Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: Hoy por Hoy (SER Podcast)
Section: Un libro en tres minutos
Episode Title: 'La invención de Morel', de Adolfo Bioy Casares
Date: November 21, 2025
Host: Àngels Barceló
Featured Guest: (Unnamed literary commentator)

This episode’s segment “Un libro en tres minutos” is dedicated to introducing listeners to “La invención de Morel,” a celebrated science fiction novel by Argentine writer Adolfo Bioy Casares. The guest succinctly summarizes the plot, themes, and originality of the novel, highlighting its blend of romance, speculative technology, and existential intrigue, all within the span of three minutes.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introduction and Framing of the Book

• [00:00–00:20]
  The guest chooses “La invención de Morel” for this week’s three-minute book segment. They point out its importance in Latin American literature and mention its influence, stating:

  “Dicen que es el libro en el que se basó la serie Perdido. Se titula La invención de Morel y es una novela de 1940.”
  (Guest, 00:10)

2. Setting and Mysterious Beginnings

• [00:23–00:54]
  The narrator describes the unnamed protagonist who is a fugitive arriving on a supposedly deserted island full of strange, modern constructions. Exploration leads him to discover a hidden room filled with strange machinery:

  “Hace un agujero en la pared y entra en una estancia que contiene una bomba para sacar agua y una máquina con unos motores verdes. Y el protagonista lo pone todo en marcha.”
  (Guest, 00:38)

3. Surreal Population of the Island

• [00:55–01:24]
  Contrary to expectations of isolation, the island suddenly becomes populated by ordinary people, inexplicably appearing without any noticed arrival. The protagonist retreats to avoid them, leading to a key emotional development:

  “La colina de pronto se llena de gente que baila, que pasea, que se baña... Descubre que hay una mujer que todas las tardes se sienta en unas rocas a ver atardecer. Y se enamora de ella.”
  (Guest, 01:01 & 01:17)

4. Science Fiction or Love Story?

• [01:24–01:52]
  The host notes that beneath its sci-fi elements, the novel is ultimately a love story—a point the guest emphatically supports:

  “Exacto. Es una gran historia de amor.”
  (Guest, 01:28)
  The protagonist’s attempts to connect with the woman are repeatedly thwarted—she does not see or acknowledge him.

  "Ella parece que no le ve, como si fuera invisible..."
  (Guest, 01:37)

5. The Central Twist: The Nature of Morel’s Invention

• [01:52–02:20]
  The core revelation unfolds: the machine the protagonist activated is “La invención de Morel,” a device that records and endlessly replays past lives with such fidelity that they seem real—but those recorded die soon after:

  “Esa máquina de color verde, es la invención de Morel. Una máquina que funciona como si fuera un proyector, pero lo que proyecta es la vida real... acontecimientos que han sido grabados en el pasado... nuestro protagonista también descubre que a quien graban muere poco después.”
  (Guest, 01:53–02:13)

6. Existential and Emotional Resolution

• [02:22–03:01]
  The protagonist realizes that the woman he loves, Faustine, is merely a projection—already deceased—yet he becomes obsessed with embedding himself in the recordings to share a kind of eternal, artificial existence with her:

  “Se graba con la invención de Morel cerca de ella, como conversando con ella, en una coreografía perfecta... cuando la invención de Morel proyecta el resultado, la mujer y él estarán juntos de alguna forma para quien lo vea... pasearán por los jardines, bailarán juntos, tendrán una vida, aunque sea ficticia, pero juntos.”
  (Guest, 02:41–02:52)

  He clings to the hope that one day, a new machine might reintegrate these disjoined presences into a consciousness where they could truly meet.

7. Host Wrap-Up and Recommendation

• [03:01–03:19]
  The host intervenes to keep the summary from giving away further spoilers and recommends the novel as a short but profound read, ideal for an afternoon.

  “No cuentes más que la clave de esta minisección dentro de la sección es poner ahí el caramelito a los oyentes para que lo vayan a comprar y lo lean... Una novela estupenda para una sobremesa. Es cortita, en dos o tres horas la tienes.”
  (Host, 03:01 & 03:15)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the uniqueness of the story:
  “No, no, en absoluto. Pero lo que aparece de pronto un día, sin que nuestro protagonista haya visto que llegara ningún barco... es mucha gente. Gente normal.”
  (Guest, 00:55)

• On the themes of love and loss:
  “Efectivamente, una mujer que probablemente ya no existe, pero sin embargo vive delante de él cada día, sin que él pueda acercarse.”
  (Guest, 02:22)

• On the existential paradox:
  “Lo único que espera es que alguien invente una máquina capaz de reunir las presencias disgregadas para poder entrar al fin en la conciencia de Faustino.”
  (Guest, 02:56)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00 – Introduction and book choice
• 00:23 – Protagonist’s arrival and island exploration
• 00:55 – The sudden appearance of people; introduction of Faustine
• 01:24 – Discussion of love as the main theme
• 01:52 – Explanation of Morel’s invention and its mechanics
• 02:22 – The protagonist’s response and existential resolution
• 03:01 – Host’s final recommendation and close

Takeaway

In just three minutes, the segment delivers a compelling snapshot of “La invención de Morel,” inviting listeners into its haunting mystery and the existential yearning at its core. The guest’s storytelling captures both the philosophical and emotional depth of the novel, while the host keeps the pace engaging and leaves listeners curious to experience Bioy Casares’ classic for themselves.