Chilean writer Lina Meruane returns to Spain to present a collection of short stories, a move that echoes a period when she lived there for two years. She taught in Madrid at New York University and extended her stay through a visit to Barcelona. A major moment came when the Gaza hospital bombing and the loss of five hundred lives drew the world’s attention to the escalating Israeli‑Palestinian conflict, leaving a mark of shock and personal sorrow.
Meruane, whose heritage ties her to Palestinian roots through a family history of migration, stands as a bridge between cultures. Her book Palestine is Falling Apart weaves together family memory, travel experiences, and an essay on language and politics. Before discussing the tense and troubling fictions, brutality and violence in her work, she invites careful listening to the words themselves. She stresses that the present tensions in the Middle East cannot be understood in isolation; the geopolitics of the last seventy‑five years—an ongoing occupation and the transformation of Palestinian land—must be considered. Gaza is described as a trapped space, an outdoor prison.
an unequal situation
From her circle in the West Bank, the conflict is seen as a clash between Hamas, sometimes celebrated for its decisive moves by some Palestinians, and the Israeli state, led by parties on the far right. Meruane notes this as a moment of stark imbalance: Israel wields armed power and holds international recognition, while Palestine remains deprived of full state status, with limited rights and recognition on the world stage.
Her approach to the topic carries concern and a notable surprise at Europe’s steadfast support for Israel. The European stance has even curbed public demonstrations in Germany that would show solidarity with Palestinians. The Frankfurt Book Fair episode last year, where recognition for a Palestinian writer was contested and later withdrawn, is cited as part of a broader pattern. Meruane also mentions Caryl Churchill as a British playwright whose support for Palestinian rights stands out in the literary world.
Photographs capture Meruane at the Laie bookstore in Barcelona, a moment that anchors her in a practical, lived experience amid discussions about the region.
She avoids reducing the Hamas actions to a simple binary of good versus evil. When addressing the topic, she references a French‑Israeli documentary known for its scrutiny of security services and political rhetoric. The film invites viewers to hear multiple sides, including remarks from Israeli and Palestinian voices, and it is suggested that perceptions of who is a terrorist are often mirrored from opposing points of view.
Mutant girls and transhuman women
Her work Avidez, a title that signals the collision of violence and desire, is seen as reflecting the core tensions of the Middle East. Yet Meruane prefers to resist explicit political commentary within her fiction, focusing instead on the human dimension. She identifies with a tradition of Latin American writers who have lived through dictatorship and now examine gender violence with urgency and honesty. The author notes that many women, especially younger ones, confront the names attached to acts that have often been labeled crimes of passion in the past.
Her fiction invites readers to encounter images of motherhood and power in uneasy, provocative ways: scenes of children in conflict with their parents, young women with unusual physical traits, and pregnant figures altered by technology. These elements appear as recurring motifs, tied to a fascination with childhood and adolescence, illness, intimate relationships, control within families, and sensory hunger. The sense that doctors’ lineage might influence storytelling lingers as a subtle thread.
These images are guided by a strong feminine perspective shaped by personal experience and cultural lineage. Meruane describes her approach as steering away from simplistic judgments and embracing complexity. In her own words, the stories aim to show women in places where kindness is scarce, even when that means entering brutal terrain where women also exert power over others as part of inherited norms. Reading her work offers a visceral experience that lingers long after the final page.