Distopia, memoria e identità nel romanzo El orden alfabético di Juan José Millás

In his fictional novel El orden alfabético, the writer Juan José Millás describes a dystopian world where the death of language and the disappearance of the written word put reality into an ontological chaos. Several studies have shown that Millás’s attempt to fill the gap between the self and reality can only be achieved in fiction, in which the character embarks on a moral and personal journey. This study aims to find new ways to interpret Millás’s dystopia in the present day and within a society where images and appearances have become the norm of human experience. The relationship between personal memory, identity and the self are investigated by adopting a critical perspective and a comparative approach to the latest trends in dystopian narratives, with a focus on speculative fiction. The analysis points out the role of inexperience in Millás’s dystopia and in the construction of the character’s artificial identity.