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''Los Contemporáneos'' (which means "The Contemporaries" in English) can refer to a Mexican
modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
group, active in the late 1920s and early 1930s, as well as to the literary magazine which served as the group's
mouthpiece Mouthpiece may refer to: * The part of an object which comes near or in contact with one's mouth or nose during use ** Mouthpiece (smoking pipe) or cigarette holder ** Mouthpiece (telephone handset) ** Mouthpiece (woodwind), a component of a wood ...
and artistic vehicle from 1928 to 1931. In a way, they were opposed to stridentism. The group had its origins in friendships and literary collaborations that were formed among students attending
Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
's elite National Preparatory School; that is where founding members José Gorostiza, Carlos Pellicer,
Bernardo Ortiz de Montellano Bernardo Ortiz de Montellano (Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is ...
, Enrique González Rojo, and
Jaime Torres Bodet Jaime Mario Torres Bodet (17 April 1902 – 13 May 1974) was a prominent Mexican politician and writer who served in the executive cabinet of three Presidents of Mexico. He was the second Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Sci ...
met for the first time. This core group would all go on to attend together the
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public university, public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countri ...
, specifically its Faculty of
Jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...
, where they would come under the influence of professors Antonio Caso and
Enrique González Martínez Enrique González Martínez (April 13, 1871 in Guadalajara, Jalisco – February 19, 1952 in Mexico City) was a Mexican poet, diplomat, surgeon and obstetrician. His poetry is considered to be primarily Modernist in nature, with elements of Fre ...
, both of whom were associated with the
literary society A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of writing or a specific author. Modern literary societies typically promote research, publish newslet ...
Ateneo de México. Following this, a new generationally oriented and constituted society named the Nuevo Ateneo de la Juventud was formed in 1918. As a literary generation, the group was heir to
modernismo ''Modernismo'' is a literary movement that took place primarily during the end of the nineteenth and early 20th century in the Spanish-speaking world, best exemplified by Rubén Darío, who is known as the father of ''modernismo''. The term ''m ...
, the work of
Ramón López Velarde Ramón López Velarde (June 15, 1888 – June 19, 1921) was a Mexican poet. His work was a reaction against French-influenced '' modernismo'' which, as an expression of a purely Mexican subject matter and emotional experience, is unique. He ach ...
, and the tradition of the European
avant garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...
. It was during this time that work by Los Contemporáneos began appearing in magazines and student periodicals such as ''
Pegaso Pegaso (, "Pegasus") was a Spanish manufacturer of trucks, buses, tractors, armored vehicles, and, for a while, to train apprentices, and have a good brand image, some sports cars. The parent company, Enasa, was created in 1946 and based in t ...
'' (1917) and ''San-Ev-Ank'' (1918). In 1921, Salvador Novo and Xavier Villaurrutia joined the group; Jorge Cuesta and Gilberto Owen would later enter its orbit as well. Los Contemporáneos benefited from government support during the period when
José Vasconcelos José Vasconcelos Calderón (28 February 1882 – 30 June 1959), called the "cultural " of the Mexican Revolution, was an important Mexicans, Mexican writer, philosopher, and politician. He is one of the most influential and controversial pers ...
was
Secretary of Public Education In Mexico, the Secretariat of Public Education (Spanish language, in Spanish ''Secretaría de Educación Pública'', ''SEP'') is a federal government authority with Cabinet (government), cabinet representation and the responsibility for overseein ...
(1920–24). Antonieta Rivas Mercado was also a member, as well as their patron. Members of the group began writing for and collaborating in magazines and other literary venues. They also started their own publications, the first of which, ''México Moderno'', was described as an "art and literature
review A review is an evaluation of a publication, product, service, or company or a critical take on current affairs in literature, politics or culture. In addition to a critical evaluation, the review's author may assign the work a content rating, ...
" and ran from 1920 to 1923. ''La Falange'' (December 1922-February 1923), labeled a "review of Latin culture", and ''
Ulises Ulises is a Spanish-language given name. It is the Spanish form of the English name Ulysses, which itself derives from a Latin form of Odysseus (a legendary Greek king). People with the name * Ulises Adame de León (born 1959), Mexican politicia ...
'' (May 1927–February 1928; see also Teatro Ulises), billed as a source of "curiosity and
criticism Criticism is the construction of a judgement about the negative or positive qualities of someone or something. Criticism can range from impromptu comments to a written detailed response. , ''the act of giving your opinion or judgment about the ...
", were two other short-lived, though influential, literary journals founded and directed by Contemporáneos. In 1928, Torres Bodet inaugurated the group's longest-lived editorial endeavor, the magazine ''Contemporáneos''. From June 1928 until December 1931 the magazine published, along with representative work by its founding members and allies, pieces by older, more established Mexican,
Latin American Latin Americans (; ) are the citizenship, citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their Latin American diaspora, diasporas are Metroethnicity, ...
, and
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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
writers, as well as
translation Translation is the communication of the semantics, meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The English la ...
s of favored American and
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
an authors. The rich and varied content of the publication was complemented by expensive details such as fine magazine paper and photographs and illustrations (made possible by continued government subventions). In 1928, Jorge Cuesta would also publish, under the
aegis The aegis ( ; ''aigís''), as stated in the ''Iliad'', is a device carried by Athena and Zeus, variously interpreted as an animal skin or a shield and sometimes featuring the head of a Gorgon. There may be a connection with a deity named Aex, a ...
of the Contemporáneos press, a
poetic Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
titled ''Antología de la poesía mexicana moderna'', which would give rise to heated
polemic Polemic ( , ) is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called polemics, which are seen in arguments on controversial to ...
s because of what were perceived, in certain literary and intellectual quarters, as glaring editorial omissions. Needless to say, much of the anthology's pages were taken up by the poetic output of Contemporáneos.


Los Contemporáneos: tradition and innovation

The group's central
ideological An ideology is a set of beliefs or values attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely about belief in certain knowledge, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones". Form ...
position can be described as one of "contemporary ence the name cultural
universalism Universalism is the philosophical and theological concept within Christianity that some ideas have universal application or applicability. A belief in one fundamental truth is another important tenet in universalism. The living truth is se ...
": they were aware of the emergence of an unprecedented universality of cultural expression and innovation (brought about by capitalism's advance and accelerating technological progress), which they sought to not simply participate in, but, through their own particular vantage point as Mexican artists, contribute to as well. As individuals and as a group they would go on to expand the horizons of Mexican poetry. The Contemporáneos always expressed great appreciation for
La Nouvelle Revue Française LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...
and its coterie of writers. They were also greatly attentive to the evolution of
surrealism Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...
, and members of the group, while in Europe, made contact with leaders of the movement, including
André Breton André Robert Breton (; ; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') ...
, author of the
Surrealist Manifesto The Surrealist Manifesto refers to several publications by Yvan Goll and André Breton, leaders of rival Surrealism, surrealist groups. Goll and Breton both published manifestos in October 1924 titled ''Manifeste du surréalisme''. Breton wrote ...
. The most important literary models and precursors of the Contemporáneos were:
Guillaume Apollinaire Guillaume Apollinaire (; ; born Kostrowicki; 26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist and art critic of Poland, Polish descent. Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of the ...
,
Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau ( , ; ; 5 July 1889 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, film director, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost avant-garde artists of the 20th-c ...
,
André Gide André Paul Guillaume Gide (; 22 November 1869 – 19 February 1951) was a French writer and author whose writings spanned a wide variety of styles and topics. He was awarded the 1947 Nobel Prize in Literature. Gide's career ranged from his begi ...
,
Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust ( ; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, literary critic, and essayist who wrote the novel (in French – translated in English as ''Remembrance of Things Past'' and more r ...
,
T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist and playwright.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biography''. New York: Oxford University ...
and Juan Ramón Jiménez; with Gide and Proust being paramount.


Critical assessment

The Contemporáneos produced work which was characterized by the extensive, sometimes essentializing, use of
metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...
, and complex
image An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be di ...
ry, which served to express experimental disjointments in
narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether non-fictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller ...
time and space meant to convey or reinforce particular philosophical or scientific concepts or concerns. At times, the Contemporáneos were accused of literary effetism and
elitism Elitism is the notion that individuals who form an elite — a select group with desirable qualities such as intellect, wealth, power, physical attractiveness, notability, special skills, experience, lineage — are more likely to be construc ...
, especially when compared to groups more politically vocal and
nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
, such as the estridentistas, and of giving excessive preference to the airy and philosophical over the robust, the manly, and the mundane.


Bibliography

*(Spanish) Abreu Gómez, Ermilo. ''Contemporáneos, Las revistas de México'', Mexico: Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, 1963. *(Spanish) Alboukrek, Arrón. ''Diccionario de Escritores Hispanoamericanos'', Mexico: Ediciones Larousse, 1991. *(English) Cortés, Eladio. ''Dictionary of Mexican Literature'', Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1992. *(English) Oropesa, Salvador. ''The Contemporáneos Group: rewriting Mexico in the 1930s and 1940s'', Austin:
University of Texas Press The University of Texas Press (or UT Press) is the university press of the University of Texas at Austin. Established in 1950, the Press publishes scholarly and trade books in several areas, including Latin American studies, Caribbean, Caribbea ...
, 2003. *(Spanish) Sheridan, Guillermo. ''Los Contemporáneos ayer'', México: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2003. *(Spanish) Madrigal Hernández, Érika. ''Tamayo y los Contemporáneos: El discurso de lo clásico y lo universal''. ''Anales del Instituto de Investigationes Estéticas'', México, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México-Instituto de Investigationes Estéticas, vol. XXX, núm. 92, primavera de 2008, pp. 155–189. *(Spanish) Hadatty Mora, Yanna. ''La ciudad paroxista. Prosa mexicana de vanguardia (1921–1932)'', México:
UNAM The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countries. It also has 34 ...
, 2009.


External links

*(English
The Contemporaneos
*(Spanish) por
Salvador Elizondo Salvador Elizondo Alcalde (December 19, 1932, in Mexico City – March 29, 2006) was a Mexican writer of the 60s Generation of Mexican literature. Regarded as one of the creators of the most influential cult noirè, experimental, intelligent ...
*(Spanish
Los Contemporáneos Ayer
de Guillermo Sheridan *(Spanish
Los Contemporáneos
at the Centro Virtual Cervantes {{DEFAULTSORT:Contemporaneos 1928 establishments in Mexico 1931 disestablishments in Mexico Defunct literary magazines Defunct magazines published in Mexico Latin American literature Magazines established in 1928 Magazines disestablished in 1931 Mexican literary movements Literary magazines published in Mexico Poetry movements Poetry literary magazines Spanish-language magazines