Ángel Rama
Encyclopedia
Ángel Rama was a Uruguay
an writer, academic, and literary critic
, known for his work on modernismo
and for his theorization of the concept of "transculturation
."
to Galician
immigrants, Rama studied at the College de France of the University of Paris
. He married twice: in 1950, to the poet Ida Vitale
, with whom he had two children, Claudio and Amparo; and after separating from Vitale in 1969, to Marta Traba, an eminent art critic, originally from Buenos Aires.
In the 1960s, after several years teaching at the secondary and university level, he became director of the department of Hispanoamerican literature at the Universidad de la República, the Uruguayan state-run University. He also founded the publishing houses Editorial Arca in Montevideo and Editorial Galerno in Buenos Aires. During the 1970s, he held professorships at numerous universities in the Americas and served as literary adviser to the Ayacucho Library
in Caracas
. The coup d'état
of the Uruguayan government surprised him on June 27, 1973, while residing in Venezuela
, so he lived in exile for the remainder of his life. A member of Uruguay's "Generation of '45," also known as the "Critical Generation", he contributed frequently to the weekly review Marcha until its suppression in 1974 by the military government of Juan María Bordaberry
. He published important studies on the writings of Ruben Darío, Jose Marti, Jose Maria Arguedas, Juan Carlos Onetti, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Mario Vargas Llosa, among others. Three of his seminal works are Transculturacion narrativa en America Latina, La ciudad letrada and Las mascaras democraticas del modernismo.
In 1979, Rama and Traba were given appointments as professors at University of Maryland and they settled in nearby Washington, DC. However, in 1982 they were denied resident visas and were forced to leave the United States. The couple moved to Paris, where they were living in early 1983 when they were granted Colombian citizenship by President Belisario Betancur
.
He died in a plane crash
at Barajas Airport, along with Marta Traba
, the Mexican writer Jorge Ibargüengoitia
, and Peruvian poet Manuel Scorza
, while all four were travelling from Paris to Colombia for an international conference of Latin American writers.
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, academic, and literary critic
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
, known for his work on modernismo
Modernismo
Modernismo is Spanish for modernism, however the term Modernism also indicates a more specific art movement:* Modernismo refers to a Spanish-American literary movement, best exemplified by Rubén Darío...
and for his theorization of the concept of "transculturation
Transculturation
Transculturation is a term coined by Cuban anthropologist Fernando Ortiz in 1940 to describe the phenomenon of merging and converging cultures....
."
Biography
Born in MontevideoMontevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
to Galician
Galician people
The Galicians are an ethnic group, a nationality whose historical homeland is Galicia in north-western Spain. Most Galicians are bilingual, speaking both their historic language, Galician, and Castilian Spanish.-Political and administrative divisions:...
immigrants, Rama studied at the College de France of the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
. He married twice: in 1950, to the poet Ida Vitale
Ida Vitale
Ida Vitale is a prolific writer from Montevideo who played an important role in the Uruguayan art movement known as the "Generation of 1945". Vitale fled to Mexico City in 1973 for political asylum after the military junta took power. She currently resides in Austin, Texas.-Partial bibliography:*...
, with whom he had two children, Claudio and Amparo; and after separating from Vitale in 1969, to Marta Traba, an eminent art critic, originally from Buenos Aires.
In the 1960s, after several years teaching at the secondary and university level, he became director of the department of Hispanoamerican literature at the Universidad de la República, the Uruguayan state-run University. He also founded the publishing houses Editorial Arca in Montevideo and Editorial Galerno in Buenos Aires. During the 1970s, he held professorships at numerous universities in the Americas and served as literary adviser to the Ayacucho Library
Ayacucho Library
The Biblioteca Ayacucho is an editorial entity of the government of Venezuela, founded on September 10, 1974. It is managed by the Fundación Biblioteca Ayacucho...
in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
. The coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
of the Uruguayan government surprised him on June 27, 1973, while residing in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, so he lived in exile for the remainder of his life. A member of Uruguay's "Generation of '45," also known as the "Critical Generation", he contributed frequently to the weekly review Marcha until its suppression in 1974 by the military government of Juan María Bordaberry
Juan María Bordaberry
Juan María Bordaberry Arocena was a Uruguayan politician and cattle rancher, who first served as President from 1972 until 1976, including as a dictator from 1973 until his ouster in a 1976 coup...
. He published important studies on the writings of Ruben Darío, Jose Marti, Jose Maria Arguedas, Juan Carlos Onetti, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Mario Vargas Llosa, among others. Three of his seminal works are Transculturacion narrativa en America Latina, La ciudad letrada and Las mascaras democraticas del modernismo.
In 1979, Rama and Traba were given appointments as professors at University of Maryland and they settled in nearby Washington, DC. However, in 1982 they were denied resident visas and were forced to leave the United States. The couple moved to Paris, where they were living in early 1983 when they were granted Colombian citizenship by President Belisario Betancur
Belisario Betancur
Belisario Betancur Cuartas is a Colombian statesman, who as a member of the Colombian Conservative Party was President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986.- Biographic data :...
.
He died in a plane crash
Avianca Flight 011
Avianca Flight 011, registration HK-2910 , was a Boeing 747-283B on an international scheduled passenger flight from Frankfurt via Paris, Madrid, and Caracas to Bogotá....
at Barajas Airport, along with Marta Traba
Marta traba
Marta Traba Taín was an art critic and writer well known for her important contributions in the study of Latin American art....
, the Mexican writer Jorge Ibargüengoitia
Jorge Ibargüengoitia
Jorge Ibargüengoitia Antillón , was a Mexican novelist and playwright who achieved great popular success with his satires, three of which have appeared in English: Las Muertas , Dos Crimenes , and Los Relámpagos de Agosto Jorge Ibargüengoitia Antillón (Guanajuato, Mexico, January 22, 1928 -...
, and Peruvian poet Manuel Scorza
Manuel Scorza
Manuel Scorza was an important Peruvian novelist, poet, and political activist, exiled under the regime of Manuel Odría. He was born in Lima....
, while all four were travelling from Paris to Colombia for an international conference of Latin American writers.
Works
- Los contestatarios del poder
- La novela latinoamericana 1920-1980
- Transulturación narrativa en América Latina (1982)
- La ciudad letrada (1984)
- Diario 1970-1983 (posthumous)