Located in the Western part of South America is a wonderful country by the name of Peru. Peru is a country rich with culture and filled with great authors. Literature in Peru is extensive and touching. There is a large and wide variety of cultures which has enriched the arts of Peru. Whether reading the poetry of Martin Adan or the novels of Mario Vargas Llosa, Peruvian literature crawls deep into your soul, pulls at your heart strings, and challenges your intellect all at once.
Peruvian literature is an art form which includes not only the current writings of poets, novelists, and authors, but rather it goes back to the time of the colonial period. During this time, much of the literature works at hand were verbal in nature and included the prehispanic period as well. Much of this literature was shared through indigenous groups such as the Quechua, the Chanka, and the Aymara.
Much of the literature known to come from the central Andean region, which includes Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, and also Peru is thought to have come from way of the Inka through quipu. Harawis (coming from the Quechua language) and Hayllis, (known as epic poetry) are very prominent standards used in poetry for this region. This two methods were used to explicitly describe the daily life and rituals of that particular time.
In the 16th Century Spaniards introduced writing. Peru has many roots with the Spaniards, so there is no doubt that the literature of this country has been heavily influenced by their conquerors and writers of that time. Because Peruvian literature is deeply rooted in storytelling, this form of verbal communication is focused on captivating the soul and the heart of human emotion.
In the 1960’s and 1970’s the Latin American Boom occurred. This was a huge literary movement and much of this movement happened in Peru. Works written during and after this time are well known and are considered to be of high quality.
Mario Vargas Llosa won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2010. He has written such novels as The Time of The Hero and Conversation in the Cathedral. Vargas Llosa is a worldwide known author and has a talent for connecting with his audience in a way that words cannot describe.
Manuel González Prada a modernist poet has contributed wonderful things to the literary culture of Peru. He is the first author of this culture to write in a modernist style, or more better known as modernismo. This modernismo style is one among the many things that he introduced to the literary world and to the literary culture of Peru.
Jose Maria Arguedas and Cesar Vallejo are two other Peruvian Authors worth looking into. Their work is so rich in culture and so breathtaking that only someone on their literary level could possess the ability to string together the perfect words. Literature of Peru is filled with much more depth, beauty and intellect than most people can imagine.
Publishing companies in Peru are always searching for up and coming authors; the next true literary genius. The publishing industry in Peru is always pushing its limits and trying to find the best artistic writing, and they have much to choose from. Whether a novelist, essayist or poet, publishing companies in Peru are always looking for great literary art. As a result, literature in Peru is extremely important to the culture as well as to the rest of the world.
