SOURCE: “Absurdist Techniques in the Short Stories of Juan José Arreola,” in Journal of Spanish Studies: Twentieth Century, Vol. 8, Nos. 1–2, Spring-Fall, 1980, pp. 67–76.

In the following essay, Gilgen, a professor at the University of Wisconsin, compares Arreola's writing to the work of absurdist writers, arguing that while many of the techniques they use are similar, Arreola's work predates that of many dramatists of the theatre of the absurd.

Literature of the absurd has enjoyed a special prominence in world letters during the past several years. Due in large part to the popularity and critical acclaim of the French Theater of the Absurd, absurdist expression has found its way into the novel and short story as well as into the theater. While there seem to be no concrete or well defined limits to such literature, nevertheless there are certain characteristics which do make it distinguishable from other modern literary approaches...