From the Animal to the Seaweed

The Becoming-Writer of Benno von Archimboldi

Abstract

This article focuses on how becoming-animal and becoming-vegetable make a writer of Hans Reiter, a.k.a. Benno von Archimboldi. Considering the fact that Bolaño inserts his main character in the context of the catastrophes of the 20th century, this paper argues that the horrific experiences lived by Reiter lead to his dehumanization, which is a sign of the sort of precarious lives that can enable the writer profession. Later, this paper posits that by means of literature, Reiter or Archimboldi explores the becoming-vegetable while identifying himself with the seaweed as an organism that survives submersion as much as it embodies the exposing as the basic living condition. At last, the article states that Bolaño provides an insight about becoming-writer in a context saturated by catastrophes, which points to an idea of writing as superviving and as surplus value of life like the plasticity of both animal and vegetable.