בין ציביליזציה לברבריות: ספרות וקומיקס בארגנטינה

The encounter between the illustrated elites and the popular classes is a central topic in Argentine literature, as already clear in the subtitle of the first Argentinean novel –Facundo: Civilization or Barbarity. The present paper discusses the translation to the comics format of three short stories central in the history of Argentinean literatura, that deal with that encounter. The first two – Esteban Echeverria’s “The slaughterhouse”and Julio Cortazar’s “Heaven’s Doors” - express the fear of the illustrated classes when faced with the popular classes. The third story – German Rozenmacher’s “Black Head”- criticizes the elites, uncovering their classism. The three stories were translated to the comics form by three of the best Argentinan illustrators: Enrique Breccia, Carlos Nine and Francisco Solano Lopez. The paper relates between the short stories and their translation to comics, in the political context of the conflict between the elites and the popular classes that marked the history of Argentina. In fact the translation from “high culture” (literature) to “low culture” (comics), is already a reflection of this conflict, by challenging the normative implications of this división