This course studies some of the key novels by Roberto Bolaño (1953-2003), the most influential Spanish-language writer of the last decades. Bolaño’s novels and stories deal with many of the key political and social problems that plague contemporary society, such as the return of Fascism or violence against women, but they do so from a position of ethical rather than political commitment. Among the texts to be studied are Nazi Literature in the Americas(1996), Distant Star (1996), The Savage Detectives (1998), Amulet (1999), and By Night in Chile (2000).