In this essay, I will analyse a dozen of the fiction narratives written by César Aira (Coronel Pringles, 1949) paying special attention to the effacement of his characters’ body and bodily life. Two complementary explanations are explored. The first one, rooted in national literary tradition, considers this effacement as a manifestation of the author’s literary posture, notably built through close links with the Argentinian journal Babel (1988-1991). The second explanation goes beyond the national framework to suggest that Aira perpetuates a deconstruction of the literary character as observed, theorised and diffused by the French nouveaux romanciers.