Barranquilla Group
Encyclopedia
The Barranquilla Group was the name given to the group of writer
s, journalist
s, and philosophers who congregated in the Colombia
n city of Barranquilla
in the middle of the twentieth century; it became one of the most productive intellectual
and literary communities of the period.
Among the most influential and notable members were Gabriel García Márquez
, Álvaro Cepeda Samudio
, Germán Vargas, and Alfonso Fuenmayor, all of whom also comprise the fictionalized Barranquilla Group referred to as the "four friends" of Macondo
in Cien Años de Soledad (One Hundred Years of Solitude
) (1967), by García Márquez. They were all journalists at the onset of the informal group, working mostly for El Nacional
, El Heraldo, and El Universal
; most were also novelists and poet
s, often publishing their own literary work in the hitherto-mentioned newspapers. Another "itinerant" member, as García Márquez refers to him in his memoir, Vivir para contarla (Living to Tell the Tale
) (2002), was José Félix Fuenmayor, the father of Alfonso, who was also a journalist, as well as an acclaimed poet and novelist. Referring to the group in his memoir, García Márquez writes
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
s, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s, and philosophers who congregated in the Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n city of Barranquilla
Barranquilla
Barranquilla is an industrial port city and municipality located in northern Colombia, near the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port in the Colombian Caribbean region with a population of 1,148,506 as of 2005, which makes it Colombia's...
in the middle of the twentieth century; it became one of the most productive intellectual
Intellectual
An intellectual is a person who uses intelligence and critical or analytical reasoning in either a professional or a personal capacity.- Terminology and endeavours :"Intellectual" can denote four types of persons:...
and literary communities of the period.
Among the most influential and notable members were Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in...
, Álvaro Cepeda Samudio
Álvaro Cepeda Samudio
Álvaro Cepeda Samudio was a Colombian journalist, novelist, short story writer, and filmmaker. Within Colombia and the rest of Latin America, he is known in his own right as an important and innovative writer and journalist, largely inspiring much of the artistically-, intellectually- and...
, Germán Vargas, and Alfonso Fuenmayor, all of whom also comprise the fictionalized Barranquilla Group referred to as the "four friends" of Macondo
Macondo
For the oil spill, see: Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosionMacondo is a fictional town described in Gabriel García Márquez's novel One Hundred Years of Solitude. It is the home town of the Buendía family.-Aracataca:...
in Cien Años de Soledad (One Hundred Years of Solitude
One Hundred Years of Solitude
One Hundred Years of Solitude , by Gabriel García Márquez, is a novel which tells the multi-generational story of the Buendía family, whose patriarch, José Arcadio Buendía, founds the town of Macondo, the metaphoric Colombia...
) (1967), by García Márquez. They were all journalists at the onset of the informal group, working mostly for El Nacional
El Nacional
El Nacional is a Venezuelan publishing company under the name C.A. Editorial El Nacional, most widely known for its El Nacional newspaper. It, along with Últimas Noticias and El Universal, are the most widely read and circulated daily national newspapers in the country, and it has an average of...
, El Heraldo, and El Universal
El Universal (Cartagena)
El Universal is a regional newspaper based in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.Founded by Domingo López Escauriaza and Eduardo Ferrer Ferrer, its first edition went on sale on 8 March 1948...
; most were also novelists and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
s, often publishing their own literary work in the hitherto-mentioned newspapers. Another "itinerant" member, as García Márquez refers to him in his memoir, Vivir para contarla (Living to Tell the Tale
Living to Tell the Tale
Living to Tell the Tale is the first volume of the autobiography of Gabriel García Márquez....
) (2002), was José Félix Fuenmayor, the father of Alfonso, who was also a journalist, as well as an acclaimed poet and novelist. Referring to the group in his memoir, García Márquez writes
Never did I feel, as I did in those days, so much a part of that city and the half-dozen friends who were beginning to be known as the Barranquilla Group in the journalistic and intellectual circles of the country. They were young writers and artists who exercised a certain leadership in the cultural life of the city, guided by the CatalanCatalan peopleThe Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
master Don Ramón Vinyes, a legendary dramatist and bookseller who had been consecrated in the Espaca Encyclopedia since 1924.