THE MAKING OF A NOVEL: JOSE DONOSO’S THE OBSCENE BIRD OF NIGHT

Abstract

In May 1981 Jose Donoso gave a lecure at Emory University on the creative process leading to the composition of his major work, the obscene bird of night. The talk was in English and was never published in Spanish.This article provides the biographical, literary, and cultural context for the writing of Donoso’s signature novel and includes several translated fragments from the author’s Emory conference.