Latin American literature facts for kids

Latin American literature is all the amazing stories, poems, and plays written in Latin America. It's mostly in Spanish and Portuguese, but also in the languages of the native people. This literature became super famous around the world in the second half of the 1900s, especially because of a cool style called magical realism. Many people think of this style and the "Latin American Boom" when they hear about literature from this region, and especially the famous writer Gabriel García Márquez. But Latin American literature has a really long and rich history, going back many centuries!

A Journey Through Time: History of Latin American Literature

Ancient Stories: Pre-Columbian Times

Long ago, before Europeans arrived, people in Latin America mostly shared their stories by telling them out loud. This is called oral literature. Groups like the Aztecs and Mayans also created special books called codices. These books had pictures and symbols that told stories and recorded important information. Some of these ancient stories, like the Popol Vuh, were written down later after the Europeans came. Even today, some native groups, like the Quechua in Peru, still keep their oral storytelling traditions alive.

New Beginnings: Colonial Literature

When European explorers and conquerors first came to the Americas, they wrote down everything they saw and experienced. Think of Christopher Columbus's letters or Bernal Díaz del Castillo's stories about conquering the Aztec Empire. Sometimes, these writings even started big discussions about whether it was right to colonize and how native people should be treated, like in Bartolomé de las Casas's book about the destruction of the Indies. The first printing press in North America was set up in Mexico City in 1539.

Native people and those of mixed heritage also wrote important works during this time. Authors like El Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and Guaman Poma shared their own views of the Spanish conquest, which were often very different from the European accounts.

During the colonial period, much of the writing was done by people connected to the church. A famous example is Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, who wrote amazing poetry and thoughtful essays. She was even interested in science! Later, as the colonies moved towards independence, a new style of writing emerged from the local-born Europeans, called criollos. This included some of the first novels, like El Periquillo Sarniento (1816). Even leaders who fought for independence, like Simón Bolívar, were often great writers themselves.

Building Nations: The 19th Century

The 1800s were a time when many Latin American countries became independent. Writers during this period often wrote "foundational fictions," which were novels that tried to create a sense of national identity. These stories often focused on the rights of native people or the idea of "civilization versus barbarism."

One of the first to explore these ideas was Esteban Echeverría, who was inspired by writers in Paris. Another important work was Facundo (1845) by the Argentine Domingo Sarmiento. It explored the conflict between city life and the wild countryside. In Chile, Martin Rivas (1862) by Alberto Blest Gana was a love story and a national epic about revolution. Other famous "foundational fictions" include María (1867) from Colombia, Cumandá (1879) from Ecuador, and Os Sertões (1902) from Brazil. These books are still very important in their countries and are often read in high schools.

Another classic from this time is Martín Fierro (1872) by José Hernández. It's an epic poem about a poor cowboy, or gaucho, who is forced to fight in a frontier war. This poem is a great example of the "gauchesque" style, which focused on the lives of gauchos in Argentina.

Throughout the 19th century, Latin American literature saw different styles like Romanticism, Realism, and Naturalism. But towards the end of the century, a unique Latin American movement called Modernismo was born.

New Voices: Romanticism, Realism, and Naturalism

After the wars for independence in the early 1800s, writers explored themes of identity, freedom, and human rights. They often used popular styles like Romanticism, Realism, and Naturalism, but they also added their own ideas about nationalism and independence. Writers wanted to show Latin American themes and places in their stories. This desire to find a unique Latin American identity would later become very important in the Modernismo movement.

For a long time, most colonial literature was written by men, with a few exceptions like Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. But in the 19th century, more women started writing and getting their work published. As more women received an education, they began to write about the unfairness they saw in society, like the struggles of native people, enslaved people, and women.

Important female authors emerged, such as the Cuban Romantic writer Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda with her novel Sab (1841), which quietly criticized slavery and how women were treated. The Peruvian Naturalist author Clorinda Matto de Turner wrote Aves sin nido (1889), a key novel about the struggles of indigenous people. The Argentinian Romantic writer Juana Manuela Gorriti wrote many novels and short stories and even ran a literary group. Mercedes Cabello de Carbonera from Peru wrote Blanca Sol (1888) to highlight how few job options women had. These women writers bravely challenged the old ways and criticized corruption in their new nations.

New Styles: Modernismo, Vanguards, and the Road to the Boom

In the late 1800s, a new poetry movement called modernismo started. Its most important early work was Azul (1888) by Rubén Darío from Nicaragua. This was the first time a Latin American literary movement influenced writers outside the region! It was also truly "Latin American" because writers started to feel more connected to each other across different countries. For example, José Martí, a Cuban patriot, also lived in Mexico and the United States and wrote for magazines in Argentina. In 1900, José Enrique Rodó from Uruguay wrote Ariel, which became like a call to action for Latin America's cultural awakening. Delmira Agustini, a female modernismo poet, used typical modernist ideas but added her own feminist messages.

Even though modernismo often focused on beauty and art, some poets and essayists, like Martí and the Peruvians Manuel González Prada and José Carlos Mariátegui, also wrote powerful criticisms of society. They especially highlighted the problems faced by native peoples. This led to the rise of indigenismo in the early 1900s, a movement dedicated to showing native cultures and the unfairness they faced, as seen in the works of José María Arguedas from Peru and Rosario Castellanos from Mexico.

Resistance against colonialism, which started in the 19th century, was also very important in modernismo. Writers like José Martí and Rubén Darío warned about the United States' growing influence. Martí's Our America (1892) told Latin American countries to avoid letting the U.S. interfere in their affairs. Darío also showed the threat of American imperialism in his poem To Roosevelt.

The Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges created almost a new type of story: the philosophical short story. He became one of the most influential Latin American writers ever. At the same time, Roberto Arlt wrote in a very different style, closer to everyday life and popular culture, reflecting the growth of cities and European immigration in Argentina. These two writers were at the center of a big debate in Argentine literature between the "Florida Group" (like Borges) and the "Boedo Group" (like Arlt).

In 1929, Romulo Gallegos from Venezuela wrote Doña Barbara, which became one of the most famous Latin American novels of the 20th century. It's a realistic story about the conflict between civilization and wildness in the South American plains. It was an instant hit and was translated into over forty languages!

In Brazil, important writers of this time included Machado de Assis, whose novels and short stories were full of irony and deep insights into human nature. Modernist poets like Mário de Andrade and Oswald de Andrade (who famously praised Brazil's ability to mix cultures) also made their mark.

In Mexico in the 1920s, new art movements like Stridentism and los Contemporáneos brought in fresh, experimental ideas. The Mexican Revolution also inspired novels like Los de abajo by Mariano Azuela, which showed the reality of the revolution. This event continued to be a major theme in Mexican literature for many decades. In the 1940s, Alejo Carpentier from Cuba created the idea of "lo real maravilloso" (the marvelous real), which, along with the works of Juan Rulfo from Mexico and Miguel Ángel Asturias from Guatemala, helped set the stage for the "Boom" and its famous "magic realism" style.

Poetry's New Forms: After Modernismo

Alfonso Reyes, a Mexican writer who wrote influential surrealist pieces.

The 20th century in Latin America saw a lot of prose poetry, which is poetry written in sentences and paragraphs rather than traditional lines. It became a popular way for poets to explore deep thoughts and feelings. Famous writers of prose poems include Jorge Luis Borges, Pablo Neruda, Octavio Paz, and Giannina Braschi.

Leading poets who wrote about love, romance, and political ideas were Cesar Vallejo from Peru and Nobel winner Pablo Neruda from Chile. Other important poets include Ernesto Cardenal (Nicaragua), Roque Dalton (El Salvador), Nicolás Guillén (Cuba), and Mario Benedetti (Uruguay).

After Modernismo, several other poetry movements appeared. In Chile, the Mandrágora group was formed in 1938, influenced by Surrealism and Vicente Huidobro's Creacionismo. In Peru, Cesar Moro and Emilio Adolfo Westphalen developed Surrealism in the Andes region.

The Boom: Latin America Takes the World Stage

Gabriel García Márquez, one of the most famous writers of the Boom.

After World War II, Latin America's economy grew, and with this new confidence came a huge "literary boom." From 1960 to 1967, many important books of the Boom were published and quickly became famous worldwide. These novels and short stories often challenged old ways of writing. Authors experimented with language and mixed different writing styles.

The way stories were told also changed. Boom writers moved away from simple, straightforward plots. They used non-linear storytelling and experimental ways of narrating. Jorge Luis Borges, though not strictly a Boom author, greatly influenced this generation. Latin American writers were inspired by authors from North America and Europe like William Faulkner and James Joyce, as well as by each other. Many of them knew each other, which helped their styles mix and grow.

The Boom truly put Latin American literature on the global map. It featured bold and experimental novels like Rayuela (1963) by Julio Cortázar, which were quickly translated into English. A magazine called Mundo Nuevo published parts of new novels from writers like Gabriel García Márquez. In 1967, García Márquez's Cien años de soledad was published and became one of the most important Boom novels. This book made "magic realism" famous, even though other great writers of the period like Mario Vargas Llosa and Carlos Fuentes didn't always fit that style. In the same year, Miguel Ángel Asturias won the Nobel Prize for literature, making his magical realist novels known around the world. The Boom reached a peak with Yo, el supremo (1974) by Augusto Roa Bastos. Other important novelists included José Donoso (Chile) and Guillermo Cabrera Infante (Cuba).

Even though the Boom happened during a time of economic success, these works often didn't focus on the positive side of modernization. Instead, they explored universal and sometimes deeper, more philosophical themes.

Political problems in Latin American countries, like Cuba, also influenced the Boom. Some works seemed to predict that the good times wouldn't last and that old problems would return. Their stories foreshadowed the dictatorships, economic troubles, and "Dirty Wars" that would happen in the 1970s and 1980s.

After the Boom: Post-Boom and Today's Literature

Roberto Bolaño is considered one of the most impactful post-Boom authors in the United States.

After the Boom, literature sometimes became more ironic and humorous, like the stories of Alfredo Bryce Echenique. Writers also started using popular genres, like Manuel Puig. Some writers felt that the Boom's success was a burden, and they didn't like how Latin American literature was only seen as "magical realism." So, Alberto Fuguet from Chile created the term McOndo as a contrast to the idea that all Latin American stories had to be set in steamy jungles with magical elements. Other writers, however, continued to use the magical realism style, like Laura Esquivel in Como agua para chocolate.

The Spanish-language author who has had the biggest impact in the United States since the Boom is Roberto Bolaño. Today, Latin American literature is very lively and diverse. It includes best-selling authors like Paulo Coelho and Isabel Allende, as well as more experimental and critically praised writers like Diamela Eltit and Giannina Braschi.

There's also a lot of interest in testimonio, which are texts created with the help of people from marginalized groups, like Rigoberta Menchú.

Finally, a new group of writers, like Carlos Monsiváis and Pedro Lemebel, are combining journalism with creative non-fiction. They follow in the footsteps of writers like Eduardo Galeano and Elena Poniatowska, who also wrote engaging and factual stories.

Famous 20th Century Writers

Octavio Paz helped define modern poetry and the Mexican identity.

Many literary experts consider the Argentine Jorge Luis Borges to be one of the most important Latin American authors of all time. Critic Harold Bloom said that Borges was "the most universal" Latin American author and that reading him makes you see literature in a new way.

Among novelists, Gabriel García Márquez is perhaps the most famous from the 20th century. His book Cien Años de Soledad (1967) is one of the most important books in the world. Borges himself called it "the Don Quixote of Latin America."

For poetry, Pablo Neruda is considered one of the greatest poets of the 20th century, in any language, according to Gabriel García Márquez.

The Mexican writer and poet Octavio Paz is special because he won several major awards: the Nobel Prize, the Neustadt Prize, and the Cervantes Prize.

The most important literary award for Spanish-language authors is the Cervantes Prize from Spain. Many Latin American authors have won it, including Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez, Carlos Fuentes, Mario Vargas Llosa, and Octavio Paz.

Peruvian poet César Vallejo, considered a great universal poet.

The most prestigious literary award in the world is the Nobel Prize for Literature. Six Latin American authors have won it:

• Gabriela Mistral (Chile, 1945)
• Miguel Ángel Asturias (Guatemala, 1967)
• Pablo Neruda (Chile, 1971)
• Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia, 1982)
• Octavio Paz (Mexico, 1990)
• Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru, 2010)

The Neustadt International Prize for Literature is another very important international award. Latin American winners include Octavio Paz and Gabriel García Márquez.

The Jerusalem Prize is also a significant international literary award. Latin American winners include Mario Vargas Llosa, Ernesto Sabato, Octavio Paz, and Jorge Luis Borges.

Many Latin American authors are included in important lists of the world's most lasting literary works, such as Harold Bloom's The Western Canon. These include Rubén Darío, Jorge Luis Borges, Pablo Neruda, Octavio Paz, César Vallejo, Gabriel García Márquez, and Mario Vargas Llosa.

For Brazilian authors, the Camões Prize is the most important award for Portuguese-language literature. Winners include João Cabral de Melo Neto and Jorge Amado. Brazil's own Prêmio Machado de Assis has been won by authors like Rachel de Queiroz and João Guimarães Rosa.

Important Writers of the 21st Century

Latin American literature since the year 2000 has many different styles and ideas. While studies used to focus mainly on the "Boom" period, now scholars look at Latin American literature in new ways. They explore how it fits into global literature, how it deals with ideas of colonialism, and even how it uses new forms like electronic literature, crime stories, and horror.

Important authors from the 21st century whose works are widely read and translated include Mario Vargas Llosa, Isabel Allende, Jorge Volpi, Junot Diaz, Giannina Braschi, Elena Poniatowska, and Julia Alvarez.

Latin American Nobel Prize Winners in Literature

• Gabriela Mistral, Chile (1945)
• Miguel Angel Asturias, Guatemala (1967)
• Pablo Neruda, Chile (1971)
• Gabriel García Márquez, Colombia (1982)
• Octavio Paz, Mexico (1990)
• Mario Vargas Llosa, Peru (2010)

Timeline of Key Works (Late 19th Century - Today)

Literature by Country

Here's a list of Latin American literature organized by country:

See also

In Spanish: Literatura latinoamericana para niños

• List of Latin American writers
• Latin American poetry
• Latino poetry
• Criollismo
• Chicano literature
• Chicano poetry
• Latin American Boom
• McOndo
• Latin American culture
• The Dictator Novel
• Nuyorican
• Hispanic and Latino literature
• Spanish-language literature