Cotidianidad y paseo en Los lugares de Elvio Gandolfo

Defined by its lack of differentiation and uniformity, everyday life has been understood as the opposite of the extraordinary. In a series of walks through Buenos Aires, Frankfurt and Montevideo, Los lugares, the novel by the Argentine writer Elvio Gandolfo, explores the power of everyday spaces to create unforgettable experiences that question this supposed triviality. Following the work of Georges Perec, the novel is written by using rules to explore the creative potential of walking and to reorient the gaze on everything that goes unnoticed in daily life. Thus, this article analyses the ways in which Gandolfo’s novel deconstructs this traditional sense of everyday through the spatial practice, in order to vindicate the mystery and exceptionality of the everyday experience. By examining the monotony of the daily rhythm, a spacetime analysis will be applied to understand the sensations and moods of the everyday landscapes. Moreover, from the point of view of the narrative, the article discusses how the free association of ideas generates a textual wandering in accordance with the rhythm of the walk.