Buenos Aires Book Club

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I have always been a fan of literature. In fact, at the last possible moment I switched my major from English Literature to Modern Languages when I had the revelation that I could still take literature classes, and ones far more interesting than those conducted in my own language. Classes such as literature are often compulsory when learning a language, and for good reason; cultural context gives us a deeper understanding of a society which is just as essential for integrating into a community as learning the language. The turbulent past of Argentina, like in many countries in Latin America, has prompted literary movements that have produced many excellent works, still widely read today both in their original forms and in numerous translations. To truly know a place, read its stories.

The struggle for independence from Spain and the consequent birth of the Argentine nation produced politically charged pieces, and later literature began to exemplify the struggle for a national identity, themes evident in many other Latin American countries. Near the end of the 19th century, modernism gripped all of Latin America; modernismo is a movement that celebrates the spiritual, but not religious, and exemplifies the notion of l’art pour l’art, however the sentiments of previous authors and poets could still be found. Later in the century came the Latin American boom, which has produced some of the most well-known exampled of Argentine literature, and ones that experiment with surrealism and magic realism. During the censorship of the Dirty War there was a lull in the creative industry, as a result much contemporary literature deals with the events of the war.

Over the next 5 weeks I will be reviewing 5 different works from Argentine authors from a variety of movements, in an attempt to inspire a greater understanding of the country through literature - so much more interesting than reading a history book!

 

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