Colombian literature

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Nobel Prize winner in Literature, Gabriel Garcia Marquez for his masterpiece "One Hundred Years of Solitude"

Colombian literature, as an expression of the culture of Colombia, is heterogeneous due to the coexistence of Spanish, African and Native American heritages in an extremely diverse geography. Five distinct historical and cultural traditions can be identified, with their own socioeconomic history: the Caribbean coast, Greater Antioquia, the Cundinamarca-Boyacá Highlands, Greater Tolima and the Western Valley.

Colonial period (1499-1810)

Under the Spanish Empire, major literary topics included conquest narratives, chronicles, religious devotion, and love themes. Some of the best-known authors of this period are:

• Hernando Domínguez Camargo (Bogotá, 1606 – Tunja, 1659), Jesuit priest and writer. His work was influenced by the Spanish poet Luis de Góngora, in a cultural trend known as the Indias Baroque. His most recognized works are ”Epic Poem to St Ignacio of Loyola” and “Bouquet of poetic flowers”.
• Francisco Álvarez de Velasco y Zorrilla (Bogotá, 1647 – Madrid, 1708). His main work was Rhytmica Sacra, Moral y Laudatiria. His writings show admiration for the work of Francisco de Quevedo and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.
• Francisca Josefa de Castillo y Guevara. Tunjan nun, recognized as one of the most important female authors of mysticism for her Afectos espirituales and her Vida (memoirs).
• Juan de Castellanos. Wrote the longest poem ever in the Spanish language, Elegías de Varones Ilustres de Indias.
• Juan Rodríguez Freyle. Spanish priest, wrote the extensive chronicle of colonial life El Carnero (The Sheep).

Emancipation and national consolidation (1780-1830)

The republic forces defeated the Spanish Empire in the Battle of Boyacá

During the process of independence, Colombian literature was strongly influenced by the political motivations of the moment. The main literary movements were close to Romanticism.

During the nineteenth century, political writing was led by Simón Bolívar. Local journalism was initiated by Antonio Nariño. The Colombian government established the first Academy of Spanish language in the American continent, in 1871.

Other relevant authors were:

• Camilo Torres Tenorio
• Francisco Antonio Zea.
• José Fernández Madrid (February 19, 1789 – June 28, 1830).

Costumbrismo

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the main topic in Colombian literature was the colourful depiction of peasant life, tied to strong criticism of society and government. This type of literature was called costumbrista literature. Some of the authors of this period are:

• Tomás Carrasquilla
• Adolfo León Gómez
• José María Cordovez Moure
• Jorge Isaacs
• Julio Arboleda
• Gregorio Gutiérrez González
• Rafael Pombo
• Soledad Acosta
• Josefa Acevedo de Gomez
• Candelario Obeso
• Manuel Ancízar

Modern literature

File:Joseeustaciorivera1.png

José Eustasio Rivera in 1928, author of La Vorágine, a novel that depicts the brutal slavery of the native American forced to harvest latex from the Para rubber tree.

Modernismo and modernism are reactions against the previous literature of Romanticism. Modernism's main topics are ugliness and mystery. The main modern writers are:

• Emilia Ayarza
• Jose Eustasio Rivera
• Rafael Maya
• León de Greiff
• Luis Vidales
• Luis Carlos López
• Germán Arciniegas
• Porfirio Barba-Jacob
• José María Vargas Vila

Stone and Sky (Piedra y Cielo)

Main article: Stone and Sky (movement)

The industrialization process in Latin America during the twentieth century generated new literary movements such as the poetic movement named “Piedra y cielo” (1939). Its main authors are:

• Eduardo Carranza
• Jorge Gaitán Durán
• Jorge Rojas
• Arturo Camacho Ramírez

Nothing-ism (Nadaísmo)

Main article: Nadaísmo

The violent events in Colombia during the 1940s and 1950s, such as La Violencia and the military government of Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, as well as a considerable urban expansion, influenced in the formation of the Nadaísta (Nothing-ist) movement, which was the Colombian expression of numerous avant-garde-like movements in the poetry of the Americas during the 1950s and 60s (such as the *Beat Generation in the United States and the Tzanticos in Ecuador). Nadaísmo included elements of existentialism and nihilism, a dynamic incorporation of city life, and a generally irreverent, iconoclastic flavor. Authors who were part of this movement include:

• Gonzalo Arango
• Jotamario Arbeláez
• Eduardo Escobar
• Fanny Buitrago
• Amílcar Osorio
• Jaime Jaramillo Escobar
• Dukardo Hinestrosa
• Kaleigh Mendonca

The Boom

Yellow butterflies are a distinctive feature in 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia

The Latin American Boom was a prolific period for Colombian literature.

• Gabriel García Márquez
• Eduardo Caballero Calderón
• Manuel Mejía Vallejo
• Álvaro Mutis
• Manuel Zapata Olivella
• Andres Caicedo
• Alfredo Iriarte
• Germán Arciniegas
• Álvaro Cepeda Samudio
• Nicole Kammerer

Contemporary authors

La virgen de los sicarios is a LGBT related novel by Fernando Vallejo

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Disillusioned Generation / Generación Desencantada

This generation groups a broad and ambiguous list of writers, poets who began to publish after the Nadaísmo movement (see above) in the 1970s. Poets like Giovanni Quessep, Harold Alvarado Tenorio, Juan Gustavo Cobo Borda, Elkin Restrepo, José Manuel Arango, Darío Jaramillo Agudelo, Augusto Pinilla, María Mercedes Carranza, and Juan Manuel Roca among many others, have been considered part of this generation, although they have differences in style, themes and ideology.

Recent generations

Some writers like Cristian Valencia, Alberto Salcedo Ramos and Jorge Enrique Botero, have written literary journalism, close to Gonzo style. In fiction there are authors like Hector Abad Faciolince, Santiago Gamboa, Juan Sebastian Cardenas, Nahum Montt, Miguel Mendoza Luna, Sebastian Pineda Buitrago, Mauricio Loza, Ignacio Arroyave Piedrhíta, Antonio Garcia, Mario Mendoza, James Canon, Ricardo Abdahllah, Juan Pablo Plata, Evelio Rosero Diago, Antonio Ungar, Laura Restrepo, Ruben Varona, William Ospina, David Alberto Campos, Oscar Perdomo Gamboa, Juan Esteban Constain, Juan Álvarez, Antonio Iriarte, Esmir Garcés, Antonieta Villamil, Winston Morales, Efraim Medina Reyes, Ricardo Silva Romero and many others.

Recent poetry

In recent decades, in Colombia there has been a significant number of poets of importance, who deal with urban issues and anti-poetry. Among them are Antonieta Villamil, Andrea Cote, Lucia Estrada, Felipe García Quintero, whose poetry has been recognized internationally.

Narco literature

During the early years of the 1990 decade it began to appear in Colombian literature the reality of the drug and political hereditary violence. Titles like The Reader (La Lectora) by Sergio Álvarez and Rosario Tijeras by Jorge Franco and Our Lady of the Assassins (La virgen de los sicarios) by Fernando Vallejo began to portray the new fears and obsessions that the country had acquired at this stage of violence. Cities are the new scene of such violence, after many year of being told as rural case. Recently, there were published works which made a more extensive approach to the issue of drug trafficking and the involvement of it in the lives of Colombians. Works written by Juan Gabriel Vásquez and Sergio Álvarez.

Poetry

• Emilia Ayarza
• José Asunción Silva
• Porfirio Barba-Jacob
• Piedad Bonnet
• Antonieta Villamil
• José Fernández Madrid
• Jorge Isaacs
• Rafael Pombo
• Zacarías Reyán
• Julio Flórez

Children's literature

Some of the characters most recognized in Colombian children's literature and the popular imaginary are the stock characters created by Rafael Pombo, which are often found in nursery rhymes, familiar folk tales and in the textbooks for elementary school.

• Rinrinrenacuajo.jpg

  "El renacuajo paseador" (The tripping tadpole also known as Rin Rin the tadpole)

• Pastorcitapombo.jpg

  "Pastorcita" (Sheep keeper girl)

• Michinthecat.jpg

  "El Gato bandido" (The bandit cat, also known as Michin the cat)

• Pobreviejecita.jpg

  "La pobre Viejecita" (Poor old Lady)

• 

  "Simón el Bobito" (Little dumb Simon)

Other important children literature authors are:

• Jairo Anibal Niño: with his works "La alegria de querer" (The joy of love), "Razzgo, Indo y Zas", "Catalino Bocachica" among others
• Euclides Jaramillo: with the "Tales of Uncle rabbit".

From the 1980s, young adult fiction authors Gloria Cecilia Díaz, Irene Vasco, Evelio José Rosero, Yolanda Reyes and Pilar Lozano introduced new subjects for the genre such as conflict, kidnapping, death and fear. http://web.archive.org/web/http://www.ciudadviva.gov.co/octubre07/magazine/3/index.php Recent picture book voices include the work of Ivar da Coll, Claudia Rueda, Jairo Buitrago and Rafael Yockteng.

See also

• List of Colombian writers