Argentina Novels
The novel has had great development, although in the country it lacked traditions. In fact, until independence (1810) the “veto” imposed by the authorities persisted: there was the fear that the Indians might mistake the false stories for true, or be induced to consider even the books of law and dogma; and even the introduction of Don Quijote was forbidden, which indeed arrived in America from the very first prints, but smuggled, and could only be read clandestinely. The popular need for stories was provided by oral narratives, generally of folkloristic origin. It was only between 1820 and 1850 that European novels began to be read and translated; and at the same time the first novels of Argentine authors were born:of Echeverría, the Esther of Cané, the Soledad of Miter; but they too were, for the most part, composed abroad during the ban. More extensive and notable attempts were, towards the middle of the century. XIX, the Amalia by José Mármol, a famous political novel that takes place under the tyranny of Rosas, and the historical novels by Vicente Fidel López, entitled La novia del hereje and La loca de la Guardia (works in the manner of Dumas). A son of López (Lucio Vicente) followed in his father’s footsteps in this same genre, attempting the novel of costumes in the Gran Aldea, humorous description of the city of Buenos Aires before 1880. Eugenio Cambacères, author of Silbido de un Vago, Sin Rumboand En la Sangre (1880-1890 ), books which, for their crude realistic descriptions in the manner of Zola, achieved resounding success at that time. The economic and political crisis of 1890 found its novelist in Julián Martel (pseudonym of José Miró), author of La Bolsa ; and at that time two doctors also achieved great fame: Francisco Sicardi, with Libro Extraño, and Manuel Podestá with Irresponsable, Alma de niña and Daniel ; but their aesthetic value is not great. Of a certain importance for the emergence of a true Argentine novel is the work of some fragmentist prose writers who in the field of the novel only made excursions, but prepared for its advent: among them we remember Lucio Mansilla, author of Memorias, Rozas and of an Excursion to the Indios Ranqueles ; Santiago Estrada, author of Viajes and Un Hogar en la Pampa ; Miguel Cané, son of the author of Esther, himself the author of Juvenilia, and of other narrative prose; Eduardo Wilde, original humorist, who, in addition to various travel books, composed autobiographical reports (Aguas abajo) and admirable stories, such as Trini and La Lluvia ; José S. Alvárez (Fray Mocho), author of Los Matreros, El Mar Austral, and Cuentos with a Creole flavor; Bartolito Miter, author of Serias y Humoristicas ; José María Cantilo, author of La Familia de Quilango ; Martín García Merou, author of Ley Sociai and Perfiles ; Juana Manuela Gorriti and Eduarda Mansilla de García. With the century XX finally came, for the art of fiction in Argentina, the period of great flowering. For Argentina 2015, please check dentistrymyth.com.
The short stories Las Fuerzas extrañas by Lugones Borderland and La Eterna Angustia by Attilio Chiappori Pago Chico and El Casamiento de Laucha by Roberto Payró; the works of Horacio Quiroga; the novels La Gloria by Don Ramiro and Zogoibi by Enrico Larreta, La Maestra Normal, and El Mal Metafísico by Manuel Gálvez, El Nieto de Juan Moreira by Roberto Payró, Flor de Durazno and Valle Negro by Martínez Zuviría (Hugo Wast), Don Segundo Sombra by Riccardo Güiraldes, are, both as expressions of Argentine life and as artistic creations, works of intrinsic high value, which can in some respects stand up to comparison with contemporary European production. Among the novelists of the most recent generation we will only remember: Benito Lynch (the Florida Sparrowhawks have already appeared in Italian translation), Manuel Alvez, Arturo Mom, Guillermo Estrella, Enrique Gonzales Tuñon, EMS Danero (Amor de Principe, La aventura negra), Victor Juan Guillot (El alma en el pozo, Historias sin importancia), Fausto Burgos, B. Gonzales Arrili, L. Barletta, Alvaro Yunque, L. Castelnuovo, Roberto Mariani, Hector Blomberg, evocative evocator of distant ports and life on board, Ernesto Morales (of whom he already translated some colorful stories into Italian G. Agenore Magno), Alberto Gerchunoff (Proezas de amor), Fernán F. de Amador, Iglesiao. Particularly effective in the analysis of the life of city environments is Felix Lima, and happy descriptions of provincial life have been given by Juan Carlos Dávalos and M. Ugarte. The right tone of the story for children found RL López, Argentina Lagorio (El traje maravilloso y otros cuentos a Chalito), Guzmán Saavedra. Argentina Cancela (El burro de Maruf, tres relatos porteños), E. Méndez Calzada, Roberto Gache (Paris Glosario Argentino) wrote pages of witty humor.
