José Hernández (born José Rafael Hernández y Pueyrredón; November 10, 1834 – October 21, 1886) was an

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, ...

journalist, poet, and politician best known as the author of the

epic poem An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...

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 ...

''.

Biography

Hernández, whose ancestry was

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 ...

, was born on a farm near San Martín (

Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...

). His father was a

majordomo A majordomo is a person who speaks, makes arrangements, or takes charge for another. Typically, this is the highest (''major'') person of a household (''domūs'' or ''domicile'') staff, a head servant who acts on behalf of the owner of a large ...

or foreman of a series of cattle ranches. His career was to be an alternation between stints on the '' Federal'' side in the civil wars of Argentina and

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 ...

and life as a newspaperman, a short stint as an employee of a commercial firm, and a period as stenographer to the legislature of the Confederation. Hernández founded the newspaper ''El Río de la Plata'', which advocated local autonomy, abolition of the conscripted "frontier contingents", and election of justices of the peace, military commanders, and school boards. He opposed immigration, because he believed it undermined the pastoral foundation of the region's wealth. He envisioned a federal republic based in pastoralism, but also featuring a strong system of education and a literate population. Although a federalist opposed to the centralizing, modernizing, and Europeanizing tendencies of Argentine president

Domingo 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 ...

, Hernández was no apologist for General

Juan Manuel de Rosas Juan Manuel José Domingo Ortiz de Rosas (30 March 1793 – 14 March 1877), nicknamed "Restorer of the Laws", was an Argentine politician and army officer who ruled Buenos Aires Province and briefly the Argentine Confederation. Although ...

, whom he characterized as a tyrant and a despot. Hernández is known today almost exclusively for his masterpiece ''Martín Fierro'', the epic poem that stands as the pinnacle of gauchesque literature. The poem was apparently begun during a period of exile in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

following the defeat at Ñaembé (1870) and was published in two parts (in 1872 and 1879). Hernández died of heart disease October 21, 1886, in Belgrano, which was at that time a separate suburb, and is currently a

neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

of the city 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 ...

. He was buried in

La Recoleta Cemetery La Recoleta Cemetery ( es, Cementerio de la Recoleta) is a cemetery located in the Recoleta neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It contains the graves of notable people, including Eva Perón, presidents of Argentina, Nobel Prize winners, ...

References

* Jorge Luis Borges, "José Hernández", in ''El Martín Fierro'' ()

External links

* * * *
Historical-biographical study on José Hernández
epílogue to the full text of ''Martín Fierro (Ida y Vuelta)'', pages 474 to 495 of the 1995 online edition of the poem (free access) by the Buenos Aires City Govt. (Spanish). {{DEFAULTSORT:Hernandez, Jose 1834 births 1886 deaths People from San Martín, Buenos Aires Argentine journalists 19th-century Argentine poets Argentine male poets Argentine people of Spanish descent Argentine people of French descent Burials at La Recoleta Cemetery Argentine people of Irish descent 19th-century journalists Male journalists 19th-century male writers