Evolution of the Hispanic-American Novel and Short Story

The Hispanic-American Novel and Short Story

Following its awakening, the genre underwent a major renovation, superior to that seen in the rest of the world. Until the forties, the Hispanic-American novel and short story flowed through the channel of realismo costumbrista. During these years, the following trends emerged:

Novel of the Earth

Describes American nature in all its grandeur, with stories based on the impact of nature on the men who live in it, such as Doña Bárbara.

Indianist Novel

The central theme is the injustice caused by the white man in Indian society, exemplified by The World Is Wide and Alien.

Political Novel

This group includes novels concerning the Mexican Revolution, such as The Underdogs (Los de abajo).

Narrative Shifts (1945–1960)

Between 1945 and 1960, Latin American narrative displayed new features that distinguished it from previous works, driven by a new conception of the world and life. The main changes included:

• The emergence of new issues integrating urban and contemporary human problems.
• The introduction of fantasy and the irrational, leading to magical realism.
• The abandonment of nineteenth-century realist aesthetics in favor of new narrative techniques.

The Novel of the Sixties: Magical Realism

The great renewal in Latin American narrative occurred in the 60s. Key themes included the existential crisis of the individual, the figure of the dictator, and Latin American history. This era produced a succession of dazzling novels, most notably One Hundred Years of Solitude.

The Most Recent Novel

From the seventies to the present, established authors have continued to publish, joined by new voices. The narrative of these years reduces the technical complexity of previous works to create a novel that is more accessible to the reader. Essential titles from this period include Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez and Three Trapped Tigers by Guillermo Cabrera Infante.

The Hispanic Short Story

The short story has been a widely cultivated narrative genre in Latin America since the forties. From the sixties to the present, the short stories of the Latin American Boom narrators were often overshadowed by the success of their novels. However, one of the leading innovators of the genre is Julio Cortázar, who reveals a complex reality through his stories.