Erasure.

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE CREATIVE WORK. ‘Patricio Muñoz’ is an aspiring writer. One day he meets Emmanuel Huffman, a professor at St. Sebastian University, Maragos. Professor Huffman offers ‘Mr. Muñoz’ a position as Writer in Residence and an opportunity to compile and edit an anthology of short fiction titled ‘Testimony’. The position entails relocating to Maragos and ‘Mr. Muñoz’ readily accepts the offer. Upon arriving in Maragos, ‘Mr. Muñoz’ realises that Professor Huffman’s intentions were not entirely generous. Maragos is a country ruled by an oppressive regime. The government will do anything to find and prosecute individuals whom it believes oppose the regime. Erasure is a work of fiction. It is divided into three parts. Part One is a complete copy of the anthology edited by ‘Patricio Muñoz’. Part Two is comprised of Professor Huffman’s reflections upon his situation. Finally, Part Three recounts the efforts of an over-zealous intelligence officer named Eric Garnett, who tries to find and prosecute the authors within the anthology. Erasure deals with the nature of writing and the role of the author within society. It examines the issue of censorship and the pervasive sense of paranoia that underlies oppressive regimes. ABSTRACT OF THE EXEGESIS. Black Water explores the theory and practices that underpin the creative work Erasure. Beginning with an exploration of the exegetical work and its characteristics within the academy, the essay moves on to critically examine the factors that might impel one to write, the role of the short-short story and the issue of ethics in light of censorship and oppression. The exegetical work also examines the concepts of space and place and how they may affect the writing process; it concludes with a personal reflection upon the reasons for writing. Black Water is a rigorous and critical examination of the creative process. It offers an explanation of the motivations that impelled the author to write and places his work within a broader literary framework.