Argentine Literature

lucasdiniz

lucasdiniz

Reader
My mom had a Colombian boyfriend and when she told me he was from there I just knew there would be a time where he would say that the best Spanish is spoken in Colombia. Didn't take too long to happen.
Coincidentally, my mom is from Maranhão, a state that some people point as the one that speaks the best Portuguese. I kind of see why, I notice they never shorten words or "eat" certain letters. Maybe that's why people say it.
Just to add some more fire to the discussion, what do you guys feel about people who claim they don't have an accent? Now and then I run into someone like this and I can't but roll my eyes. If there's a certain population that speaks a language, it's divided in two groups and these two groups speak the language differently.... Boom! Both groups have an accent. What I see is that some people call an accent those who have very specific traits.
 
Liam

Liam

Administrator
Has anyone read anything by Edgardo Cozarinksy? I couldn't find any reference to him in any of our threads. He's a writer/filmmaker, his book about the art of tango is getting released in English soon.
 
Leseratte

Leseratte

Well-known member
lucasdiniz said:
My mom had a Colombian boyfriend and when she told me he was from there I just knew there would be a time where he would say that the best Spanish is spoken in Colombia. Didn't take too long to happen.
Coincidentally, my mom is from Maranhão, a state that some people point as the one that speaks the best Portuguese. I kind of see why, I notice they never shorten words or "eat" certain letters. Maybe that's why people say it.
Just to add some more fire to the discussion, what do you guys feel about people who claim they don't have an accent? Now and then I run into someone like this and I can't but roll my eyes. If there's a certain population that speaks a language, it's divided in two groups and these two groups speak the language differently.... Boom! Both groups have an accent. What I see is that some people call an accent those who have very specific traits.
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I think in Brazil we have differences of accents but no dialects, Lucas. I also think that each state has its own peculiarities in the use of the Portuguese language. And of course each state thinks that it´s usage is the best!;)
 
B

Ben Jackson

Well-known member
fausto said:
Sololiteratura is an excellent website for latin american literature -- only available in Spanish, unfortunately. They have pages for Argentina.

Pginas de Literatura de Argentina

Contemporary authors are less known than their illustrious predecessors but I find them very interesting. Literature seems in good shape over there.

Heteronym's introductory was great and I won't comment on the authors in there as I guess everyone will have heard of them and our Portugues friend made of good job of it. I've got nothing to add. Thanks!

Sabato is obviously mandatory. Two writers not mentioned but also very important in the history of Argentinian lit are Macedonio Fern?ndez and Osvaldo Lamborghini. Macedonio was a huge influence on Borges who dedicated one of his poems to him. For more info, I would direct you an excellent essay published in the latest Quarterly conversation: Macedonio Fernandez: The Man Who Invented Borges | The Quarterly Conversation
Osvaldo Lamborghini is emblematic of the Argentinian avant-garde of the 70's (influenced by Lacan, C?line, Artaud, Grombowicz or Arlt amongst other things). Quite a prolific writer, especially in his last years. He died aged 45 in 1985, leaving a seven tome work called Teatro proletario de c?mara unfinished: a mixture of prose, verse, graphic design, etc. C?sar Aira's master.

Since we're talking Aira, a couple of words on him. I first read him with a lot of doubts in my head, and if the first one didn't entirely convince I found out afterwards it grew on me. I think I've now read four books of his, and he won me over. Funhouse described him some place else as hallucinatory, and he is right. Very powerful writing.

Ricardo Piglia was also mentioned. One of the big names still writing today. He used to head a series of crime novels for a publisher and is a specialist of the detective story, which shows in his own work especially in his most successful book Money to burn which received a big prize awarded by a jury made of Roa Bastos, Benedetti and Tom?s Eloy Mart?nez -- not the worst jury you could have come up with. He teaches at Princeton and his a reference for most younger Argentinian writers, it would seem.

Fogwill -- He is a weird one. Very funny books, most of them short. Some see in him an heir to Artl.

Juan Gelman -- Received the Cervantes, one if not the main literary prize of the Spanish-speaking world, a few months ago. A poet.

Tomas Eloy Mart?nez -- I guess you have heard of him, one of the most famous Argentinian writer.

Alberto Manguel -- Now I'm sure 99% of the reader of this forum will know the old Borges reader...

Let's move on to the younger generation:

Rodrigo Fres?n -- started out as a journalist. Friend of Bola?o and Vila-Matas. Wrote a couple of novels (Kensigton's gardens is available in English) and a few short-stories collections. I think he is actually better known for his work as a critic -- he is like the number one critic for english-language literature in Spain, especially post-modern one. Again, I would direct you to the Quarterly conversation:
My Own Private Mexico | The Quarterly Conversation

Alan Pauls -- the most talented? A couple of years ago, I read The Past, quite a striking love story, but wasn't quite in love with the writing. Since then, I read him in Spanish and... wow... Proustian might be too much, but I guess you see what I mean. Very smart and very well done.

Martin Kohan -- sold in Spain as one of the rising stars. Read one book, wasn't impressed at all. I think he has something available in English through Sepernt's tail.

Dam?an Tabarovsky -- I have my doubts about him, but he is very interesting. Literary critic and literary director of of Interzon, one of Argentina's most dynamic independent publishing houses. I've read four of his novels, all had some excellent ideas, writing, starting points but I felt they were always being let down by an insistence on politics devoid of subtlelty. Too bad, because it's was very good stuff at times. A master of digression, it would seem.

Sergio Chejfec -- I know very little about him, but I've read a few articles and he is meant to be a future major writer. Unfortunately, I don't think any of his books are available in Spain making it near impossible to find over here. However, I heard the great and small publisher Candaya was planning to publish some titles here at last. Very often being compared to Saer. Now lives in Venezuela.

In another place, I've been recommended Luis Gusman, Gustavo Nielsen and Federico Jeanmaire. I know zilch about the latter two, but I've heard a little about Gusman and I've been meaning to check him out.

So as you can see, a lot of things seem to be happening over there at the moment...

One last note: Juan Rodolfo Wilcock wrote both in Italian and Spanish, died in Italy, which was the nationality on his papers, but was born and bred in Argentine. Friend of Bioy and Borges. Some of his work written in Italian, some in Spanish. I read El estereoscopio de los solitarios last year, damn fine read. Great absurd short stories, very witty.
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Argentine writer to read is poet Pizarnik. Still have Sabato, Roderigo Rosa, Puig, Piglia, Eloy Martinez, Bioy Cesares, Cortazar. Of course, more of Borges. A rich country with brilliant writers, I still can't believe Argentina hasn't produced a Nobel Winner.
 
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