W&L’s Iana Konstantinova Publishes Anthology The anthology consists of 15 essays in Spanish and English that offer a fresh look at Spanish metafiction, not just in literature but also in television, film, theatre, photography and art.

By Erica Turman
October 5, 2021

Iana Konstantinova, visiting professor of Spanish at Washington and Lee University, co-edited a critical anthology in partnership with Virginia Military Institute Professor Sabrina Laroussi titled “Crear entre Mundos: Nuevas tendencias en la metaficción española” (“Creating Between Two Worlds: New Trends in Spanish Metafiction”).

The anthology consists of 15 essays in Spanish and English that offer a fresh look at Spanish metafiction, not just in literature but also in television, film, theatre, photography and art. Spain’s Albatros Ediciones also published the anthology in its book series “Diálogos peninsulares.”

Patricia Waugh, in her book, “Metafiction: The Theory and Practice of Self-Conscious Fiction,” describes metafiction as “an extreme self-consciousness about language, literary form and the act of writing fictions; a pervasive insecurity about the relationship of fiction to reality; a parodic, playful, excessive or deceptively naïve style of writing.” Konstantinova modeled some of the anthology’s concept around Waugh’s idea.

“There has been no compilation dedicated to self-reflection to provide new perspectives and examine the new trends,” said Konstantinova. “This is what Sabrina and I aimed at with this new volume. We wanted to continue the dialogue on metafiction and expand the parameters beyond the novel. This volume has been a two-year effort, and we are happy to have it available to the public.”

Konstantinova’s book also features contributions from two full time faculty members at W&L – Spanish Professor Ellen Mayock’s “Metaficción y compromiso político en la fotografía de la Guerra Civil española de Kati Horna” and Associate Professor of Spanish Mónica Botta’s “Indagaciones sobre el acto de lectura en El chico de la última fila de Juan Mayorga.”

Read more about the anthology and about how to purchase it online here.

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