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Latin American poetry facts for kids

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Latin American poetry is poetry written by poets born in Latin America.

Lyric poetry is popular in Latin America. Some lines in lyric poems rhyme. Sometimes lyric poems do not rhyme. Rubén Darío, César Vallejo, Ernesto Cardenal, Gabriela Mistral, and Pablo Neruda wrote lyric poems.

Prose poetry is also popular in Latin America. Prose poems are written in sentences and paragraphs. (The lines do not rhyme.) Jorge Luis Borges (Everything and Nothing), Pablo Neruda (Passions and Impressions), Octavio Paz (Eagle or Sun?), and Giannina Braschi (Empire of Dreams) wrote prose poetry.

Latin American poets also have a strong tradition of epic poetry. National themes, landscapes, and local traditions appear in epic poems. José Hernández wrote the famous epic poem Martín Fierro about cowboy culture in Argentina.

History

In the 17th century, Sor Juana was a nun who lived in Mexico. She wrote spiritual and philosophical poems.

In the 19th century, the Cuban poet José Martí wrote the famous poem, "Yo soy un hombre sincero" ("I'm a sincere man"). This poem became the lyrics of the popular song "Guantanamera". Rubén Darío was a famous modernist poet. He wrote "Azul" (1888). Cesar Vallejo is one of the most important poets in the Spanish Language. Vallejo wrote Trilce (1922).

In the 20th century, Gabriela Mistral was the first Latin American poet to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. She wrote about children, teachers, family, and romance. Pablo Neruda wrote the epic poem Canto General. Neruda was the second Latin American poet won the Nobel Prize. Alejandra Pizarnik wore prose poems about childhood, cruelty, and death. Giannina Braschi writes epic poetry about immigration, revolution, and freedom. Ana Castillo writes about the Mexican border, ghosts, and Chicano culture. Roberto Bolaño wrote novels about poets. His famous novels 2666 and Savage Detectives. Bolaño also wrote many poems in free verse and in prose.

Latin American poets

The Colonial period

19th century

20th century

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Latin American poetry Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.