Microfiction, or silence lying in wait

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Abstract

This article discusses the importance of silence in microfiction. The emergence of this short form of writing in Latin American countries is addressed as well as its main characteristics. Various issues regarding the form are then discussed and it is suggested that the most effective way of defining and examining this short form is through the silence that can be found in these texts. The term “microfiction” is used for short works of this type and “microstory” for those based on narration. The article focuses on how silence is used in different ways in short stories and microstories. Finally, these microtexts are compared with aphorisms. The author comes to the conclusion that the silence of classic aphorisms and microstories is different, whereas it overlaps in modern aphorisms and microstories.