the Biblioteca Guillermo Martínez by Seix Barral, a collection reissuing fifteen of the Bahía Blanca-born author's fiction and essay works. Martínez, born in 1962, expressed his satisfaction with having his entire literary output published by a single publishing house.

While the novel touches upon political themes, Martínez aimed for a degree of universality. He drew inspiration from Jean-Paul Sartre's 'The Dirty Hands,' creating a setting that mirrors the political transitions experienced by many Latin American nations after periods of dictatorship. The story incorporates elements of revolutionary fervor and the commitment of characters bound by oaths and past guerrilla training, reflecting a broader regional historical context.

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Lying with the truth: that the authentic be the disguise of the false.