Venezuelan literature can be traced to
pre-Hispanic
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, th ...
times with the myths and
oral literature that formed the cosmogonic view of the world that indigenous people had. Some of these stories are still known in Venezuela. Like many
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
n countries, the Spanish conquerors have had the greatest effect on both the culture and the literature. The first written documents by the Spanish colonizers are considered to be the origin of Venezuela's written literature. This has included chronicles, letters, acts, etc.
Venezuela's first major writer was
Andrés Bello
Andrés de Jesús María y José Bello López (; November 29, 1781 – October 15, 1865) was a Venezuelan- Chilean humanist, diplomat, poet, legislator, philosopher, educator and philologist, whose political and literary works constitute an ...
. Venezuelan literature developed in the 19th century with the formation of Venezuela as a nation state and the political conflicts of the time between conservatives and liberals. Notable works include ''
Venezuela Heroica'' (1881), by
Eduardo Blanco, on the
Venezuelan War of Independence.
In the 20th century, with the modernization and urbanization of Venezuela thanks to the economic boom provided by
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
, some of its finest writers were:
Teresa de la Parra,
Rómulo Gallegos
Rómulo Ángel del Monte Carmelo Gallegos Freire (2 August 1884 – 5 April 1969) was a Venezuelan novelist and politician. For a period of nine months during 1948, he governed as the first freely elected president in Venezuela's history. He was ...
,
Arturo Uslar Pietri
Arturo Uslar Pietri (16 May 1906 in Caracas – 26 February 2001) was a Venezuelan intellectual, historian, writer, television producer, and politician.
Life
Born on 16 May 1906 in Caracas, Venezuela, his parents were generalSantos Himiob ...
,
Salvador Garmendia. Gallegos' ''
Doña Bárbara'' (1929) was described in 1974 as "possibly the most widely known Latin American novel".
[Shaw, Donald, "Gallegos' Revision of Doña Bárbara 1929-30, ''Hispanic Review'' 42(3), Summer 1974, p265] The
National Prize for Literature, awarded annually, was established in 1948, with Uslar Pietri the only writer to win twice in the first five decades.
Rafael Cadenas
Rafael Cadenas (born 8 April 1930 Barquisimeto, Lara) is a Venezuelan poet and essayist.
Career
He taught for many years at the Central University of Venezuela. He received the National Prize for Literature (1985), Guadalajara's Internationa ...
and
Eugenio Montejo are among the best known poets of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century.
In the 21st century, with the
Venezuelan refugee crisis
The Venezuelan migration and refugee crisis, the largest recorded refugee crisis in the Americas,
*
*
*
* refers to the emigration of millions of Venezuelans from their native country during the presidencies of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás M ...
, migration has become a predominant topic in Venezuelan literature. Many Venezuelan writers live and publish outside the country, notably in Spain, the USA and other parts of Latin America.
See also
*
List of Venezuelan writers
This is a list in alphabetical order of Venezuelan literary figures and their most representative works, including poets, novelists, historians, essayists, and scholars.
A-B
*Alfredo Armas Alfonzo (1921–1990) historian, author of "El osario de ...
*
Latin American literature
Latin American literature consists of the oral and written literature of Latin America in several languages, particularly in Spanish, Portuguese, and the indigenous languages of the Americas. It rose to particular prominence globally during the ...
*
Culture of Venezuela
The cultures of Venezuela are diverse and complex, influenced by the many different people who have made Venezuela their home. Venezuela has distinctive and original art, literature and music.
People
Venezuela's cultural heritage includes the or ...
References
External links
País Portátil: Contemporary Venezuelan Literature and Arts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Venezuelan Literature
Latin American literature by country
South American literature
Spanish-language literature