Colombian literature, as an expression of the culture of Colombia, is heterogeneous due to the coexistence of

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, African and Native American heritages in an extremely diverse geography. Five distinct historical and cultural traditions can be identified, with their own socioeconomic history: the Caribbean coast, Greater Antioquia, the Cundinamarca-Boyacá Highlands, Greater Tolima and the Western Valley. Colombia produced one of the richest literatures of Latin America, as much for its abundance as for its variety and innovation during the 19th and 20th centuries. Colombian intellectuals who forged the literature of this period also contributed decisively to the consolidation of Latin American literature.

Conquest and early colonial period (1499-1810)

Under the Spanish Empire, major literary topics included conquest narratives, chronicles, religious devotion, and love themes. Some of the best-known authors of this period are: *

Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada y Rivera, also spelled as Ximénez and De Quezada, (; 1509 – 16 February 1579) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador in northern South America, territories currently known as Colombia. He explored the territory n ...

(1496Antijovio
/ref> -other sources state 1506 or 1509Graham (1922
page 2
/ref>

Suesca Suesca is a town and municipality in the Almeidas Province, part of the department of Cundinamarca Department, Cundinamarca, Colombia. It is located on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, north of the capital Bogotá. Suesca forms the northern edge of ...

, 16 February 1579) - First chronicler as he kept diaries of his own conquests, main conquistador of large parts of Colombia, may have been the (partial) author of '' Epítome de la conquista del Nuevo Reino de Granada'' (not published until 1889), his diaries were published in 1576 * Juan de Castellanos ( Alanís,

Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville ...

, 9 March 1522 - Tunja, November 1606) - Wrote the longest poem ever in the Spanish language, '' Elegías de varones ilustres de Indias'' (1589) * Pedro Simón ( San Lorenzo de la Parrilla,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, 1574 - Ubaté, ca. 1628) - Friar who wrote '' Noticias historiales de las conquistas de Tierra Firme en las Indias occidentales'' about the Spanish conquest in 1626 * Juan Rodríguez Freyle (

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...

, 25 April 1566 - Bogotá, 1642) - Spanish priest, wrote the extensive chronicle of the

Spanish conquest of the Muisca The Spanish conquest of the Muisca took place from 1537 to 1540. The Muisca people, Muisca were the inhabitants of the central Andes, Andean highlands of Colombia before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. They were organised in a loose M ...

; '' El Carnero'' ("The Sheep"), first published in 1638 * Hernando Domínguez Camargo (Bogotá, 1606 – Tunja, 1659) -

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

priest and writer. His work was influenced by the Spanish poet

Luis de Góngora Luis de Góngora y Argote (born Luis de Argote y Góngora; ; 11 July 1561 – 24 May 1627) was a Spanish Baroque lyric poet and a Catholic prebendary for the Church of Córdoba. Góngora and his lifelong rival, Francisco de Quevedo, are widel ...

, in a cultural trend known as the Indias

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

. His most recognized works are "Epic Poem to St Ignacio of Loyola" and "Bouquet of poetic flowers" * Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita (Bogotá, 1624 —

Ciudad de Panamá Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...

, 29 March 1688) - Published '' Historia general de las conquistas del Nuevo Reino de Granada'', a major work about the Spanish conquest and the indigenous peoples of Colombia in 1676 * Francisco Álvarez de Velasco y Zorrilla (Bogotá, 1647 –

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, 1708) - His main work was ''Rhytmica Sacra, Moral y Laudatiria''. His writings show admiration for the work of

Francisco de Quevedo Francisco Gómez de Quevedo y Santibáñez Villegas, Order of Santiago, Knight of the Order of Santiago (; 14 September 1580 – 8 September 1645) was a Spanish nobleman, politician and writer of the Baroque era. Along with his lifelong rival, ...

and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz * Francisca Josefa de Castillo y Guevara (Tunja, 1671 – Tunja, 1742) -

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

, recognized as one of the most important female authors of

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute (philosophy), Absolute, but may refer to any kind of Religious ecstasy, ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or Spirituality, spiritual meani ...

for her ''Afectos espirituales'' and her ''Vida'' (memoirs). * Felipe de Vergara Azcárate (1745-1818) was one of the most notable writers of the Colombian colony, wrote more than 42 works, including ''Elements of Natural Philosophy'' that contain the principles of physics, demonstrated by mathematics and confirmed with observations and experiences, ''Elements of Plane Geometry'', ''Elements of arithmetic'', ''Elements of Astronomy'', ''Discourse on the appeal'', on the royal patronage and Genealogical history of the author's

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

, from the conquest to 1800. and others in different subjects such as

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

Emancipation and national consolidation (1780-1830)

During the process of independence, Colombian literature was strongly influenced by the political motivations of the moment. The main literary movements were close to

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

. During the nineteenth century, political writing was led by

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...

. Local journalism was initiated by

Antonio Nariño Antonio Amador José de Nariño y Álvarez del Casal (April 9, 1765 – December 13, 1823),Hector, M., and A. Ardila. Hombres y mujeres en las letras de Colombia. 2. Bogota: Magisterio, 2008. 25. Print. was a Colombian ideological wiktionary:p ...

. The Colombian government established the first Academy of Spanish language in the American continent, in 1871. Other relevant authors were: * Camilo Torres Tenorio *

Francisco Antonio Zea Juan Francisco Antonio Hilarión Zea Díaz (23 November 1766 – 28 November 1822) was a Neogranadine journalist, botanist, diplomat, politician, and statesman who served as Vice President of Colombia under then President Simón Bolívar. He w ...

* José Fernández Madrid (February 19, 1789 – June 28, 1830).

Costumbrismo

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the main topic in Colombian literature was the colourful depiction of peasant life, tied to strong criticism of society and government. This type of literature was called costumbrista literature. Some of the authors of this period are: * José Maria Vergara y Vergara * Tomás Carrasquilla * Adolfo León Gómez * José María Cordovez Moure * Eustaquio Palacios * Jorge Isaacs * Julio Arboleda * Gregorio Gutiérrez González * Rafael Pombo * Soledad Acosta * Josefa Acevedo de Gomez * Candelario Obeso * Manuel Ancízar

Modern literature

Modernismo and modernism are reactions against the previous literature of Romanticism. Modernism's main topics are ugliness and mystery. The main modern writers are: * Emilia Ayarza * Jose Eustasio Rivera * Rafael Maya * León de Greiff * Luis Vidales * Luis Carlos López *

Germán Arciniegas Germán Arciniegas Angueyra (December 6, 1900 - November 29, 1999) was a Colombian historian, writer and journalist who was known for his advocacy of educational and cultural issues, as well as his outspoken opposition to dictatorship. He also se ...

* Porfirio Barba-Jacob * José María Vargas Vila

Stone and Sky (Piedra y Cielo)

The industrialization process in Latin America during the twentieth century generated new literary movements such as the poetic movement named “Piedra y cielo” (1939). Its main authors are: * Eduardo Carranza * Jorge Gaitán Durán * Jorge Rojas * Arturo Camacho Ramírez * Augusto Pinilla

Nothing-ism (Nadaísmo)

The violent events in Colombia during the 1940s and 1950s, such as

La Violencia ''La Violencia'' (, The Violence) was a ten-year civil war in Colombia from 1948 to 1958, between the Colombian Conservative Party and the Colombian Liberal Party, mainly fought in the countryside. ''La Violencia'' is considered to have begu ...

and the military government of

Gustavo Rojas Pinilla Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (12 March 1900 – 17 January 1975) was a Colombian National Army of Colombia, army general, civil engineer and politician who ruled as List of presidents of Colombia, 19th President of Colombia in a military dictatorship f ...

, as well as a considerable urban expansion, influenced in the formation of the ''Nadaísta'' (Nothing-ist) movement, which was the Colombian expression of numerous avant-garde-like movements in the poetry of the Americas during the 1950s and 60s (such as the *

Beat Generation The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-World War II era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by members o ...

in the United States and the ''Tzanticos'' in Ecuador). '' Nadaísmo'' included elements of

existentialism Existentialism is a family of philosophical views and inquiry that explore the human individual's struggle to lead an authentic life despite the apparent absurdity or incomprehensibility of existence. In examining meaning, purpose, and valu ...

and

nihilism Nihilism () encompasses various views that reject certain aspects of existence. There have been different nihilist positions, including the views that Existential nihilism, life is meaningless, that Moral nihilism, moral values are baseless, and ...

, a dynamic incorporation of city life, and a generally irreverent, iconoclastic flavor. Authors who were part of this movement include: * Gonzalo Arango * Jotamario Arbeláez * Eduardo Escobar * Fanny Buitrago * Patricia Ariza * Jaime Jaramillo Escobar

The Boom

The

Latin American Boom The Latin American Boom () was a literary movement of the 1960s and 1970s when the work of a group of relatively young Latin American novelists became widely circulated in Europe and throughout the world. The Boom is most closely associated with ...

was a prolific period for Colombian literature. *

Gabriel García Márquez Gabriel José García Márquez (; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian writer and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo () or Gabito () throughout Latin America. Considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th centur ...

* Eduardo Caballero Calderón * Manuel Mejía Vallejo *

Álvaro Mutis Álvaro Mutis Jaramillo (August 25, 1923 – September 22, 2013) was a Colombian poet, novelist, and essayist. His best-known work is the novel sequence '' The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll'', which revolves around the character o ...

* Manuel Zapata Olivella * Andres Caicedo * Alfredo Iriarte *

Álvaro Cepeda Samudio Álvaro Cepeda Samudio (March 30, 1926 – October 12, 1972) was a Colombian people, Colombian journalist, novelist, short story writer, and filmmaker. Within Colombia and the rest of Latin America, Cepeda Samudio is known as an important and inno ...

Contemporary authors

Disillusioned Generation / Generación Desencantada

This generation groups a broad and ambiguous list of writers, poets who began to publish after the ''Nadaísmo'' movement (see above) in the 1970s. Poets like Giovanni Quessep, Harold Alvarado Tenorio, Juan Gustavo Cobo Borda, Elkin Restrepo, José Manuel Arango, Darío Jaramillo Agudelo, Augusto Pinilla, María Mercedes Carranza, and Juan Manuel Roca among many others, have been considered part of this generation, although they have differences in style, themes and ideology.

Recent generations

Some writers like Cristian Valencia, Alberto Salcedo Ramos and Jorge Enrique Botero, have written literary journalism, close to Gonzo style. In fiction there are authors like Hector Abad Faciolince, Santiago Gamboa, Orlando Echeverri Benedetti, Juan Sebastian Cardenas, Nahum Montt, Miguel Mendoza Luna, Sebastian Pineda Buitrago, Mauricio Loza, Ignacio Arroyave Piedrhíta, Antonio Garcia, Mario Mendoza, James Canon, Ricardo Abdahllah, Juan Pablo Plata, Evelio Rosero Diago, Antonio Ungar, Laura Restrepo, Ruben Varona, William Ospina, David Alberto Campos, Oscar Perdomo Gamboa, Juan Esteban Constain, Juan Álvarez, Andrés Del Castillo, Antonio Iriarte Cadena, Esmir Garcés, Antonieta Villamil, Winston Morales, Efraim Medina Reyes, Ricardo Silva Romero and many others.

Recent poetry

In recent decades, in Colombia there has been a significant number of poets of importance, who deal with urban issues and anti-poetry. Among them are Antonieta Villamil, Andrea Cote, Lucia Estrada, Felipe García Quintero, whose poetry has been recognized internationally.

Poetry

* Emilia Ayarza * José Asunción Silva * Porfirio Barba-Jacob * Piedad Bonnet * Antonieta Villamil * José Fernández Madrid * Jorge Isaacs * Rafael Pombo * Zacarías Reyán * Julio Flórez * José María Samper

Children's literature

Some of the characters most recognized in Colombian children's literature and the popular imaginary are the

stock characters A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a type of character in a narrative (e.g. a novel, play, television show, or film) whom audiences recognize across many narratives or as part of a storytelling tradition or convention. Th ...

created by Rafael Pombo, which are often found in

nursery rhyme A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and other European countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes. Fr ...

s, familiar folk tales and in the textbooks for elementary school. Other important children literature authors are: * Jairo Anibal Niño: with his works "La alegria de querer" (The joy of love), "Razzgo, Indo y Zas", "Catalino Bocachica" among others * Euclides Jaramillo: with the "Tales of Uncle rabbit" * From the 1980s, young adult fiction authors Gloria Cecilia Díaz, Irene Vasco, Evelio José Rosero, Yolanda Reyes and Pilar Lozano introduced new subjects for the genre such as conflict, kidnapping, death and fear. * Recent picture book voices include the work of Ivar da Coll, Claudia Rueda, Jairo Buitrago and Rafael Yockteng

Historians

19th-century * Soledad Acosta * Joaquín Acosta * Joaquín Camacho * Margarita Diez-Colunje y Pombo * José María Samper * Manuel Uribe Ángel * José María Restrepo Saenz * José María Vergara y Vergara * Francisco Javier Vergara y Velasco 20th-century * Jesús Arango Cano *

* Gustavo Bell * Néstor Botero Goldsworthy * Marianne Cardale de Schrimpff * Gonzalo Corréal Urrego * Juan Friede *

Jorge Gamboa Mendoza Jorge Augusto Gamboa Mendoza (born 27 January 1970) is a Colombian anthropologist and historian. He has been contributing on the knowledge of Hispanic and pre-Hispanic territories of what is now Colombia, especially the Muisca.

* Gabriel Giraldo Zuluaga * Camilo González *

Ana María Groot Ana María Groot de Mahecha (born 29 August 1952 in Bogotá) is a Colombian historian, archaeologist, anthropologist and associate professor at the Department of Anthropology of the National University of Colombia, Universidad Nacional de Colombi ...

* Fernando Guillén Martínez * Jaime Jaramillo Uribe * Antonio Caballero Holguín * Alberto Quijano Guerrero * Miguel Triana * Helwar Figueroa