Echoes of Silence: Listening and Creating Echoes to Break the Archival Violence in Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli

Authors

  • Elif Kayahan Utrecht University

Abstract

In Lost Children Archive (2019), Valeria Luiselli examines how lost, silenced, or forgotten voices can be preserved and understood. This essay argues that, through the stories of refugee children and Native Americans in the Mexico–United States borderland, the novel uses echo as a metaphor and method to create an archive of erased narratives. Echo serves as a means to connect with the past, expand archival possibilities, and reenact history, as it provides a profound approach to understanding intergenerational stories across time and space.

Author Biography

  • Elif Kayahan, Utrecht University

    Elif Kayahan holds a research master in Contemporary Literary Studies (Utrecht University) and two BAs in English Literature and Philosophy (Bogazici University). Her work focuses on rewriting the literary canon, creative criticism, and, more recently, exploring the intersection of sound studies and literature.

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Published

2024-12-01

Issue

Vol. 37 No. 2 (2025): Between the Lines

Section

Article

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Elif Kayahan (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Kayahan, E. (2024). Echoes of Silence: Listening and Creating Echoes to Break the Archival Violence in Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli. FRAME, Journal of Literary Studies, 37(2), 115-127. https://platform.openjournals.nl/FRAME/article/view/26355