Murillo Examines the History of Existentialism in Latin America
By: Lisa R. Weidman
Edwin Murillo’s foray into the world of Spanish language, Hispanic literature, and U.S. Latino culture was not as straightforward as one might think. Often mistaken as many things, but mostly as an Italian-American in high school, it wasn’t until Murillo, who was born in Miami, began his college career in Texas that he began to truly discover his Latino heritage. He had not been hiding his lineage; he simply did not look the “Latino part” with a fair-skinned father from Costa Rica and a fair-skinned mother from Colombia, and it was simply never an issue of contention outside the home
“Sometimes you are not aware of who you are until you are made aware from a negative perspective,” he explains. However, for Murillo the awakening to his own “Latinoness” was a positive experience, and it all began with a gift.
His mother gave him the book that changed his life: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. Described as “one of the most influential literary works of our time,” this book led Murillo to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming involved in literature, as a teacher and as a writer.
Today, Dr. Edwin Murillo, Assistant Professor of Spanish at Penn State Berks, has accomplished that goal. But first and foremost, he considers himself a historian who studies Existentialism–primarily its origins in Latin America. According to Murillo, most anthologies point to Europe and the United States as the centers of origin for Existentialism and only refer to its existence in Latin America as an afterthought, when in fact, Existentialist thought appeared in Latin American literature dating back to the nineteenth century. Interestingly most other historians of Existentialism find the philosophical roots of this cultural phenomenon in the nineteenth century as well, specifically in the writings of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Dostoevsky.
But what exactly is Existentialism?
Murillo explains that Existentialism is a mode of thinking in which existence precedes essence. It is one of the first philosophies meant for the masses, rather than the elite, and it is meant to communicate ideas and cause people to think for themselves. According to Existentialism, choices are more important than heredity, and people do not need to limit their aspirations. Many Feminists, Postmodernists, Deconstructionalists, and LGBT Theorists found inspiration in the individual freedom propagated by the Existentialists.
Many of the key concepts of Existentialism were expressed by Latin American philosophers dating back to the nineteenth century–long before Existentialism was made famous by Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, and Martin Heidegger in the 1940s and 1950s.
Murillo’s article titled “El soliloquio sobre el cadáver: vitalidad existencial en Trilce LXXV y España, aparta de mí este cáliz IX,” which appeared in Divergencias in the summer of 2008, aims to reconsider Latin America’s contribution and subordinated position in the Existentialism canon.
His article contends that Latin American Existentialists have been overlooked because Latin America is usually perceived by the rest of the world as being half a step behind Europe and the United States.
While Murillo has devoted his career to conducting research on Existentialism, he also studies Latin American thought–from a Latin American and U.S. perspective. His recent publications have dealt with the issue of Latino prejudice toward other Latinos, as well as the lack of U.S. history consciousness–not knowing or acknowledging the less-flattering history of the country.
Despite examples of some Latinos oppressing their own people, Murillo states that overall, there is a sense of unity among the Latino people as they have more similarities than differences, even with Latinos of other nationalities. These similarities include language, religion, history, and racial roots.
Another field of study that Murillo pursues is modernismo, the first truly original Latin American literary movement. Murillo explains that modernismo fits within the history of Existentialism; it sought to rejuvenate ideas as the status quo became insufficient. Modernismo is concerned with perfecting the language aesthetic quality of poetry. During this movement, poets created new words and there was no limit to topics.
Vanguardia narrative, the literary movement that preceded Existentialism from approximately 1915–1940, is another subject of interest for Murillo. He explains that it is just another chapter in the history of Existentialism.
Murillo’s research has been widely published; his scholarly articles appear in Divergencias, Neophilologus, and Hispanófila. Two articles on U.S. Latino culture are forthcoming in Bilingual Review (Arizona State University) and Confluencia (University of Northern Colorado). His poetry has been anthologized by LACASA Publications in Líneas desde el golfo, and his poetry has appeared most recently in the anniversary issue of The Acentos Review. His first short story is forthcoming in Diálogo (DePaul University).
In addition, Murillo has taught courses on Existentialism in Latin America, and literature and language at different course levels in both Spanish and English. When he’s not in the classroom or conducting research, he acts as the faculty adviser to the students of the Latino Unity Club at Penn State Berks.
He earned a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Spanish Language from the University of Houston, and both an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Romance Studies from the University of Miami. His dissertation was titled “Uncanny Periphery: Existentialist Latin-American Narratives of the 1930s.”
Murillo and his wife, Krysta, reside in Flying Hills, Pennsylvania with their daughters, Mariana and Mía. They enjoy sightseeing, watching movies, and visiting family in Texas.