Octavio Paz´s work in the debate of "World Literature"

Abstract

In this article I examine the place Pascal Casanova assigned to the work of Octavio Paz in his book on the world literary space, The World Republic of Letters (1999). First, I refute Casanova’s claims regarding the ways in which Paz creates the “symbolic capital” that allowed him access to the metropolitan cultural centers. I then explore the place of enunciation from which Paz establishes his relationship with the literary tradition of the West through a brief review of Children of Mire and the introductory devices used in his Collected Works. Finally, I propose a new approach to the study of how the Mexican writer’s work unfolds in the world literary space. This approach draws from two concepts that are rooted in postcolonial theory: the concept of “appropriation” and “provincialization of Europe”.