Zofia Grzesiak The Reading Space of Roberto Bolaño, or How to Use (Comparative) Literature Abstract: In this essay, I propose a singular look at the works of the Chilean writer Roberto Bolaño (1953–2003). Specifically, I focus on his extraordinary, ex- tremely functional, practical application of intertextuality. In his novels, we find interesting applications of literary texts both in the storyworlds (the use the char- acters make of books) and in the stories’ construction (texts as material or devices for the author). I describe the following functions of Bolaño’s use of intertextual- ity: basic (anecdotal), ontological, life-modelling, life-and-literature-mixing, identi- fying, prompting, connecting, and data-providing. I argue that, due to Bolaño’s foregrounding of the subject and activity of reading, as well as, perhaps more im- portantly, the author’s efforts to assume the position of a reader of his own texts, we can interpret his works as a specific reading space: a virtual, mental, imagi- nary area where the reader meets the text (including the author perceived as a fellow reader) and the two entities blend. For a reader involved in such a space, Bolaño’s work may be considered a manual for the use of literature and for blending one’s life with it. Keywords: author, communication, intertextuality, reader, reading space, Roberto Bolaño In this essay, I propose a singular look at a literature that is comparative in itself. While “text” might have lost its dominant powers due to the rise of “perfor- mance” as the metaphor or analogy for our everyday life (McKenzie 2001), it re- tains them in the works of Roberto Bolaño (1953–2003). This Chilean author’s oeuvre makes a compelling case for undertaking one more project aimed at ex- ploring intertextuality and literature as a universal code. The writings of Bolaño seem to possess an extraordinary quality of being an extremely functional, practi- cal application of intertextuality. Comparing and contrasting literary works in the novels of Bolaño is not limited to mere reflections on the subject. Texts are com- pared with one’s own experience and the personality of others, and basically serve as the glue that holds the scattered thoughts of the author, narrator, and characters together. In Bolaño’s texts, the narrators always speak to someone, often to a silent narratee, reminiscent of the actual author, who seems to be posing as a simple scribe or a fellow listener. Even when these dialogues do not concern literature Open Access. © 2024 the author(s), published by De Gruyter. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110645033-031