Politics and literature: death in an unjust country

Abstract

The article analyzes the close relationship between politics and literature in two fundamental texts of contemporary Mexican narrative: Jorge Ibargüengoitia's novel Las muertas and Edmundo Valadés' short story “La muerte tiene permiso” (Death Has Permission). From a critical perspective, the author examines how both writers use irony, black humor, and social commentary to represent a Mexico that is deeply corrupt in the political, judicial, and moral spheres. Death, present both literally and symbolically, functions as the connecting thread of the stories and as a metaphor for a country trapped in structural injustice. In Ibargüengoitia, irony and sarcasm mitigate the atrocities to highlight double standards, the complicity of the authorities, and the normalization of violence, while in Valadés, the direct narrative exposes the abuse of power and the dehumanization of peasants, culminating in a final irony that subverts the image of passivity attributed to the marginalized. The study highlights social co-responsibility in the reproduction of injustice and emphasizes that victims and perpetrators are part of the same network of ethical degradation. In conclusion, the article argues that both texts remain fully relevant in denouncing social problems that persist in Mexican reality, inviting the reader to critically reflect on violence, corruption, and collective responsibility.