Argentine literature, i.e. the set of literary works produced by writers who originated from Argentina, is one of the most prolific, relevant and influential in the whole Spanish speaking world, with renowned 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 b ...

, Julio Cortázar,

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 ...

and

Ernesto Sábato Ernesto Sabato (June 24, 1911 – April 30, 2011) was an Argentine novelist, essayist, painter and physicist. According to the BBC he "won some of the most prestigious prizes in Hispanic literature" and "became very influential in the literary wo ...

History

Origins

As a matter of fact, the name of the country itself comes from a Latinism which first appeared in a literary source: Martin del Barco Centenera's epic poem ''La Argentina'' (1602). This composition runs 10.000 verses and describes the landscape as well as the conquest of the territory. The word was reintroduced in ''Argentina manuscrita'', a prose chronicle by Ruy Díaz de Guzmán. Argentine literature began around 1550 with the work of Matías Rojas de Oquendo and Pedro González de Prado (from Santiago del Estero, the first important urban settlement in Argentina), who wrote

prose Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the ...

and

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 ...

. They were partly inspired by oral aboriginal poetry—in particular, according to Carlos Abregú Virreyra, by the ''lules'', ''juríes'', ''

diaguita The Diaguita people are a group of South American indigenous people native to the Chilean Norte Chico and the Argentine Northwest. Western or Chilean Diaguitas lived mainly in the Transverse Valleys which incised in a semi-arid environment. Ea ...

s'' and ''tonocotés''. A symbiosis emerged between the aboriginal and Spanish traditions, creating a distinct literature, geographically limited (well into the 18th century) to the Argentine north and central regions, with the province of Córdoba as its center, due to the foundation of the

National University of Córdoba The National University of Córdoba ( es, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba,) is an institution of higher education in the city of Córdoba, Argentina. Founded in 1613, the university is the oldest in Argentina, the third oldest university of t ...

. Two names stand out from this period: Gaspar Juárez Baviano, and Antonia de la Paz y Figueroa, also known as "Beata Antula". Gradually, with the economic prosperity of the port, the cultural axis moved eastward. The letters of the colonial age (Viceroyalty- neoclassicism, baroque and epic) grew under the protection of the independentist fervor: Vicente López y Planes, Pantaleón Rivarola and Esteban de Luca. During the 17th century, Argentine baroque literature was poor in comparison with that from Europe and some other parts of the New World. The only remarkable poet of this period was fray José Luis de Tejeda who wrote ''Coronas líricas'' and ''El peregrino de Babilonia''

Cultural independence from Spain

As in the rest of the continent, strong feelings of emancipation from Spain were present in Argentina. Before independence, some neoclassical authors such as

Juan Cruz Varela ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

produced numerous works related with this revolutionary spirit but still under the paradoxical Spanish domain. Argentina's true break with Spanish tradition was manifested in literature through the adoption of French

romanticism 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 ...

as a model, postulating the return to popular sources and to the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. This aesthetic and intellectual was brought by

Esteban Echeverría José Esteban Antonio Echeverría (2 September 1805 – 19 January 1851) was an Argentine poet, fiction writer, cultural promoter, and liberal activist who played a significant role in the development of Argentine literature, not only throu ...

who wrote the first local and realistic story, ''El Matadero'' ("The slaughterhouse"), as well as the nativist poem ''La Cautiva'' ("The Captive"), with the

Pampas The Pampas (from the qu, pampa, meaning "plain") are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, and Córdoba; all of Uruguay; and Brazi ...

as its background. His barbed wit and opposition to powerful Buenos Aires governor Juan Manuel de Rosas forced him into exile. In the middle of the 19th century

José Mármol José Mármol (1818 – 1871) was an Argentine journalist, politician, librarian, and writer of the Romantic school. Biography Born in Buenos Aires, he initially studied law, but abandoned his studies in favor of politics. In 1839, no soon ...

published the first Argentine novel, '' Amalia'' (1851–1852), a historical novel set during the dark year of 1840 which mixed fictional characters (Amalia, Daniel Bello, Eduardo Belgrano) with actual historical characters like Juan Manuel de Rosas. As Rosas' power increased, more literary works from the opposition were produced, such as Juan Bautista Alberdi's play ''El Gigante Amapolas'', a good example of local

sainete A sainete (farce or titbit) was a popular Spanish comic opera piece, a one-act dramatic vignette, with music. It was often placed at the end of entertainments, or between other types of performance. It was vernacular in style, and used scenes of lo ...

. In the genre of

essay 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 ...

Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (; born Domingo Faustino Fidel Valentín Sarmiento y Albarracín; 15 February 1811 – 11 September 1888) was an Argentine activist, intellectual, writer, statesman and the second President of Argentina. His writing s ...

published his ''

Facundo ''Facundo: Civilization and Barbarism'' (original Spanish title: ''Facundo: Civilización y Barbarie'') is a book written in 1845 by Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, a writer and journalist who became the second president of Argentina. It is a corne ...

'', a particular (re)vision of Facundo Quiroga's life from a deterministic point of view. Sarmiento conveyed aspects of

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

and semiotics in this analysis. Echeverría, Mármol and Sarmiento are among the group of writers known as Generación del 37, who are considered the first generation of local intellectuals. Poetry lessened in combative spirit and turned towards the anecdotal and sentimental: Carlos Guido y Spano and Ricardo Gutiérrez, the chronicle writers of folk literature. Lucio V. Mansilla published in 1870 ''Una excursión a los indios ranqueles'', a sort of chronicle of a voluntary expedition to sign a peace treaty with the Indians. His work (enrolled in a realistic aesthetic) anticipated Generación del '80, which would be deeply influenced by

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 ...

Juana Manuela Gorriti Juana Manuela Gorriti (July 15, 1818 – November 6, 1892) was an Argentina, Argentine writer with extensive political and literary links to Bolivia and Peru. She held the position of First Ladies and Gentlemen of Bolivia, First Lady of Bolivia ...

was one of the first popular female writers, mainly due to her

melodramatic A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exce ...

narrative works like the novel ''La hija del mazorquero'' and the foundation of ''La alborada'', a cultural magazine.

''Literatura Gauchesca''

European-oriented, indeed Euro-centric, themes and styles would remain the norm in Argentine letters, especially from Buenos Aires, during this century. The (romantic) poetry as ''La cautiva'' or the latter ''Santos Vega'' by

Rafael Obligado Rafael Obligado (27 January 1851 – 8 March 1920) was an Argentine poet and playwright. Obligado was the son of María Jacinta Ortiz Urién and Luis Obligado y Saavedra. During the 1880s, he became known as ''el poeta del Paraná'' (the poet of ...

gave a lot of importance to the nature of the ''pampa'', sharing some elements with a picturesque, imitation-

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 ...

literature, purporting to use the language of the

s and to reflect their mentality. The first current is known as ''poesía nativista'' (nativist poetry) and became a literary tradition. The second (known as ''poesía gauchesca'') developed in parallel as a part of that generation's understanding of national identity. Although it also is a product of literary authors, this writing takes the voice of the gaucho as protagonist from the beginning. ''Gauchesca'' is related to ''payador's singing'', a payador being a modern equivalent of the illiterate medieval singers. A payador's work, in opposition to ''gauchesca'', is sung spontaneously. The first ''gauchesco'' author was

Bartolomé Hidalgo Bartolomé José Hidalgo (Montevideo, 24 August 1788 - Morón, 28 November 1822) was a Uruguayan writer and poet. Alongside Hilario Ascasubi he is considered one of the initiators of Gaucho literature. Nowadays the most important literary awar ...

who wrote during the

war of independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence. List See also * Lists of active separatist movements * List of civil wars * List o ...

and therefore his works had a strong political ideology. His compositions were mainly '' cielitos'' (''payadoresque'' songs but with provocative political messages) and ''diálogos patrióticos'' (conversations between two characters about current affairs). In a second period, ''gauchesca'' was influenced by political-faction fights. Estanislao del Campo, and

Hilario Ascasubi Hilario Ascasubi (1807 – November 17, 1875) was an Argentine poet, politician and diplomat. He played an active role in the resistance to the dictatorship of Juan Manuel de Rosas. Ascasubi was also a prominent figure in gaucho literature. ...

are the most representative writers of this period. Del Campo wrote ''Fausto'', a poem which has been read both as a parody of gauchesca and an intelligent joke towards city people. In the poem, Anastasio El Pollo meets a friend and tells him his impressions on particular event: he has seen the Devil. What El Pollo doesn't know (or pretends he doesn't) is that all he saw was actually an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

performance at

Teatro Colón The Teatro Colón (Spanish: ''Columbus Theatre'') is the main opera house in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is considered one of the ten best opera houses in the world by National Geographic. According to a survey carried out by the acousti ...

.Enrique Anderson Imbert. Análisis de Fausto. Buenos Aires: CEAL, 1968 The last author of gauchesca is José Hernández, the author of

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 Fi ...

. Gauchesca leaves its political influences and becomes social in the sense that gauchos are disappearing, mainly due to Sarmiento and the new economic model. Hernández is considered the responsible for consolidating the gauchesco style.

Generation of 1880

The generation of 1880 emphasized the European color and cultural supremacy of

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 ...

. The migratory current of mixed ethnicity accentuated the change of the ''big village'' for the ''cosmopolitan metropolis''. The poetry of this period is lyric: Leopoldo Díaz y Almafuerte. The latter usually depicts the worker's life in passionate attacks against the contradictions of contemporary society. Almafuerte (pseudonym of Pedro Bonifacio Palacios) was also a teacher and a journalist whose opinions and articles gave him a lot of problems.

Essay 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 ...

is a recent genre that developed in the late 19th century: José Manuel Estrada, Pedro Goyena and

Joaquín V. González Joaquín Víctor González (March 6, 1863 – December 21, 1923) was an Argentine educator, political scientist, writer, magistrate, and politician. Biography Early life González was born in Nonogasta, a rural community near Chilecito, ...

. Narrative works oscillated between social issues and folk literature. The predominant tendency was

Realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

, best represented by

Miguel Cané Miguel Cané (27 January 1851 – 5 September 1905) was an Argentinian writer, lawyer, academic, journalist and politician. Cané was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, where his family was exiled. He moved to Argentina at the age of two following th ...

in his autobiographical novel '' Juvenilia''. Other writers influenced by realism were Lucio V. Mansilla, Francisco Sicardi, Benito Lynch and Carlos María Ocantos. Naturalism was also an important tendency towards the end of the century. Argentine Naturalism was commanded by

Eugenio Cambaceres Eugenio Cambaceres (1843–1888) was an Argentine writer and politician. In the 1880s he wrote four books, with ''Sin rumbo'' (1885) being his masterpiece. His promising literary career was cut short when he died of tuberculosis. Biograph ...

in his novels ''Sin rumbo'' and ''Música sentimental'', almost forgotten today. Cambaceres was inspired by

Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, also , ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of ...

's theory about the naturalistic approach to literary work, but its ideology suffered considerable alterations. Julián Martel and Antonio Argerich with added a highly loaded moral touch to Argentine naturalism.

Modern

Towards the end of the 19th century, led by the

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

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 ...

appears in Latin American literature. Preciosity of manner and a strong influence from

Symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: Arts * Symbolism (arts), a 19th-century movement rejecting Realism ** Symbolist movement in Romania, symbolist literature and visual arts in Romania during the late 19th and early 20th centuries ** Russian sym ...

sum up the new genre, which inspires the clearest voice in poetry,

, who was the author of the first Argentine

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

story. The first truly modern generation in Argentine literature is the Martinfierristas (c. 1922). The movement contributes an intellectual doctrine in which a number of current trends come together: the trend represented by 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 ...

, adscript to

ultraísmo The Ultraist movement () was a literary movement born in Spain in 1918, with the declared intention of opposing Modernismo, which had dominated Spanish poetry since the end of the 19th century. The movement was launched in the tertulias of Madr ...

, with Oliverio Girondo,

, Leopoldo Marechal and Macedonio Fernández; and the trend of Boedo, impressed by Russian

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

, with Raúl González Tuñón, César Tiempo y Elías Catelnuovo.

Ricardo Güiraldes Ricardo Güiraldes (13 February 1886 — 8 October 1927)Escuela Normal Superior de Chascomús was an Argentine novelist and poet, one of the most significant Argentine writers of his era, particularly known for his 1926 novel ''Don Segundo Sombra' ...

, however, remains classical in style, giving a whole new freshness to ''gauchesca'' poetry and writing what is perhaps the novel, ''

Don Segundo Sombra ''Don Segundo Sombra'' is a 1926 novel by Argentine rancher Ricardo Güiraldes. Like José Hernández's poem ''Martín Fierro'', its protagonist is a gaucho. However, unlike Hernandez's poem, ''Don Segundo Sombra'' does not romanticize the figu ...

''. Benito Lynch (1885–1951), an eccentric short-story writer who, like Güiraldes, does not easily fit into any "generation", wrote his quirky tales in an enchanted neo-''gauchoesque'' manner about this time. Between the end of this decade and the beginning of the following one emerged the ''Novísimos'' ("Newest"), a generation of poets (Arturo Cambours Ocampo, Carlos Carlino and José Portogalo), fiction writers (Arturo Cerretani,

Roberto Arlt Roberto Arlt (April 26, 1900 – July 26, 1942) was an Argentine novelist, storyteller, playwright, journalist and inventor. Biography He was born Roberto Godofredo Christophersen Arlt in Buenos Aires on April 26, 1900. His parents were bo ...

, Luis Maria Albamonte and Luis Horacio Velázquez) and playwrights (Roberto Valenti, Juan Oscar Ponferrada and Javier Villafañe). The group promoted philosophical reflection and a new essence for ''Argentinidad''. Leopoldo Marechal's novel Adán Buenosayres, published in 1948 and praised by Julio Cortázar in 1949. Also worthy of note is the literary work of Leonardo Castellani (1899–1981), a Jesuit priest who left a considerable bulk of essays, novels, tales and poetry. Expelled from the

Company of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

, the outspoken Castellani was also widely ignored – like his contemporary Marechal – by the literary ''intelligentsia'' of his time due to his nationalist ideology.

Generation of '37

The ''Generation of 1937'' centers on poetry, where it developed the descriptive, nostalgic and meditative in the work of Ricardo E. Molinari, Vicente Barbieri,

Olga Orozco Olga Orozco (17 March 1920 – 15 August 1999) (real name Olga Noemí Gugliotta Orozco) was an Argentine poet. She was a recipient of the FIL Award. Biography She was born in Toay, La Pampa, to Carmelo Gugliotta, a Sicilian from Capo d'Orland ...

, León Benarós and Alfonso Sola Gonzáles. Fiction writers subscribed to

idealism In philosophy, the term idealism identifies and describes metaphysical perspectives which assert that reality is indistinguishable and inseparable from perception and understanding; that reality is a mental construct closely connected t ...

and magic realism, María Granata,

Adolfo Bioy Casares Adolfo Bioy Casares (; 15 September 1914 – 8 March 1999) was an Argentine fiction writer, journalist, diarist, and translator. He was a friend and frequent collaborator with his fellow countryman Jorge Luis Borges. He is the author of the Fa ...

, Julio Cortázar,

Silvina Ocampo Silvina Ocampo (28 July 1903 – 14 December 1993) was an Argentine short story writer, poet, and artist. Ocampo's friend and collaborator Jorge Luis Borges called Ocampo "one of the greatest poets in the Spanish language, whether on this side o ...

) or to a subtler form of

Manuel Mujica Laínez Manuel Mujica LainezIn fact, the writer himself spelled his surnames without accents, as all his books published during his lifetime show. (11 September 1910 – 21 April 1984) was an Argentine novelist, essayist and art critic. He is mainly ...

, Ernesto L. Castro,

Ernesto Sabato Ernesto Sabato (June 24, 1911 – April 30, 2011) was an Argentine novelist, essayist, painter and physicist. According to the BBC he "won some of the most prestigious prizes in Hispanic literature" and "became very influential in the literary w ...

and Abelardo Arias) with some urban touches, as well as folk literature (Joaquín Gómez Bas and Roger Plá). Essayists do not abound. Antonio Pagés Larraya, Emilio Carilla, Luis Soler Cañas are some of the few who stand out, although the greatest Argentine essayist after Sarmiento – Ezequiel Martínez Estrada – also belonged to the Generation of '37. Many of these writers and a number of European ones contributed extensively to '' Sur'', a literary journal published by

Victoria Ocampo Ramona Victoria Epifanía Rufina Ocampo (7 April 1890 – 27 January 1979) was an Argentine writer and intellectual. Best known as an advocate for others and as publisher of the literary magazine '' Sur'', she was also a writer and critic in he ...

, a noted commentator on the day's culture.

Neohumanism, Existentialism and other influences

In 1950, another milestone arose: the New Humanism, a response to World War II and its aftermath. On one level are avant-gardists like Raúl Gustavo Aguirre, Edgar Bayley and Julio Llinás; on another,

existentialists Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and valu ...

: José Isaacson, Julio Arístides and Miguel Ángel Viola. Further away are those who reconcile both tendencies with a regionalist tendency: Alfredo Veiravé, Jaime Dávalos and Alejandro Nicotra. Other fiction writers left a highly charged testimony of the times:

Beatriz Guido Beatriz Guido (13 December 1924 – 4 March 1988) was an Argentine novelist and screenwriter. Biography Guido was born in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, the daughter of architect Ángel Guido (renowned as the creator of the National Flag Memorial ...

, David Viñas, Marco Denevi and

Silvina Bullrich Silvina Bullrich (October 4, 1915 – July 2, 1990) was a best-selling Argentine novelist, as well as a translator, screenwriter, critic, and academic. She was known in Argentina as ''la gran burguesa'' ("the great bourgeois lady"). Life and ...

. In a majority of the writers, a strong influence of Anglo-Saxon and

Italian poetry Italian poetry is a category of Italian literature. Italian poetry has its origins in the thirteenth century and has heavily influenced the poetic traditions of many European languages, including that of English. Features * Italian prosody is a ...

can be perceived. Of particular interest are the poetic works of two of Marechal's disciples, the poets Rafael Squirru and Fernando Demaría. A new trend started in 1960, continuing until about 1990. Its influences are heterogeneous:

Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and lite ...

, Camus, Eluard; some Spanish writers, like Camilo José Cela; and previous Argentine writers like Borges, Arlt, Cortázar and Marechal. Two trends were in evidence: the tracing of

metaphysical Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

time and

historicity Historicity is the historical actuality of persons and events, meaning the quality of being part of history instead of being a historical myth, legend, or fiction. The historicity of a claim about the past is its factual status. Historicity denot ...

(Horacio Salas, Alejandra Pizarnik, Ramón Plaza) and the examination of urban and social disarray: ( Abelardo Castillo, Marta Lynch,

Manuel Puig Juan Manuel Puig Delledonne (December 28, 1932 – July 22, 1990), commonly called Manuel Puig, was an Argentine author. Among his best-known novels are '' La traición de Rita Hayworth'' (''Betrayed by Rita Hayworth'', 1968), ''Boquitas pint ...

, Alicia Steinberg).

Dirty War

The 1970s were a dark period for intellectual creation in Argentina. The epoch is characterised by the exile (

Juan Gelman Juan Gelman (3 May 1930 – 14 January 2014) was an Argentine poet. He published more than twenty books of poetry between 1956 and his death in early 2014. He was a naturalized citizen of Mexico, country where he arrived as a political exile of th ...

Antonio Di Benedetto Antonio di Benedetto (2 November 1922 – 10 October 1986) was an Argentine novelist, short story writer and journalist. Career Di Benedetto began writing and publishing stories in his adolescence, inspired by the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky an ...

) or death (Roberto Santoro, Haroldo Conti, and

Rodolfo Walsh Rodolfo Jorge Walsh (January 9, 1927 – March 25, 1977) was an Argentine writer and journalist of Irish descent, considered the founder of investigative journalism. He is most famous for his '' Open Letter from a Writer to the Military Junta'', w ...

) of major writers. The remaining literary journalists, like

Liliana Heker Liliana Heker (born 1943) is an Argentine writer. She wrote and edited left-wing literary journals during the Dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s, using veiled critiques as a means of protest and engaging in vigorous debate with exiled writers su ...

, veiled their opinions in their work. Some journalists (

), poets (Agustín Tavitián and Antonio Aliberti), fiction writers (

Osvaldo Soriano Osvaldo Soriano (January 6, 1943 – January 29, 1997) was an Argentine journalist and writer.Osvaldo Soriano
at the

, Fernando Sorrentino), and essayists (Ricardo Herrera, María Rosa Lojo) stood out among the vicissitudes and renewed the field of ethical and aesthetic ideas.

Current

The 1990s are marked by reunion among survivors of different generations, in an intellectual coalition for the review of values and texts as Argentina faced the end of the century. Some examples are Alan Pauls, Mario Areca, Aníbal Cristobo, Ernesto de Sanctis, Marco Denevi,

Edgar Brau Edgar Brau is an Argentine writer, stage director and artist. Biography Edgar Brau was born in Argentina. He engaged in different occupations: he was an actor, a stage director, a painter of icons, a photographer, until he completely devoted ...

and some more.

Notes

References

External links

Historia de la Literatura Argentina
(Spanish)

(Spanish)

(Spanish)
Biblioteca básica de literatura argentina

(Spanish)

(Spanish)

Argentine Literature in Argentina.ar
English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Argentine Literature Latin American literature by country South American literature Spanish-language literature