Julio Herrera y Reissig (January 9, 1875 – March 18, 1910) was a

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

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 writte ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and

essayist An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

, who began his career during the late

Romanticist Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

period and later became an early proponent of

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 ...

Background

He was the son of Dr. Manuel Herrera y Obes and nephew of government minister Dr.

Julio Herrera y Obes Julio Herrera y Obes (January 9, 1841, Montevideo – August 6, 1912, Montevideo), was a Uruguayan political figure. Background Herrera y Obes belonged to the Colorado Party. He had been an adviser to his predecessor, and was instrument ...

, who would go on to become president of Uruguay. Julio Herrera y Reissig was born in

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

into a wealthy patrician family with connections to the social and cultural scene.

Health and travel

His only material limitation was his precarious health. In 1892, at age seventeen, a congenital heart defect, aggravated by

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

fever, forced him to abandon his studies. Nor was he able to travel any great distance, and apart from a visit to

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, he remained confined to Montevideo and the

an interior, including Castillo Piriá, near

Piriápolis Piriápolis is a city in the Maldonado Department of Uruguay. It is an important summer resort in the country, predating the larger and better known resort town of Punta del Este. Because it is mainly used as a resort, it has a relatively small per ...

, where a plaque was unveiled in 1957 commemorating his residence there.

Writings

He relieved his boredom by becoming an avid reader, and beginning in 1900, he began holding literary gatherings at his family mansion, in the penthouse nicknamed ''La Torre de los Panoramas'' for its spectacular views of the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (, "river of silver"), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and fo ...

. There, he underwent a transformation from Romanticist to avant-garde Modernist and

Surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

, earning himself posthumous recognition as a major figure in the development of 20th-century Latin American poetry, alongside

Leopoldo Lugones Leopoldo Antonio Lugones Argüello (13 June 1874 – 18 February 1938) was an Argentine poet, essayist, novelist, playwright, historian, professor, translator, biographer, philologist, theologian, diplomat, politician and journalist. His poetic ...

Ricardo Jaimes Freyre Ricardo Jaimes Freyre (May 12, 1868 – April 24, 1933) was a Peruvian-born Bolivian poet. Background and early years Born in Tacna, Peru on May 12, 1868, his Symbolist-influenced verse, which frequently took advantage of free verse forms, ...

, and

Salvador Díaz Mirón Salvador Díaz Mirón (December 14, 1853 – June 12, 1928) was a Mexican poet. He was born in the port city of Veracruz. His early verse, written in a passionate, romantic style, was influenced by Lord Byron and Victor Hugo. His later ver ...

Death

He died in Montevideo at the age of 35, a few years before the publication of his works drew widespread praise from the literary community. The Uruguayan writer

Ángel Rama Ángel A. Rama (; April 30, 1926November 27, 1983) was a Uruguayan writer, academic, and literary critic, known for his work on ''modernismo'' and for his theorization of the concept of "transculturation." Biography Born in Montevideo to Galici ...

marvelled at his achievement:

Works

Herrera y Reissig wrote fiction, political essays, and many other works, but his reputation rests on his poetry. * ''Canto a Lamartine'' (1898) * ''Epílogo wagneriano a "La política de fusión" con surtidos de psicología sobre el Imperio de Zapicán'' (1902) * ''Las pascuas del tiempo'' (1902) * ''Los maitines de la noche'' (1902) * ''La vida'' (1903) * ''Los parques abandonados'' (1902–1908) * ''Los éxtasis de la montaña'' (1904–1907) * ''Sonetos vascos'' (1908) * ''Las clepsidras'' (1909) * ''La torre de las esfinges'' (1909) * ''Los peregrinos de piedra'' (1909) * ''Tratado de la imbecilidad del país por el sistema de Herbert Spencer'' ranscribed and published by Aldo Mazzucchelli(2006)

External links