''Criollismo'' () is a literary movement that was active from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century throughout
Hispanic America
Hispanic America ( or ), historically known as Spanish America () or Castile (historical region), Castilian America (), is the Spanish-speaking countries and territories of the Americas. In all of these countries, Spanish language, Spanish is th ...
. It is considered the Hispanic counterpart to
American literary regionalism
American literary regionalism, often used interchangeably with the term "local color", is a style or genre of writing in the United States that gained popularity in the mid-to-late 19th century and early 20th century. In this style of writing, whi ...
. Using a
realist style to portray the scenes, language, customs and manners of the country the writer was from, especially the lower and peasant classes, ''criollismo'' led to an original literature based on the continent's natural elements, mostly epic and foundational. It was strongly influenced by the wars of independence from
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 ...
and also denotes how each country in its own way defines ''
criollo
Criollo or criolla (Spanish for creole) may refer to:
People
* Criollo people, a social class in the Spanish colonial system.
Animals
* Criollo duck, a species of duck native to Central and South America.
* Criollo cattle, a group of cattle bre ...
''.
History
According to the German philologist Ulrich Leo, literary criollismo arose in
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
at the end of the 19th century, although it will have to wait several decades to find general acceptance in Latin America. Luis Manuel Urbaneja Achelpohl was the first to use and define the term to refer to his own literature in an 1895 essay entitled "On National Literature", where he argues for "patriotic affairs" and the "tropical soul" denouncing a supposed servile
cosmopolitanism
Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all human beings are members of a single community. Its adherents are known as cosmopolitan or cosmopolite. Cosmopolitanism is both prescriptive and aspirational, believing humans can and should be " world citizen ...
: "We are here: today as yesterday we come to advocate for essentially American art (...) Come, my brothers, with the spontaneous flower of your intelligence. The future is assured for us."
Notable examples
Notable ''criollista'' writers and works include: Luis Manuel Urbaneja Achepohl,
Eduardo Blanco, Francisco Lazo Martí and
Rómulo Gallegos
Rómulo Ángel del Monte Carmelo Gallegos Freire (2 August 1884 – 5 April 1969) was a Venezuelan novelist and politician. In 1948, he became the first freely elected President of Venezuela, president in Venezuela's history. He was removed from ...
's "
Doña Bárbara" (1929) from Venezuela,
José Eustasio Rivera's jungle novel "La vorágine" (1924) from Colombia;
Horacio Quiroga (Uruguay),
Ricardo Güiraldes,
Benito Lynch (Argentina), Mario Augusto Rodriguez (Panama), and Manuel Gonzales Prada (Peru). In Chile, the ''criollismo'' movement shifted the cultural focus from urban life to rural life, and incorporated the rural world into the formation of the national identity. Some of the most representative Chilean ''criollista'' works are
Baldomero Lillo's novels ''Sub Terra'' and ''Sub Sole'',
Mariano Latorre's novels ''Zurzulita'' and ''Cuna de cóndores'' (Cradle of
Condor
Condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. The name derives from the Quechua language, Quechua ''kuntur''. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere.
One species, the And ...
s),
Federico Gana's novel ''Días de campo'' (Countryside Days) and
Antonio Acevedo Hernández's plays ''Árbol viejo'' and ''Chañarcillo''.
Criollismo
www.memoriachilena.cl Dirección de Bibliotecas, Archivos y Museos Copyright 2013© MEMORIA CHILENA ®. Todos los Derechos Reservados may 16, 2009 Retrieved September 04, 2013
See also
* Costumbrismo
* Criollo people
In Hispanic America, criollo () is a term used originally to describe people of full Spaniards, Spanish descent born in the Viceroyalty, viceroyalties. In different Latin American countries, the word has come to have different meanings, mostly ...
* Literature of Latin America
* Venezuelan literature
Venezuelan literature is the literature written by Venezuelans or in Venezuela, ranging from Indigenous peoples in Venezuela, indigenous Pre-Columbian, pre-Hispanic myths to Oral literature, oral or written works in Spanish language, Spanish or oth ...
* Chilean literature
* Música criolla
Música criolla, Peruvian Creole music or ''canción criolla'' is a varied genre of Peruvian music that exhibits influences from European music, European, African music, African and Andean music, Andean music. The genre's name reflects the coas ...
* Peruvian waltz
The vals criollo (), or Peruvian waltz (), is an adaptation of the European waltz brought to the Americas during colonial times by Spain. In the Viceroyalty of Peru, the waltz was gradually adapted to the likings of the Criollo people. In the ...
References
{{SouthAm-hist-stub