Alejandro Arteaga's 'Sala de máquinas' Explores Technological Imagination Through Literary Fiction

In his 2025 publication 'Sala de máquinas,' Alejandro Arteaga delves into the intricate bond between humanity and technology through the lens of literary fiction. Released by Gabinete Portátil and the Secretaría de Cultura de Jalisco, this collection features diverse formats, including first-person accounts and fabricated news, drawing inspiration from Stanisław Lem's 'Ciberiada' and 'El Electrobardo de Trurl.' Arteaga envisions Claplaucio Cruz as an algorithmic poetry machine, winning the Premio Bellas Artes de Poesía Aguascalientes. Other narratives introduce a toy version of Sherlock Holmes and Kafkaesque robotic threats. The book employs hyperbole and irony to critique commercial machine ideology, referencing authors like Leopoldo Lugones and Juan Rodolfo Wilcock. The title symbolizes the concealed engine room of vessels such as the Titanic. Born in Mexico City in 1977, Arteaga engages with themes of technological determinism.