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Abstract:

The article explores the New Historical Novel, a phenomenon that emerged in Latin American literature at the end of the 20^th century. Despite the fact that this genre has developed relatively recently, it has already widely spread across Latin America. Dozens of novels have been published, and yet up to this moment this genre remains largely understudied. Just like testimonio, another significant phenomenon in Latin American literature, the birth of the New Historical Novel was originated by the debate of the new generation of writers with the fundamental principles and concepts of the “new” Latin American novel. Its emergence marks a departure from the “total” concepts of the boom period and a search for new ways to understand national history and national identity in an era of epistemological crisis. Analyzing the novel “The Secret History of Costaguana” by Colombian writer Juan Gabriel Vásquez, the article examines some issues and outlines paths for further research into this genre.