Amin Maalouf: Bridging Mentalities through Literature
In this turbulent world, literature plays a crucial role in our understanding of reality and the human condition, which is often artificially divided by borders, ideologies, religions, and manipulated identities presented as unquestionable truths. As stated by French-Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf, the recipient of the 2025 FIL Literature Prize in Romance Languages, while humanity has advanced in many areas, it lags behind in terms of mentalities and the way we treat each other.
Maalouf’s work, which deserves further exploration, stands as a remarkable example of literature’s ability to foster reflection and empathy, drawing us closer rather than dividing us. His insights highlight the importance of literature in transcending barriers and fostering understanding among diverse groups.
Alma Delia Murillo: Illuminating Dark Zones through Literature
From another territory and with a distinct poetic approach, Mexican writer Alma Delia Murillo also emphasizes literature’s power in shedding light on the dark areas that dominant political and social discourse seeks to silence or deny. In her latest novel, “Raíz que no desaparece” (Root That Does Not Disappear), Murillo explores the harrowing reality of forced disappearances in Mexico with sensitivity, intelligence, and respect.
Instead of treating this painful issue as another manifestation of the violence that plagues us, Murillo captures and conveys the radically devastating effects of disappearance—the impossibility of mourning without a body to honor, the vital need that drives searching mothers to dedicate their energy and lives to recovering something of their lost loved ones.
Research and Empathy in “Raíz que no desaparece”
To write this novel, Murillo approached search groups and listened to their stories, preserving their words, experiences, hopes, and resilience. With respect for these women as human beings and presenting herself as a transmitter, witness, and participant, she narrates the stories of Ada and Marcos, her missing son, and other lost lives interconnected by this tragedy. The novel avoids re-victimizing women while highlighting their unwavering persistence in seeking truth and justice for their children and the thousands of disappeared hidden in abandoned lands, clandestine graves, or familiar landscapes.
Literary Strength and Metaphorical Richness
The literary strength of Murillo’s novel lies in its delicate storytelling, rooted in empathy and understanding of others’ pain. Its originality shines through a lucid, sensitive perspective that explains how violence, life mutilation, and body disappearances contaminate and erode the environment itself. The metaphorical richness characteristic of poetry transforms deformed trees into symbols of criminals’ disregard for human beings and nature, for life itself.
Through these enigmatic signs, nature communicates the hidden horrors endured by concealed bodies in seemingly peaceful and even productive lands. It also reveals, through roots and communication networks, the deep connection between past and present atrocities.
Reclaiming Hope in a Devastated World
In a world dislocated by increasingly brutal wars and a country ravaged by massacres, complicities, and indifference, both Maalouf and Murillo’s works reclaim the power of love, solidarity, hope, and truth-speaking—no matter how brutal—to foster understanding and healing.
Key Questions and Answers
- Who are Amin Maalouf and Alma Delia Murillo? Amin Maalouf is a French-Lebanese writer and historian, while Alma Delia Murillo is a Mexican novelist. Both have been recognized for their contributions to literature.
- What is the significance of literature in understanding humanity? Literature plays a vital role in bridging mentalities, fostering empathy, and shedding light on dark areas that dominant discourses seek to ignore.
- What is Murillo’s novel “Raíz que no desaparece” about? The novel explores the issue of forced disappearances in Mexico, focusing on the experiences of searching mothers and the interconnectedness of those affected by this tragedy.
- How does Murillo’s work utilize metaphor and symbolism? Murillo employs rich metaphors and symbols, such as deformed trees, to convey the contamination and erosion of life and nature caused by violence and disappearance.
- What message do Maalouf and Murillo convey through their works? Both authors emphasize the importance of love, solidarity, hope, and truth-speaking in fostering understanding and healing in a world marked by conflict and devastation.
