Guatemalan literature
Encyclopedia
Guatemalan literature is literature written by Guatemalan authors, whether in the indigenous languages present in the country or in Spanish. Though there was likely literature in Guatemala before the arrival of the Spanish, all the texts that exist today were written after their arrival.
is the most significant work of Guatemalan literature in the Quiché language, and one of the most important of Pre-Columbian American literature. It is a compendium of Mayan stories and legends, aimed to preserve Mayan traditions. The first known version of this text dates from the 16th century and is written in Quiché transcribed in Latin characters. It was translated into Spanish by the Dominican priest Francisco Ximénez
in the beginning of the 18th century. Due to its combination of historical, mythical, and religious elements, it has been called the Mayan Bible. It is a vital document for understanding the culture of pre-Columbian America.
The Rabinal Achí
is a dramatic work consisting of dance and text that is preserved as it was originally represented. It is thought to date from the 15th century and narrates the mythical and dynastic origins of the Kek'chi' people, and their relationships with neighboring peoples. The story tells how the prince of the Kek'chi' figghts against neighboring tribes and, while he initially defeats them, he later is captured and taken before the king Job'Toj, who gives him back to his people to say goodbye to and dance with his princess for the last time. The Rabinal Achí is performed during the Rabinal festival of January 25, the day of Saint Paul. It was declared a masterpiece of oral tradition of humanity by UNESCO in 2005.
. The Jesuit Rafael Landívar (1731–1793) is considered as the first great Guatemalan poet. He was forced into exile by Carlos III
. He traveled to Mexico and later to Italy, where he did. He originally wrote his Rusticatio Mexicana and his poems praising the bishop Figueredo y Victoria in Latin.
At this time, traditional poetic forms were developed to be sung. These include the villancico
for use on the eves of main religious holidays. These were the only liturgical occasions on which songs in vernacular languages were permitted. (All other events were exclusively in Latin.) In Guatemala, as throughout the Spanish empire, other musical compositions with Spanish lyrics included consisted sainete
s, jácaras, tonadas, and cantata
s. Authors of these poems, who also put their works to music, include Manuel José de Quirós
(ca. 1765-1790), Pedro Nolasco Estrada Aristondo, Pedro Antonio Rojas, and Rafael Antonio Castellanos
(ca. 1725-1791). Castellanos is one of the most important in the Hispanic world and in the music of Guatemala.
During the 18th century, Guatemalan literature was influenced by French neoclassicism, as is seen in educational and philosophical works by authors such as Rafael García Goyena and Matías de Córdoba.
During the 19th century Guatemalan literature began to develop independently from Spanish literature, though it continued to incorporate European influences. Important writers of this era include María Josefa García Granados
and José Batres Montúfar
(known simply as "Pepe Batres"), who co-wrote the "Sermón para José María Castilla", a work that was scandalous at the time. Batres is also the author of the poem "Yo pienso en ti", one of the best known of Guatemalan literature.
In the second half of the 19th century, the novel dominated Guatemalan literature, thanks especially to José Milla y Vidaurre
, considered the father of the Guatemalan novel. He signed some of his works with the pseudonym "Salomé Jil", an anagram of his name. Major works by Milla y Vidaurre include La hija del Adelantado (1866), Los Nazarenos (1867), El visitador (1867), and El libro sin nombre.
Guatemalan writers also participated in Latin American modernism, heir to French symbolism and Parnassianism and driven by the Nicaraguan Rubén Darío
. In poetry, important writers included Domingo Estrada, Máximo Soto Hall
, and María Cruz. The versatile writer Enrique Gómez Carrillo
represented modernism in prose.
(1967 Nobel Prize winner and author of novels including El Señor Presidente
and Hombres de Maíz), poet Luis Cardoza y Aragón
, short story writer and novelist Augusto Monterroso
(2000 Príncipe de Asturias prize winner), and playwright Carlos Solórzano
. In general, 20th-century Guatemalan literature is strongly influenced by politics, as evidenced by the fact that its authors were forced into exile during Guatemala's successive dictatorships and civil wars.
20th-century Guatemalan literature is usually divided by generation or decade:
Literature in Mayan languages
The Popol VuhPopol Vuh
Popol Vuh is a corpus of mytho-historical narratives of the Post Classic Quiché kingdom in Guatemala's western highlands. The title translates as "Book of the Community," "Book of Counsel," or more literally as "Book of the People."...
is the most significant work of Guatemalan literature in the Quiché language, and one of the most important of Pre-Columbian American literature. It is a compendium of Mayan stories and legends, aimed to preserve Mayan traditions. The first known version of this text dates from the 16th century and is written in Quiché transcribed in Latin characters. It was translated into Spanish by the Dominican priest Francisco Ximénez
Francisco Ximénez
Francisco Ximénez was a Dominican priest who is known for his conservation of an indigenous Maya narrative known today as Popol Vuh. There is, as Woodruff has noted, little biographical data about Ximénez...
in the beginning of the 18th century. Due to its combination of historical, mythical, and religious elements, it has been called the Mayan Bible. It is a vital document for understanding the culture of pre-Columbian America.
The Rabinal Achí
Rabinal Achí
The Rabinal Achí is a Maya theatrical play performed in Rabinal, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala. Its original name is Xajooj Tun meaning, Tun Dance. Rabinal Achí is a dynastic Maya drama from the fifteenth century and a rare example of pre-Hispanic traditions...
is a dramatic work consisting of dance and text that is preserved as it was originally represented. It is thought to date from the 15th century and narrates the mythical and dynastic origins of the Kek'chi' people, and their relationships with neighboring peoples. The story tells how the prince of the Kek'chi' figghts against neighboring tribes and, while he initially defeats them, he later is captured and taken before the king Job'Toj, who gives him back to his people to say goodbye to and dance with his princess for the last time. The Rabinal Achí is performed during the Rabinal festival of January 25, the day of Saint Paul. It was declared a masterpiece of oral tradition of humanity by UNESCO in 2005.
Colonial period: 16th - 19th centuries
The 16th century saw the first native-born Guatemalan writers that wrote in Spanish. Major writers of this era include Sor Juana de Maldonado, considered the first poet playwright of colonial Central America, and the historian Francisco Antonio de Fuentes y GuzmánFrancisco Antonio de Fuentes y Guzmán
Francisco Antonio de Fuentes y Guzmán was a Guatemalan historian and poet. His only surviving work is La Recordación Florida.-Biography:...
. The Jesuit Rafael Landívar (1731–1793) is considered as the first great Guatemalan poet. He was forced into exile by Carlos III
Carlos III
Carlos III may refer to:*Charles III of Spain, King of Spain from 1759 to 1788.*Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, a Spanish university bearing his name....
. He traveled to Mexico and later to Italy, where he did. He originally wrote his Rusticatio Mexicana and his poems praising the bishop Figueredo y Victoria in Latin.
At this time, traditional poetic forms were developed to be sung. These include the villancico
Villancico
The villancico was a common poetic and musical form of the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America popular from the late 15th to 18th centuries. With the decline in popularity of the villancicos in the 20th century, the term became reduced to mean merely "Christmas carol"...
for use on the eves of main religious holidays. These were the only liturgical occasions on which songs in vernacular languages were permitted. (All other events were exclusively in Latin.) In Guatemala, as throughout the Spanish empire, other musical compositions with Spanish lyrics included consisted sainete
Sainete
A sainete was a popular Spanish comic opera piece, a one-act dramatic vignette, with music. It was often placed at the end of entertainments, or between other types of performance. It was vernacular in style, and used scenes of low life. Active from the 18th to 20th centuries, it superseded the...
s, jácaras, tonadas, and cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
s. Authors of these poems, who also put their works to music, include Manuel José de Quirós
Manuel José de Quirós
-Life:Born in Santiago de Guatemala, present day Antigua Guatemala, towards the end of the 17th century, Quirós had a religious education while pursuing his musical apprenticeship and reaching the level of a journeyman...
(ca. 1765-1790), Pedro Nolasco Estrada Aristondo, Pedro Antonio Rojas, and Rafael Antonio Castellanos
Rafael Antonio Castellanos
Rafael Antonio Castellanos was a Guatemalan classical composer. His style is that of the late Spanish baroque, pre-classical, and classical periods, with frequent reference to Guatemalan folk music idioms.-Life:...
(ca. 1725-1791). Castellanos is one of the most important in the Hispanic world and in the music of Guatemala.
During the 18th century, Guatemalan literature was influenced by French neoclassicism, as is seen in educational and philosophical works by authors such as Rafael García Goyena and Matías de Córdoba.
Guatemalan literature after independence: the nineteenth century
Guatemala gained independence from Spain in 1821, in its desire to establish political and commercial relations with other countries. The literature during this period is marked by political strife, which dominated the essay and treatise genres. This era also saw the birth of journalism in Guatemala, with figures like Antonio José de IrisarriAntonio José de Irisarri
Antonio José de Irisarri Alonso , was a Guatemalan statesman, journalist and Interim Supreme Director of Chile . He is considered one of the fathers of Chilean journalism together with Fr. Camilo Henríquez....
During the 19th century Guatemalan literature began to develop independently from Spanish literature, though it continued to incorporate European influences. Important writers of this era include María Josefa García Granados
María Josefa García Granados
María Josefa García Granados was a Guatemalan writer, born in Spain.-References:*This article was initially translated from Spanish wikipedia....
and José Batres Montúfar
José Batres Montúfar
José Batres Montúfar was a Guatemalan writer, politician and military figure.-References:*This article was initially translated from the Spanish Wikipedia....
(known simply as "Pepe Batres"), who co-wrote the "Sermón para José María Castilla", a work that was scandalous at the time. Batres is also the author of the poem "Yo pienso en ti", one of the best known of Guatemalan literature.
In the second half of the 19th century, the novel dominated Guatemalan literature, thanks especially to José Milla y Vidaurre
José Milla y Vidaurre
José Milla y Vidaurre was one of the most outstanding Guatemalan writers in the 19th century. He was also known by the name Pepe Milla and the pseudonym Salomé Jil....
, considered the father of the Guatemalan novel. He signed some of his works with the pseudonym "Salomé Jil", an anagram of his name. Major works by Milla y Vidaurre include La hija del Adelantado (1866), Los Nazarenos (1867), El visitador (1867), and El libro sin nombre.
Guatemalan writers also participated in Latin American modernism, heir to French symbolism and Parnassianism and driven by the Nicaraguan Rubén Darío
Rubén Darío
Félix Rubén García Sarmiento , known as Rubén Darío, was a Nicaraguan poet who initiated the Spanish-American literary movement known as modernismo that flourished at the end of the 19th century...
. In poetry, important writers included Domingo Estrada, Máximo Soto Hall
Máximo Soto Hall
Máximo Soto Hall was an important early 20th century Guatemalan novelist. He is most known for his 1899 novel El problema, though he is recognized in Central America for the whole of his literary output...
, and María Cruz. The versatile writer Enrique Gómez Carrillo
Enrique Gómez Carrillo
Enrique Gómez Carrillo was a Guatemalan literary critic, writer, journalist and diplomat...
represented modernism in prose.
Twentieth century
In the 20th century, Guatemalan literature reached a level comparable to that of other Latin American countries. The most important Guatemalan writers in this period are novelist Miguel Ángel AsturiasMiguel Ángel Asturias
Miguel Ángel Asturias Rosales was a Nobel Prize–winning Guatemalan poet, novelist, playwright, journalist and diplomat...
(1967 Nobel Prize winner and author of novels including El Señor Presidente
El Señor Presidente
' is a 1946 novel written in Spanish by Nobel Prize–winning Guatemalan writer and diplomat Miguel Ángel Asturias . A landmark text in Latin American literature, explores the nature of political dictatorship and its effects on society. Asturias makes early use of a literary technique now known...
and Hombres de Maíz), poet Luis Cardoza y Aragón
Luis Cardoza y Aragón
Luis Cardoza y Aragón was a Guatemalan writer, essayist, poet, art critic, and diplomat born in Antigua Guatemala but who spent a good part of his life living in exile in Mexico....
, short story writer and novelist Augusto Monterroso
Augusto Monterroso
"The Dinosaur" redirects here. For the song by Was , see Walk the Dinosaur. For other uses, see Dinosaur Augusto Monterroso Bonilla was a Guatemalan writer.-Life:...
(2000 Príncipe de Asturias prize winner), and playwright Carlos Solórzano
Carlos Solórzano
Carlos Solórzano is a Guatemalan born Mexican playwright. He is considered one of the most important playwrights in Guatemalan history...
. In general, 20th-century Guatemalan literature is strongly influenced by politics, as evidenced by the fact that its authors were forced into exile during Guatemala's successive dictatorships and civil wars.
20th-century Guatemalan literature is usually divided by generation or decade:
- The generation of 1910 or "the Comet"
- The generation of 1920
- The generation of 1930 or "Grupo Tepeus"
- The generation of 1940 or "Grupo Acento"]
- The Grupo Saker-ti (1944–1954)
- The generation "comprometida" (after 1954)