Writing when not writing: the performance in the autofiction writing

Abstract

Bringing together the concepts of autofiction and performance, the discussion will be based mainly on the studies of Diana Klinger, Diana Taylor and Renato Cohen to explore Paloma Vidal’s project, called Não Escrever (‘Do Not Write’). This project is presented to the public in two approaches, as a performance and as a “livro-cartonero”, an Argentinian practice of handcrafting cardboard books. The present article will observe how these two manifestations of her project coexist and integrate in a balanced way Vidal’s creative writing process. The analysis will shed a light to the relevance of the performative element in her work and how it configures her autofiction writing and the constitution of her persona.