Criollismo: Latin American Literary Movement and Its Roots

Myths, Legends, and Epic Narratives

The Enduring Power of Storytelling

The origins of myths and legends, passed down through generations via storytelling, are often difficult to determine. Different versions of these narratives gradually formed over time.

Defining Epic Poems

Epic narrative poems are extensive, often anonymous works that recount events in a real or imaginary place in a distant past. They typically represent the collective feelings or identity of a people or nation.

Key Figures in Latin American Literature

Early Literary Trends

• Bonalde's literary trend is primarily poetry.
• Eduardo Blanco, a heroic author, hails from Venezuela.

Criollismo: A Defining Latin American Literary Movement

What is Criollismo?

Criollismo is a significant literary movement that emerged in Latin America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is characterized by its profound realism in describing the lives of gauchos, indigenous peoples, and Afro-descendants.

This movement also encompasses a set of customs and traditions, often expressed through Creole songs and cultural practices.

Core Characteristics of Criollista Literature

Criollismo, also known as "regionalism," gained prominence in Latin America during the first three decades of the twentieth century. Its writers demonstrated a defined nationalist stance in their art, reflecting a maturing literary consciousness.

These Americanist writers were unconcerned with the weight of European tradition, focusing their interest squarely on the American continent. Unlike the American Romantics (e.g., Echeverría) and Indigenists of the same period (e.g., Zorrilla de San Martín), Criollista authors centered their narratives on the landscape rather than solely on individuals. Consequently, their works are highly descriptive.

Furthermore, the characters in their works are often portrayed as victims of the brutal, bleak, yet magnificent American nature.

Criollista authors were excellent artists who mastered the art of the novel and short story, forms that had matured in Latin America following the works of Modernist poets and prose writers. They continued this tradition of crafting authentic art through modernist writing, but with a strong emphasis on national content, contrasting with the cosmopolitan themes preferred by their predecessors.

• They mastered language manipulation and regionalism, demonstrating deep knowledge of syntactic vocabulary, which they used authentically in their works.
• Dialogues were characterized by their fidelity to local dialects.
• They thoroughly understood the psychology of the inhabitants of these regions, presenting them without exaggerations or unrealistic idealizations.

Prominent Criollista Authors

• Rómulo Gallegos (Venezuela)
• Francisco Lazo Martí (Venezuela)
• José Eustasio Rivera (Colombia)
• Horacio Quiroga (Uruguay-Argentina)
• Ricardo Güiraldes (Argentina)
• Benito Lynch (Argentina)