''Martín Fierro'' was an Argentine literary magazine which appeared from February 1924 to 1927. It was one of the leading

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

magazines in the country.

History and profile

The magazine was founded by Evar Méndez (its director), José B. Cairola, Leónidas Campbell, H. Carambat, Luis L. Franco,

Oliverio Girondo Oliverio Girondo (August 17, 1891 – January 24, 1967) was an Argentine poet. He was born in Buenos Aires to a relatively wealthy family, enabling him from a young age to travel to Europe, where he studied in both Paris and England. He is perhap ...

Ernesto Palacio Ernesto Palacio (born October 19, 1946, Lima) is a Peruvian tenor, particularly associated with Rossini and Mozart roles. Palacio first studied theology before turning to music. He began his vocal studies in Milan, and after winning first prize i ...

, Pablo Rojas Paz, and Gastón O. Talamón, and reached a circulation of 20,000. Its headquarters was in

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 ...

. Several major writers, such as

Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known bo ...

, contributed poems and short articles. Further "sympathizers" were

Pedro Figari Pedro Figari (June 29, 1861 – July 24, 1938) was a Uruguayan painter, lawyer, writer, and politician. Although he did not begin the practice until his later years, he is best known as an early modernist painter who emphasized capturing the ev ...

Raúl González Tuñón Raúl González Tuñón (29 March 1905 – 14 August 1974) was an Argentine poet and writer from Buenos Aires. He also worked as a journalist, notably for the journal ''Crítica'', and was known for his social activism and his socialist beliefs. ...

, Eduardo González Lanuza,

Leopoldo Marechal Leopoldo Marechal (June 11, 1900 – June 26, 1970) was one of the most important Argentine writers of the twentieth century. Biographical notes Born in Buenos Aires into a family of French and Spanish descent, Marechal became a primary sch ...

Xul Solar Xul Solar was the adopted name of Oscar Agustín Alejandro Schulz Solari (14 December 1887 – 9 April 1963), an Argentine painter, sculptor, writer, and inventor of imaginary languages. Biography Oscar Agustín Alejandro Schulz Solari was born ...

, among others, as listed in # "12 and 13". It also published texts by

Mario Bravo Mario Humberto Nicolás Bravo (June 27, 1882 – March 17, 1944) was an Argentine politician and writer. Life and times Born in La Cocha, Tucumán Province, in 1882, Bravo enrolled at the University of Buenos Aires, and earned a Law Degree ...

Fernando Fader Fernando Fader (11 April 1882 – 25 February 1935) was a French-born Argentine painter of the Post-impressionist school. Life and work Fernando Fader was born in Bordeaux, France in 1882. His father, of Prussian descent, relocated the fami ...

Macedonio Fernández Macedonio Fernández (1 June 1874 – 10 February 1952) was an Argentine writer, humorist and philosopher. His writings included novels, stories, poetry, journalism, and works not easily classified. He was a mentor to Jorge Luis Borges and other ...

, Santiago Ganduglia, Samuel Glusberg, Norah Lange,

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 ...

, Roberto Mariani,

Ricardo Molinari Ricardo Eufemio Molinari (March 23, 1898 – July 31, 1996) was an Argentina, Argentine poet. Molinari was born in Buenos Aires and was orphaned when he was five. Molinari's first work was ''El Imaginero'' (1927). He contributed to the avant-garde ...

, Conrado Nalé Roxlo, Nicolás Olivari, Horacio A. Rega Molina and Ricardo Rojas. Illustrator Lino Palacio was one of several contributors to the graphic design of the magazine. ''Martín Fierro'' inherited its name from a previous short-lived magazine (1919), also directed by Méndez, more committed to social and political issues, and from an anarchist magazine in which

had published poems in 1904. The magazine was named after

Martín Fierro ''Martín Fierro'', also known as ''El Gaucho Martín Fierro'', is a 2,316-line epic poem by the Argentine writer José Hernández. The poem was originally published in two parts, ''El Gaucho Martín Fierro'' (1872) and ''La Vuelta de Martín F ...

, the

gaucho A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired and ...

outlaw whose story constitutes Argentina's national poem, written by José Hernández. The 1924–1927 incarnation took a different, more "art-for-art's sake" approach. It was often linked to the

Florida group The Florida group"The Florida Group" (text in Spanish) by: de Lama, Víctor (1993). ''Antología de la poesía amorosa española e hispanoamericana'' (14a. edición). Madrid: Editorial EDAF. . ( Sp.: ''grupo Florida'') was an ''avant-garde'' litera ...

, sometimes called ''Martín Fierro group'' even though some

Boedo group Boedo is a working class, working-class ''barrio'' or neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The neighborhood and one of its principal streets were named after Mariano Boedo, a leading figure in the Argentine Declaration of Independence, Argent ...

writers also contributed to its pages. One of them, Roberto Mariani, started within ''Martín Fierro'' a debate on political engagement. Arturo Cancela suggested in a letter to ''Martín Fierro'' that both sides merge under the common name of "Schools of Floredo street", and to name

Manuel Gálvez Manuel Gálvez (18 July 1882 – 14 November 1962) was an Argentine novelist, poet, essayist, historian and biographer. Early years Gálvez, a member of one of the leading patrician families of Entre Ríos Province, was educated by the Jesuits bef ...

as president, as he lived in Pueyrredón street, equidistant from both groups. ''Martín Fierro'' showcased

Ramón Gómez de la Serna Ramón Gómez de la Serna y Puig (3 July 1888 in Madrid – 13 January 1963 in Buenos Aires) was a Spanish writer, dramatist and avant-garde agitator. He strongly influenced surrealist film maker Luis Buñuel. Ramón Gómez de la Serna was esp ...

's work and

Emilio Pettoruti Emilio Pettoruti (1892–1971) was an Argentine painter, who caused a scandal with his avant-garde cubist exhibition in 1924 in Buenos Aires. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Buenos Aires was a city full of artistic development. Pettorut ...

and

Arthur Honegger Arthur Honegger (; 10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. A member of Les Six, his best known work is probably ''Antigone'', composed between 1924 and 1927 to ...

's ''avant garde'' art, attacked writer

as an icon of the past, and also attacked the attempt of

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, Cana ...

magazine ''

La Gaceta Literaria ''La Gaceta Literaria'' (Spanish: ''The Literary Gazetta'') was a bimonthly avant-garde literary, arts and science magazine which appeared in Madrid between 1927 and 1932. It is known for its leading contributors and editorial board members. His ...

'' of "setting in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

the intellectual meridian of Hispanoamerica," that is, claiming Spanish hegemony over

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 intellectual culture. One of ''Martín Fierros distinguishing features was its fake obituaries, making fun of everybody, both Boedo and Florida writers, and Leopoldo Lugones himself. The end of the publication was apparently decided by Méndez to avoid putting the magazine at the service of

Hipólito Yrigoyen Juan Hipólito del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Yrigoyen (; 12 July 1852 – 3 July 1933) was an Argentine politician of the Radical Civic Union and two-time President of Argentina, who served his first term from 1916 to 1922 and his second ...

's campaign for a second term as president of Argentina, as some of its collaborators demanded.

External links

List of avant-garde magazines This is a list of magazines which contain avant-garde material and content. Notable avant-garde magazines include: {{Compact ToC, center=yes, align=center, top=no, num=yes, refs=yes, e=E, i=I, u=U, y=Y, z=Z 0–9 *'' 3:AM Magazine'' (2000–), ...

Sources

*''El periódico Martín Fierro'', Ed. Galerna, Buenos Aires, 1968. With an introduction by Adolfo Prieto, ed.

External links

Martín Fierro's Manifesto by Oliverio Girondo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin Fierro (magazine) 1924 establishments in Argentina 1920s disestablishments in Argentina Avant-garde magazines Literary magazines published in Argentina Defunct magazines published in Argentina Defunct literary magazines Magazines established in 1924 Magazines disestablished in 1927 Magazines published in Buenos Aires Poetry literary magazines Spanish-language magazines