Hacia una estética de la digresión en Los detectives salvajes de Roberto Bolaño

This article analyses the use of digression as a narrative strategy that aesthetically defines Roberto Bolaño's novel Los detectives salvajes. Considering the multiple breaks introduced by digression, the use of this technique not only disrupts the subordination between one story and another but also problematizes the identification of a main story, which tends to become an inaccessible centre. The confection of an unfinished map of fiction implies an expansive role of digression by enabling temporary diversions throughout the narrative, besides the creation of new stories. This leads us to propose that digression is a feature of the novel's creative process by which Bolaño introduces an aesthetic focused on fragmented and peripheral stories.