Days and Nights of Love and War
Encyclopedia
Days and Nights of Love and War is a 1978 book by Uruguay
an writer Eduardo Galeano
. It was published in English
translation in 1982 by Monthly Review Press. Structured as a series of fragments, the book varies in tone from straight journalism to expressionism
and poetic lyricism and in genre from short story
to aphorism
to biography. It established the formal and thematic qualities of Galeano's prose
, and won the Casa de las Américas Prize
in 1978.
suffered under dictatorial rule in the 1970s, during Galeano's 11-year exile from the country. It chronicles two decades of struggle and perseverance in Latin America
, with the 1976 Argentine coup d'état
as its focal point. Galeano reveals episodes of his early life such as his surviving malaria
, his loss of faith in God
, the threats of military coups, dictators and censorship, as well as his experiences living amongst Indians, guerrillas, president
s and prostitutes. He defends his compatriots as well as Brazilian street children, the embattled indigenous Mexicans in Chiapas
, and the continent's millions of abandoned children.
It inspired the anarchist collective CrimethInc.
's 2001 manifesto Days of War, Nights of Love
, which shares its mixed form, aphoristic style and embrace of philosophy and morality as weapons within a political superstructure.
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
an writer Eduardo Galeano
Eduardo Galeano
Eduardo Hughes Galeano is a Uruguayan journalist, writer and novelist. His best known works are Memoria del fuego and Las venas abiertas de América Latina which have been translated into twenty languages and transcend orthodox genres: combining fiction, journalism, political analysis, and...
. It was published in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation in 1982 by Monthly Review Press. Structured as a series of fragments, the book varies in tone from straight journalism to expressionism
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
and poetic lyricism and in genre from short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
to aphorism
Aphorism
An aphorism is an original thought, spoken or written in a laconic and memorable form.The term was first used in the Aphorisms of Hippocrates...
to biography. It established the formal and thematic qualities of Galeano's prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
, and won the Casa de las Américas Prize
Casa de las Américas Prize
The Casa de las Américas Prize is a Cuban cultural award given by the Casa de las Américas, an organization founded in April 1959. It is one of Latin America’s oldest and most prestigious literary awards....
in 1978.
Origins and focus
The book grew out of the repression UruguayUruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
suffered under dictatorial rule in the 1970s, during Galeano's 11-year exile from the country. It chronicles two decades of struggle and perseverance in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, with the 1976 Argentine coup d'état
1976 Argentine coup d'état
The 1976 Argentine coup was a right-wing coup d'état that overthrew Isabel Perón on 24 March 1976, in Argentina. In her place, a military junta was installed, which was headed by General Jorge Rafael Videla, Admiral Emilio Eduardo Massera and Brigadier Orlando Ramón Agosti...
as its focal point. Galeano reveals episodes of his early life such as his surviving malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
, his loss of faith in God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, the threats of military coups, dictators and censorship, as well as his experiences living amongst Indians, guerrillas, president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
s and prostitutes. He defends his compatriots as well as Brazilian street children, the embattled indigenous Mexicans in Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
, and the continent's millions of abandoned children.
Impact
Days and Nights of Love and War was a transitionary book between Galeano's earlier journalistic work and his later more literary output; it was the first of a series of works (culminating in his Memory of Fire trilogy) which established his reputation as a writer.It inspired the anarchist collective CrimethInc.
CrimethInc.
CrimethInc., also known as CWC , is a decentralized anarchist collective of autonomous cells. CrimethInc. emerged in the mid-1990s, initially as the hardcore zine Inside Front, and began operating as a collective in 1996...
's 2001 manifesto Days of War, Nights of Love
Days of War, Nights of Love
Days of War, Nights of Love is a collection of political, social and philosophical essays written and published by anarchist collective CrimethInc.. Most essays advocate the fight for personal freedom, alternate choices and lifestyles...
, which shares its mixed form, aphoristic style and embrace of philosophy and morality as weapons within a political superstructure.
External links
- Days and Nights of Love and War at MonthlyReview.org