Mariana Enriquez explores the roots of horror in new essay collection

Argentine author Mariana Enriquez has released “Conversación con la oscuridad” (Conversation with Darkness), an essay collection published by Páginas de Espuma that examines the historical, political, and social roots of the horror genre.

Enriquez utilizes a “situated theory of dread” to connect the genre to recognizable realities, such as violence, social conflict, and disappearances in Latin America. The book explores how monsters evolve alongside human progress, drawing parallels between classic creations like Frankenstein and modern anxieties regarding artificial intelligence and transhumanism.

The work, organized into five sections, investigates the links between literature, popular culture, and collective memory, examining how different eras project their specific fears onto the monsters of their time.