SOURCE: "José Donoso: The Personality Myth," in The Chilean Short Story: Writers from the Generation of 1950, Peter Lang, 1989, pp. 91-114.

In the following excerpt, Fleak provides an overview of Donoso's short fiction, noting Donoso's use of psychological realism, existential themes, abstract characterization, and poetic description.

Critics see José Donoso's literary world as both traditional and innovative. However, their studies normally concentrate on the traditional aspects. An obvious theme they cite is the decay of the Chilean social structure. Fernando Alegría states that Donoso is "un recio novelista y cuentista preocupado por la decadencia del clan familiar."² We find a typical example in the story entitled "Veraneo," from his first collection. Donoso uses the symbol of a deteriorated mansion as a reflection of a social class "that once was": "Estaba en la alto de una duna pequeña. Había sido, quizás a principio de siglo, un...