Literature of Colombia

The main themes and genres of literature of Colombia, under the rule of the Spanish Empire, were stories about the conquistadors and their conquests, chronicles, religious piety and the theme of love. The most famous authors of this period were:

• Hernando Dominguez Camargo ( Bogotá , 1606 - Tunha , 1659) - Jesuit priest and writer. His works, in the tradition known as Native American Baroque , had a strong influence on the Spanish poet Luis de Gongor . His most recognized works were The Epic Poem of St. Ignatius of Loyola and The Bouquet of Poetic Flowers.
• Francisco Alvarez de Velasco and Sorrilla (Bogotá, 1647 - Madrid , 1708). His main work was Rhytmica Sacra, Moral y Laudatiria . His works are imbued with admiration and influence by the works of Francisco de Quevedo and Juana Ines de la Cruz .
• Francisco Josef de Castillo and Guevara is a nun from Tunha , one of the most famous female authors in the teachings of mysticism thanks to her Afectos espirituales and Vida (memoirs). ^[2]
• Juan de Castillanos wrote the longest poem in Spanish history, Elegías de Varones Ilustres de Indias .
• Juan Rodriguez Freile is a Spanish priest who wrote an extensive chronicle of the colonial life of El Carnero .

During the struggle and independence of Colombia, its literature was saturated with political motives. Its main direction was romanticism .

Throughout the 19th century, all political literature was influenced by Simon Bolivar . Local journalism was actually founded by Antonio Narinho . The Colombian government founded the first Spanish-language Academy in America in 1871 .

Among other authors stand out:

• Camilo Torres
• Francisco Antonio Cea .
• Jose Fernandez Madrid (February 19, 1789 - June 28, 1830).

In the late XIX and early XX centuries, the main theme of Colombian literature was a colorful depiction of peasant life, along with criticism of society and power. This type of literature, popular at that time throughout Latin America and Spain, is called costumbrianism . Among the authors of this period stand out:

• Thomas Carrasquilla
• Adolfo Leon Gomez
• Jose Maria Cordobes Moore
• Jorge Isaacs
• Julio Arboleda
• Gregorio Gutierrez Gonzalez
• Rafael Pombo
• Soledad Acosta
• Josefa Acevedo de Gomez
• Candelario Obeso
• Manuel Ancisar

Modernism was a reaction to the previously prevailing romanticism in Colombian literature. Its main topics were the ugliness of the world and mysticism . The most prominent representatives of Art Nouveau are:

• Jose Eustacio Rivera
• Raphael Maya
• Leon de Graiff
• Luis Vidalles
• Luis Carlos Lopez
• Herman Arsinegas
• Porfirio Barba Jacob
• Jose Maria Vargas Vila

The process of industrialization in Latin America has generated new movements in literature, for example, such a direction with the poetic name “Stone and Sky” (“Piedra y cielo”) (1939). Its main authors were:

• Eduardo Carranza
• Jorge Gaitan Duran
• Jorge Rojas
• Arturo Camacho Ramirez

The turbulent events in Colombia during the 1940s and 1950s, such as La Violencia and the dictatorial rule of Gustavo Rojas Pinilla , together with the growth of the urban population led to the emergence of the Nadaism movement (“nothing-ism”), which became the Colombian version of the avant-garde movements in the literature of both Americas in the 1950s and 60s (such as the beat generation in the USA and Tsantikos in Ecuador). Nadaism includes elements of existentialism and nihilism with the inclusion of the dynamism of urban life and a disrespectful attitude towards the church. Among the authors of this direction are noted:

• Gonzalo Arango
• Hotamario Arbelaes
• Eduardo Escobar
• Fanny buitrago
• Amilkar Osorio
• Jaime Jaramillo Escobar

The time of the Latin American boom became very productive for Colombian literature. Some authors have gained worldwide fame.

• Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• Eduardo Caballero Calderon
• Manuel Mejia Vallejo
• Варlvaro Mutis
• Manuel Zapata Olivella
• Andres Caichedo
• Alfredo Iriarte
• Herman Arsinegas
• Варlvaro Cepeda Zamudio
• Nicole Kammerer

Among modern Colombian authors stand out

• Herman Castro Caicedo
• Daniel Samper Pisano
• Fernando Vallejo
• Laura Restrepo
• Juan Bernardo Gutierrez
• Herman Espinosa
• David Sanchez Julio
• Hector Abad Fasiolins

This heterogeneous movement appeared after Nadaism in the 1970s; it includes Giovanni Kessep , Harold Alvorado Tenorio , Juan Gustavo Cobo Borda , Elkin Restrepo , Jose Manuel Arango , Dario Jaramillo Agudelo , Augusto Pinilla Carilla Jude Mariez Meruense Marie Meres Manuel Roca , Andres Caichedo and many others.

These include writers such as Christian Valencia , Alberto Salcedo Ramos, and Jorge Enrique Botero in the genre of literary journalism, similar to the gonzo style . Their representatives in fiction are Hector Abad Fasiolins , Santiago Gamboa , Jaime Canyon , Juan Pablo Plata , Evelio Rosero , Laura Restrepo , Ruben Varona , David Alberto Campos , Oscar Perdomo Gamboa , Efraim Medina Reyes and many others. ^{[3] [4] [5]} Among the poets stands Sergio Velez , recognized internationally.

In the early 1990s, Colombian literature began to appear devoted to the problems of drugs and violence in this shadow sphere of activity, including political violence. Works such as Lecturer ( La Lectora ) by Sergio Alvarez , Scissors Rosario ( Rosario Tijeras ) Jorge Franco and Our Lady of the Killers ( La virgen de los sicarios ) Fernando Vallejo depict drug trafficking in Colombian cities. Recently, works have been published with a more extensive approach to the problem of drug trafficking and the involvement of Colombians ( Juan Gabriel Vasquez and Sergio Alvarez ).

• Jose Asuncion Silva
• Porfirio Barba Jacob
• Piedad Bonnet
• Jose Fernandez Madrid
• Jorge Isaacs
• Rafael Pombo
• Sakarias Reyan
• Sergio Veles

The most famous characters and heroes of children's literature were characters created by writer Rafael Pombo , which are often found in elementary school textbooks. They contain the motives of folk tales.

Other famous children's authors in Colombia:

• Jairo Anibal Nino
• Euclides Jaramillo with his "Tales of Uncle Rabbit."