Carlos Pezoa Véliz (July 21, 1879 – April 21, 1908) was a

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

, educator and

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

from Chile. His literary work remained largely unpublished until his death at the age of 28. He was

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' (E ...

recognized as a major figure in the history of

Chilean poetry Latin American poetry is the poetry written by Latin American authors. Latin American poetry is often written in Spanish, but is also composed in Portuguese, Mapuche, Nahuatl, Quechua, Mazatec, Zapotec, Ladino, English, and Spanglish. The unifi ...

Biography

Family and youth

Pezoa Véliz was born in Santiago, Chile on July 21, 1879 and was the illegitimate son of a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

immigrant named Moyano and a young seamstress Elvira Jaña. Early in his infancy he was adopted by José María Pezoa and Emerecia Véliz, an elderly couple who had no children of their own.Espectáculos: Carlos Moyano Jaña y Carlos Pezoa Véliz - Viernes 1 de agosto de 2008
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Literary career

His

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

was written within the

post-modernist Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of moderni ...

Latin American Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-eth ...

movement, which broke with the Symbolist and Parnassian schools of

Rubén Darío Félix Rubén García Sarmiento (January 18, 1867 – February 6, 1916), known as Rubén Darío ( , ), was a Nicaraguan poet who initiated the Spanish-language literary movement known as ''modernismo'' (modernism) that flourished at the end of ...

’s

modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

. The poetry of Pezoa Véliz constituted a conscious use of language as a basis for a new vision of the world and in particular a novel way of observing the cultural and psychological roots of all things Chilean. Pezoa Véliz could be considered a founding poet and fundamental figure in the history of

– which has given the world of literature figures like Pablo Neruda,

Gabriela Mistral Lucila Godoy Alcayaga (; 7 April 1889 – 10 January 1957), known by her pseudonym Gabriela Mistral (), was a Chilean poet-diplomat, educator and humanist. In 1945 she became the first Latin American author to receive a Nobel Prize in Li ...

, Gonzalo Rojas and

Nicanor Parra Nicanor Segundo Parra Sandoval (5 September 1914 – 23 January 2018) was a Chilean poet and physicist. He was considered one of the most influential Chilean poets of the Spanish language in the 20th century, often compared with Pablo Neruda. P ...

. During his lifetime his body of work was published in journals and periodical publications which were compiled in 1911 - four years after the poet's death - by Ernesto Montenegro under the title of ''Alma Chilena'' (The Chilean Soul) – the name of one of Pezoa Véliz's most renowned and cited poem. Subsequently, in 1927, Armando Donoso published a new book including new poems, short stories and journalistic articles under the title ''Campanas de Oro'' (The Golden Chimes), which were later on broadened by Nicomedes Guzman in his ''Antología de Carlos Pezoa Véliz'' (Anthology of Carlos Pezoa Véliz) (1957; 2 ed 1966). A poet representative of the roots and voice of the

Chilean people Chileans ( es, Chilenos) are people identified with the country of Chile, whose connection may be residential, legal, historical, ethnic, or cultural. For most Chileans, several or all of these connections exist and are collectively the source ...

; his themes and subject matter derived from sensitive reflections of rural and urban life, impoverished peasants, renegades, the marginalized, the humiliated and fallen. With a language employing both colloquialism and irony, which is interrupted at times by despair and melancholy. His work constitutes a poetry of rebellion, of denunciation, of irony, of

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...

, and in addition, a lyricism that is both simplistic and profound, in which some critics have seen antecedents of

. At the end of the 19th century, he began to publish poems and chronicles on the ''El búcaro santiaguino'', which he did whilst he was a teacher at the San Fidel School, a position from where he was ultimately fired for his intensely

bohemian lifestyle Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people and with few permanent ties. It involves musical, artistic, literary, or spiritual pursuits. In this context, bohemians may be wanderers, a ...

. His major literary influences were Manuel Gutierrez Nájera,

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer Gustavo Adolfo Claudio Domínguez Bastida (17 February 1836 – 22 December 1870), better known as Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (), was a Spanish Romantic poet and writer (mostly short stories), also a playwright, literary columnist, and talented ...

and

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

and a taste for

for its “oddities” which was influential in the era; but in his work there is also a social element which could have been derived from reading

Maxim Gorki Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and sociali ...

and

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

. Subsequently, at the beginning of the 20th century, he took a position as a journalist in the ''El Chileno'', ''La Comedia Humana'' and ''La Voz del Pueblo'' newspapers. This occupation as a journalist served as a medium that allowed Pezoa Véliz to get close – albeit, as reporter - to the workings and customs of the offices of nitrate mines of the north of Chile, which was vividly documented in his short story: ''El taita de la oficina''. (The office daddy) These publications appeared regularly in the press and began to give him notoriety in literary and social circles. This notoriety earned him the a prominent position in the ''Ateneo de Santiago''. Later on he was designated ''Municipal Secretary of Viña del Mar,'' a city that with

Valparaíso Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...

played a fundamental role in his cultural and personal life. He continued publishing poetry, verse and narratives in the magazine ''La lira chilena'' (The Chilean lyric poem), ''Pluma y lapis'' (Writer and pen) and ''Luz y sombra'' (Light and shadow) ''inter alia''. From anthologies compiled posthumously, including ''El perro vagabundo'' (The vagabond dog), ''Nada'' (Nothing), ''El pintor pereza'' (The idle painter), ''El organillo'' (The Hand Organ) ''inter alia'', remain his most acclaimed poems.

Literary publications

*''Alma chilean'' (1911) *''Las campanas de oro'' (1920) *''Cuentos y Artículos'' (1927) *''La lira chilena'' *''Pluma y lapis'' *''Luz y sombra'' *''El perro vagabundo'' *''Nada'' *''El pintor pereza'' *''El organillo'' *''El taita de la oficina'' *''Antología de Carlos Pezoa Véliz'' (1957) *''Carlos Pezoa Véliz, Poesias liricas''

References

External links

Selection of poems by Carlos Pezoa Véliz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pezoa Veliz, Carlos 1879 births 1908 deaths Chilean journalists Male journalists Chilean male poets Chilean people of Spanish descent Modernismo People from Santiago 19th-century Chilean poets 19th-century male writers