Un espacio para Iris Murdoch en el mapa literario de Angelina Muñiz-Huberman: Morada interior (1972), Tierra adentro (1977) y La guerra del unicornio (1983)

Abstract

I propose the idea of exploring new intertextual paths to understand the fundamentally dialogical narrative of the Spanish-Mexican author of Jewish origin, Angelina Muñiz-Huberman. To do so, I depart from the traditional intertextual approaches in the study of Muñiz-Huberman, which are steeped in the Judeo-Hispanic roots that emanate from the author’s ancestral origins. My proposal involves starting from the concept of exile, which emerges as Muñiz-Hubermans homeland and considering that persons linked to issues of displacement and exile, regardless of their geographical origin, become her compatriots. In this context, the idea that the author’s identification with the experience of exile gives rise to an alternative geography becomes evident, where the fundamental premise is the neighborly relationship among those who have experienced exile. Based on this premise, I undertake a case study that analyzes the literary dialogue between Muñiz-Huberman’s first trilogy of novels (Morada Interior 1972; Tierra adentro 1977; La Guerra del Unicornio 1983) and three early novels by the Anglo-Irish philosopher and novelist Iris Murdoch (1919-1999) (Under the Net, 1954; The Bell, 1958; The Unicorn, 1963). The choice of Murdoch, situated in the existentialist European post-war context, as a counterpart in this analysis is based on her identification with displaced persons and refugees and her deep commitment to the issue of exile. However, the analysis reveals that the most outstanding feature shared by the works of both authors transcends the theme of exile. The fusion of philosophy and fiction in the genre of the philosophical novel, which grants art a status worthy of philosophical reflection, along with the identification of the novel’s primary mission as offering a representation of the ethical categories of good and evil, stand out as the most prominent features of Murdoch’s narrative. These features constantly emerge in the first three novels of Angelina Muñiz-Huberman. In this sense, the study shifts the initial emphasis from the realm of exile to the genre of philosophical novel, revealing that Muñiz-Huberman finds in Murdoch’s work a source of inspiration for her debut as a philosophical narrative author. Angelina Muñiz-Huberman’s distinctive contribution to this ethical discussion is related to her interpretation of the relationship between good and evil from the perspective of the Kabbalah, within a framework of opposites where good and evil coexist and mutually depend on each other. In conclusion, this analysis places Murdoch on the map of Angelina Muñiz Huberman. It highlights how Muñiz-Huberman’s early novels, published in the 1970s and 1980s, are rooted in the European tradition of philosophical fiction, in which Murdoch played a significant role. Furthermore, it underscores how Muñiz-Huberman draws inspiration from Platonism and the literary strategies proposed by Murdoch, adapting these influences to her own context, cultural background, and writing style. This analysis situates Muñiz-Huberman in a creative and philosophical dialogue with the ethical concerns of the post-war European generation and emphasizes how Muñiz-Huberman contributes with her own original and distinctive voice to this literary and ethical conversation.