Antología: Cuentos de la «nena terrible»

Silvina Ocampo (1903–1993) is one of the most original voices in twentieth‑century Hispanic literature. A member of the Sur generation, she combines the everyday with the uncanny, the comic with the disturbing, and a precise prose style with themes rarely admitted into “good taste”.

This anthology offers an introduction to Ocampo’s short fiction based on selections from each of her story collections published during her lifetime (1937–1988). The stories are organized in chronological order to highlight the evolution of her style, from surreal early pieces to later, formally daring narratives.

The focus is on stories with female protagonists who subvert a “realistic” and socially “correct” idea of womanhood. Ocampo’s “nenas terribles” challenge family structures, gender expectations, and moral norms through an often ambiguous blend of fantasy, dark humor, and child perspectives.

Classroom‑oriented notes clarify vocabulary and cultural references (especially Argentine contexts) for readers whose first contact with these stories is in a U.S. university setting. The volume works particularly well in courses on women’s writing, the fantastic, the short story, and Borges & his circle.