Hauntologizing the (un)foreseen present: the 2008 financial crisis in Antonio Muñoz Molina’s «La noche de los tiempos» and «Todo lo que era sólido»

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This article deals with Antonio Muñoz Molina’s «La noche de los tiempos» (2009) and «Todo lo que era sólido» (2013a) and provides an interdiscursive analysis of both works, aiming to highlight their thematic and affective connections. Similarly, I contend that these works belong in the fabric of cultural narratives around the 2008 financial crisis. On the other hand, the spectral nature of the narrators of both «La noche de los tiempos» and «Todo lo que era sólido» is scrutinized, departing from Derrida’s notion of hauntology. Finally, the role of metaphors in the construction of reality is examined, paying heed to Muñoz Molina’s lucid analysis of the dominant metaphors that were used during the years prior to the 2008 financial crisis. His analysis leads us to consider the necessity of creating a new narrative for Europe which helps shape and redefine a new sense of Europeanness.