The Boom in Latin American Literature Essay examples

The Boom in Latin American Literature Simply defined, the Boom refers to the period in Latin American literature in which a number of writers achieved international acclaim for their work. It is primarily associated with the novel, although a few of the Boom writers were recognized for work in other forms as well. The Boom was in full swing throughout the 1960s and the early seventies, though precursors to the Boom, most notably Jorge Luis Borges, were internationally known as early as the 1940s. While the novels of the Boom varied substantially, and it is hard to make any all-inclusive generalizations concerning them, it is a common perception that the novels from the Boom period differed from previous Latin American writing not†¦show more content†¦The settings of these novels tended to be more universal than in the past. Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquezs Macondo, for example, could be just about anywhere. The story transcends the setting, and becomes human rather than Latin American. This transition from the regional novel to the Boom novel was the result of many colliding and coinciding forces. One important factor was the Cuban Revolution. This gave many Latin American writers, such as Cortà ¡zar, Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez, Fuentes, and Vargas Llosa, each of whom visited Cuba to show their support for the Cuban Revolution, a sort of intellectual rallying point. In fact, Castro consciously attempted to cultivate Havana as a center for Latin American intellectual activity, and pro-revolution idealists (Williams 56). Another factor was the increasing attention that U.S. publishing houses began to give to Latin American authors. Led by Harper and Row, publishers brought Latin American novels to a readership much broader than ever before (Williams 56). A magazine published in Paris, Mundo Nuevo, also brought international attention to the Boom writers (Williams 58). It was now possible for successful Latin American writers to make a living off of writing novels. This, a s much as anything, facilitated the Boom. The Boom was not just a literary period, however. The four major authors associated with the Boom, Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez, Fuentes, Cortà ¡zar, and Vargas Llosa, were also friends and close associates. From theShow MoreRelatedHistory And Latin American Literature1873 Words   |  8 PagesMany works in Latin American literature can be attributed to the multitude of historical events that transpired within the overtake of the Latin American continent by the Spanish. This interplay between Latin American literature and history gave rise to different movements as well as different styles of writing that the world had not really experienced before. When one is examining the relationship between history and Latin American Literature, it is important to chronologically analyze its materializationRead MoreEssay on 20th Century Latin American Literature3323 Words   |  14 Pages20th Century Latin American Literature Global literatures in English have always played a key role in developing international understanding and appreciation for the social realities and cultural developments beyond Western lifestyles and familiarity. For anthropologists seeking to perceive the social realities of 20th century Latin America, the work of popular authors and novelists of this century is invaluable. Popular authors are the modern mouthpieces of the people and societies who readRead MoreThe Culture Of Latin America Essay1630 Words   |  7 PagesThe culture of Latin America is multi-faceted and rich. 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After the colonizationRead MoreEssay on One Hundred Years of Solitude858 Words   |  4 Pagesworlds greatest writers, Gabriel Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez is a Colombian-born author and journalist, winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize for Literature and a pioneer of the Latin American Boom. Affectionately known as Gabo to millions of readers, he first won international fame with h is masterpiece, One Hundred Years of Solitude, a defining classic of twentieth century literature. Whether writing short stories, epic novels, or nonfiction, Gabo is above all a brilliant storyteller, and his writing is a tributeRead More Essay on One Hundred Years of solitude869 Words   |  4 Pagesworld’s greatest writers, Gabriel Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez is a Colombian-born author and journalist, winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize for Literature and a pioneer of the Latin American â€Å"Boom.† Affectionately known as â€Å"Gabo† to millions of readers, he first won international fame with his masterpiece, One Hundred Years of Solitude, a defining classic of twentieth century literature. Whether writing short stories, epic novels, or nonfiction, Gabo is above all a brilliant storyteller, and his writing is a tributeRead MoreMagic Realism in Como Agua Para Chocolate2382 Words   |  10 Pagesdescribe the work of certain Latin American writers. The Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier (a friend of Uslar-Pietri) used the term lo real maravilloso (roughly marvelous reality) in the prologue to his novel The Kingdom of this World (1949). Carpentiers conception was of a kind of heightened reality in which elements of the miraculous could appear without seeming forced and unnatural. Carpentiers work was a key influence on the writers of the Latin American boom that emerged in the 1960s.