The Power of The Poetry of Argentina
Argentinean poetry has a very interesting history. In fact, the name Argentina originated from an epic poem written by Martin del Barco Centenera in 1602 called La Argentina. Later Ruy Díaz de Guzmán wrote a prose chronicle titled Argentina Manuscrita. The poetry of Argentina was thought to have started around 1550 with prose and poetry that was inspired by the indigenous people of Argentina including the Kolla, Diaguita, and Mocovi among others. Argentine culture is as varied as it is interesting. The music and art of Argentina had been influenced by the immigration of Italian and Spanish settlers. While Spanish is the dominant language there are also natives who speak 40 other languages. The writers of Argentina have had a huge influence in Latin American Literature and many of the writings were highly political. The first movement was nationalist which evolved into a modernist movement and later evolved further into vanguardism. Listed below we’ve provided three names of the many influential Argentine poets.
Martin del Barco Centenera: Born in 1535, he was a priest and later became the Viceroy of Portugal. He participated in Spanish exploration of the Argentine as chaplain. Later he returned to Europe where he completed his epic poem La Argentina. It describes Spanish exploration and their efforts in Argentina and surrounding areas.
Jorge Luis Borges: Born in 1899, by age four he could read and write. Besides being a poet, he also wrote short stories, essays, and did translations of famous works, his first being “The Happy Prince” by Oscar Wilde which was published when he was only 9. He was very politically active and was quite open on his views regarding politics.
Esteban Echeverria: Born in 1805, he was a political activist, poet, wrote fiction, and promoted Argentine culture. His works include El Dogma Socialista, Mefistófeles and La noche. He was considered one of the great philosophical thinkers of his time. There are so many more great Argentine poets and authors. Many have written from a revolutionary aspect. They were intense and political as well as being highly cultural and believed in the people and their country. Argentinean poets were and are passionate about change and evolution of the political parties that have existed. The evolution began in the 19th century and continues to this day with a heartfelt feeling of nationalism.
