Language/Spanish/Culture/Literatura
Literature[edit | edit source]
Literature is the artistic field of the word. Usually it's about every artistic work that involves the use of both written and oral words. Spanish Literature has been and is one of the most important and influent of the world. At the beginning (XI d.c) it was only the literary works produced in the Iberic Peninsula (Spain). Today it involves equally the iberic literature and the latinoamerican literature, even when there's profounds and well defined differences between them.
Literature in Spanish (Spain)[edit | edit source]
Spain has a rich and varied literary tradition. Its influence is remarkable over time and some of its authors are part of the cultural heritage of the world. It is considered Spanish Literature to all produced in Spanish (which is usually called "Spanish" in spite of being only one of the multiple languages spoken in the region) in the Iberian Peninsula. In a broader sense (which we will not use for our current selection) can be considered Spanish Literature to all that produced in the Iberian region invariably of its language (this would encompass to the literatures in Catalan, Valencian, Basque, among others).
Below we will detail some of the most important authors and works within the Spanish Literature:
"El cantar del mio Cid"(Anonymous author)[edit | edit source]
This work of the twelfth century dates from between 1145 and 1207 (13C), according to the Spanish Ramon Menéndez Pidal. It is an epic poem by anonymous author, which was transmitted orally in its time of production. It is considered as a foundational work of Literature and Spanish national identity, comparable to epic songs of gesta like "La canción de Rolando" ( The song of Rolando) or "El cantar de los Nibelungos" (The Song of the Nibelung). It is written in Old Castilian so its reading is difficult, although generally it is translated into modern Castilian.
Romances (in general)[edit | edit source]
They are a type of poetic composition, of oral diffusion, very popular around Century XV. By their oral character many of them have been lost, although some have been compiled and reconstructed in the work "Flor nueva de romances viejos" ("New flower of old romances") (1928). Its structure usually is of octosyllabic poem with asonante rhyme in the even verses. An example of romance is the "Romance del Conde Niño" ("Romance of the Count Child"), modern version musicalized by Paco Ibañez here: link)
"La Celestina" (Fernando de Rojas)[edit | edit source]
Also known as the "Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea" ("Tragicomedy of Callisto and Melibea"). It is a hybrid work, halfway between the novel and theatrical tragicomedy, from the last years of the fifteenth century and the beginning of the sixteenth century. For a long time the authorship of the work was unknown until it was determined that it was written by Fernando de Rojas.
The Baroque or The Golden Age[edit | edit source]
It is considered that the Spanish Baroque covers between the end of the sixteenth century and well into the eighteenth century. Some of the founding works of this period correspond to Lope de Vega and Góngora. Some of the most influential authors of the period are: Miguel de Cervantes (author of "Quijote" and several "nouvelles", he is considered the founding father of the modern western novel), Francisco de Quevedo (author of "El buscón" And of numerous poetic works and political essays), Luis de Góngora (well-known poet, author of "Fabula de Príamo y Tisbe"), Lope de Vega (his most important work is considered "Fuenteovejuna"), Baltasar Gracián ("El Criticón"), Tirso de Molina ("El burlador de Sevilla") and Pedro Calderón de la Barca (author of the well-known work "La vida es sueño").
Miguel de Cervantes[edit | edit source]
He is easily the most recognized and influential Spanish author in the world. It has been compared on several occasions with William Shakespeare. He is considered as the father of the novel and modern narrative for his polyphonic creation "El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha" ("The ingenious hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha") (1605). The second part was published in 1615. It is considered, according to some votes "the best literary work ever written" and one of the most influential works of Literature. Fyodor Dostoevsky and Lev Tolstoy went on to say that it was his favorite novel and has influenced countless international writers such as: Ruben Dario, Jorge Luis Borges, Charles Dickens, Gustave Faulbert, Herman Melville, Mark Twain or Franz Kafka among many others .
Literature in Spanish (Hispanoamericana)[edit | edit source]
Hispanic American Literature encompasses all literary production in Spanish in the American territory (including South America, Central America, North America and the Caribbean). It covers an enormous number of countries, historical periods and different cultures. It is also considered one of the most extensive, widespread and influential in the world although its study is difficult due to the geographical and temporal differences previously indicated. The greatest impulse of Latin American literature is in the twentieth century in the so-called editorial boom and with the avant-garde movements of the early twentieth century.
Below we will mention some of the most significant cultural centers of production and some of the works and / or authors of the same <! - It is possible to emphasize that the list is incredibly reduced, by questions of space and time, and the central idea is to complete it With the time and help of other editors. It does not seek to be a complete analysis, much less a mere introduction and the beginning of a project, so some obvious absences are expected and necessary in the process of construction of the article.
Literature Argentina[edit | edit source]
Historically, Argentina has been a nucleus of production and edition of texts in conjunction with Colombia and Mexico (the three Latin American countries with the largest print run). Many of them have had scope and repercussion in the international arena, being widely accepted in Europe and the whole world. Some of its most recognized authors are:
Julio Cortázar[edit | edit source]
He is one of the authors of the Latin American "Boom" and one of the most popular in Europe. Some of his works include: Bestiario (1951), Final del juego (1956), Las armas secretas (1959) and Rayuela (1963).
Ernesto Sabato[edit | edit source]
He was a renowned Argentine painter, writer and physicist. Initially trained in the hard sciences, he left his career in physics at the top of it to devote himself to painting and literature. Some of his works were received positively by writers like Thomas Mann or Albert Camus. These include: El Túnel (1948), Sobre héroes y tumbas (1961) and Abbadón el Exterminador (1974).
Jorge Luis Borges[edit | edit source]
He is perhaps the most emblematic and recognized Argentine author in the world. His work is limited to poetry and short stories (he never cultivated the novel). He has influenced thinkers and artists like Harold Bloom, Umberto Eco, Paul Auster, Julio Cortázar, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Grant Morrison or Thomas Pynchon. Some of the most important anthologies are: Historia universal de la infamia (1935), El jardín de los senderos que se bifurcan (1941), Ficciones (1944) y and his most emblematic work El Aleph (1949)
Colombian Literature[edit | edit source]
Colombian literature is one of the oldest in America, dating back to the arrival of the Spanish conquerors to the continent. However, its major importance revolves around the genre known as "magical realism." Gabriel García Márquez is one of its most emblematic writers.
Gabriel García Márquez[edit | edit source]
He is one of the most outstanding writers of the twentieth century. Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982. Harvested with great success the genre known as "magical realism" and has been its greatest exponent. Some of his best known works include: "Autumn of the Patriarch" (1975), "Chronicle of a Death Announced" (1981) and "Love in the Time of Cholera" (1985). His most acclaimed work is "One Hundred Years of Solitude" (1967).
Mexican Literature[edit | edit source]
Mexican literature is one of the most important in Latin America and the world. At the moment Mexico is the country with greater editorial roll of Hispano-America, dominating the written and cinematographic production of the region. Various artistic currents have been born within this culture and its topics are very varied, highlighting the recovery of Aboriginal traditions, the literature of emancipation and protest and Latin American magical realism.
Juan Rulfo[edit | edit source]
He is one of the most important writers of Mexican literature of the twentieth century. His works recover with cruelty the episodes of the Mexican revolution. His most important works are "El Llano en Llamas" (1953) and Pedro Paramo (1955). The first work is an anthology of stories revolving around the revolution and the second is his most emblematic work, which revolves around the figure of Pedro Paramo, a Mexican caudillo and the story of his son who seeks to reconstruct the history of his progenitor. It is part of a literary tradition very close to that of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Carlos Fuentes[edit | edit source]
He was nominated multiple times for the Nobel Prize for Literature and is one of the most important literary figures of recent times (20th and 21st century). The majority of its written production is located in the twentieth century. His most important works are: La región más transparente (1958), La muerte de Artemio Cruz (1962) and Aura (1962). Also his stories are well known (Here the link for one of them titled "Chac Mool")