Latin American Literature: From Asturias to the Boom

Posted on May 2, 2024 in Language

Miguel Angel Asturias

Asturias’s work explores two key themes:

Published in 1946
Critiques the Guatemalan dictatorship of Estrada Cabrera
Employs the grotesque technique, distorting reality and exaggerating its features
Utilizes popular myths, black humor, dreams, and various text types
Presents a distorted and often cruel vision of reality

Asturias’s unique approach to realism delves into the wonders of the individual’s inner world.

The Latin American novel breaks free from its traditional role and becomes a force for shaping reality.

Two novels, The Time of the Hero (1962) and The Green House (1967), mark a new era in Latin American literature.

Expanded Themes: Focus on urban settings and original treatment of rural environments.
Fantasy and Reality: Magical realism becomes a prominent feature.
Formal Experimentation: Narrative structures are broken, perspectives shift, and techniques like inner monologue are employed.
Language: Juxtaposition of styles, syntactic distortions, and colloquialisms enrich the narrative.

Alejo Carpentier, influenced by surrealism, applied the concept of “lo real maravilloso” to Latin American history and reality.
Franz Roh coined the term “magical realism” in 1925 in the context of visual arts.
Uslar Pietri introduced the concept to literature in 1948, emphasizing the integration of the extraordinary into everyday life.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s work exemplifies magical realism, blending fantasy and reality seamlessly.

Leaf Storm: Explores the suicide of a doctor through the inner monologues of three generations.
No One Writes to the Colonel: Depicts a retired colonel awaiting a pension that never arrives.
In Evil Hour: A story of collective violence.

Published in 1967, it became an emblematic work of the Latin American Boom.
Tells the story of Macondo, a fictional town representing both Colombia and Latin America.
Follows seven generations of the Buendía family as they endure various hardships.
Exemplifies magical realism, blending fantastical elements with everyday life.