Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the fiction of Reinaldo Arenas in accordance with the findings of an "open work modality". After presenting Arenas in historical context and researching the concept of literary "openness", certain literary indicators were used, among them, the fantastic and the grotesque, together with a set of narrative techniques to help demonstrate how and why a specific work is open to the reader. Arenas's stories were analyzed in light of his two major thematic streams: one that deals with history and its transformation into fiction and the other that projects his personal experiences. El mundo alucinante was placed within the pseudohistorical category; Termina el desfile, Celestino antes del alba and Otra vez el mar were placed within the biographical stream. The themes of each work were analyzed individually and then traced as a continuum throughout all the stories. A thorough scrutiny of Arenas's fiction demonstrates that the participation of the reader is indispensable in the completion of his fictional narrative.