Cronopio
Encyclopedia
A cronopio is a type of fictional person appearing in works by Argentine
writer Julio Cortázar
(August 26, 1914–February 12, 1984).
Together with famas
(literally fames) and esperanzas (hopes), cronopios are the subject of several short stories
in his 1962 book Historias de cronopios y de famas
and Cortazar continued to write about cronopios, famas, and esperanzas in other texts through the 1960s.
istic, disorganized, unconventional
and sensitive creatures, who stand in contrast or opposition to famas (who are rigid, organized and judgemental if well intentioned) and esperanzas (who are plain, indolent, unimaginative and dull).
In his stories Cortázar describes few physical features of cronopios. He does refer to them as "those greenish, frizzly, wet objects," but this description is surely mostly metaphoric. His stories demonstrate aspects of cronopios' personalities, habits, and inclinations.
concert given in November of that year in the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
in Paris
. The article was entitled Louis, Enormísimo Cronopio ("Louis, Enormous Cronopio"). Cortázar would later describe in various interviews how the word cronopio first came to him in that same theater some time before this concert in the form of an imaginary vision of small green globes floating around the semi-deserted theater.
References to cronopios in Cortázar's work occur in 20 short sketches that make up the last section of Historias de Cronopios y de Famas as well as in his "collage books," La vuelta al día en ochenta mundos and Ultimo Round, which were collected in a French edition he considered definitive. Some literary critics consider Cortazar's cronopios stories as lesser works compared to other of the author's novels and short stories. Others have looked for hidden metaphysical
meanings in these stories or for a universal taxonomy
of human beings. Cortázar himself described these stories as a sort of "game" and asserted that writing them gave him great joy.
The term cronopio eventually became a kind of honorific, applied by Cortázar (and others) to friends, as in the dedication to the English-language edition of 62: A Model Kit
: "This novel and this translation are dedicated to Cronopio Paul Blackburn ..." (Blackburn translated several of Cortazar's early stories under the title The End of the Game.)
A fossil dryolestoid found in Argentina has been named Cronopio dentiacutus.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
writer Julio Cortázar
Julio Cortázar
Julio Cortázar, born Jules Florencio Cortázar, was an Argentine writer. Cortázar, known as one of the founders of the Latin American Boom, influenced an entire generation of Spanish speaking readers and writers in the Americas and Europe.-Early life:Cortázar's parents, Julio José Cortázar and...
(August 26, 1914–February 12, 1984).
Together with famas
FAMAS (disambiguation)
FAMAS may stand for:*Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Award, a Filipino movie award*Fusil d'Assaut de la Manufacture d'Armes de Saint-Étienne, a French assault rifle*Filipino Association of Montreal and Suburbs...
(literally fames) and esperanzas (hopes), cronopios are the subject of several short stories
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...
in his 1962 book Historias de cronopios y de famas
Historias de cronopios y de famas
Historias de cronopios y de famas is a short story anthology by Argentine author Julio Cortázar. It was published in 1962.-Plot summary:This handbook recounts the birth of the Cronopios and the Famas. Cronopios and Famas are two kinds of living creatures conceived by Julio Cortázar's imagination....
and Cortazar continued to write about cronopios, famas, and esperanzas in other texts through the 1960s.
Characteristic
In general, cronopios are depicted as naive and idealIdeal (ethics)
An ideal is a principle or value that one actively pursues as a goal. Ideals are particularly important in ethics, as the order in which one places them tends to determine the degree to which one reveals them as real and sincere. It is the application, in ethics, of a universal...
istic, disorganized, unconventional
Convention (norm)
A convention is a set of agreed, stipulated or generally accepted standards, norms, social norms or criteria, often taking the form of a custom....
and sensitive creatures, who stand in contrast or opposition to famas (who are rigid, organized and judgemental if well intentioned) and esperanzas (who are plain, indolent, unimaginative and dull).
In his stories Cortázar describes few physical features of cronopios. He does refer to them as "those greenish, frizzly, wet objects," but this description is surely mostly metaphoric. His stories demonstrate aspects of cronopios' personalities, habits, and inclinations.
Uses of the term
Cortázar first used the word cronopio in a 1952 article published in Buenos Aires Literaria reviewing a Louis ArmstrongLouis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
concert given in November of that year in the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées is a theatre at 15 avenue Montaigne. Despite its name, the theatre is not on the Champs-Élysées but nearby in another part of the 8th arrondissement of Paris....
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. The article was entitled Louis, Enormísimo Cronopio ("Louis, Enormous Cronopio"). Cortázar would later describe in various interviews how the word cronopio first came to him in that same theater some time before this concert in the form of an imaginary vision of small green globes floating around the semi-deserted theater.
References to cronopios in Cortázar's work occur in 20 short sketches that make up the last section of Historias de Cronopios y de Famas as well as in his "collage books," La vuelta al día en ochenta mundos and Ultimo Round, which were collected in a French edition he considered definitive. Some literary critics consider Cortazar's cronopios stories as lesser works compared to other of the author's novels and short stories. Others have looked for hidden metaphysical
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
meanings in these stories or for a universal taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
of human beings. Cortázar himself described these stories as a sort of "game" and asserted that writing them gave him great joy.
The term cronopio eventually became a kind of honorific, applied by Cortázar (and others) to friends, as in the dedication to the English-language edition of 62: A Model Kit
62: A Model Kit
62: A Model Kit is a novel by Julio Cortázar published in 1968. The book is a literary experiment that ranks among the most important novels written in Spanish in the 20th century. It was written in Paris between Hopscotch and the release of Around the Day in Eighty Worlds in 1967....
: "This novel and this translation are dedicated to Cronopio Paul Blackburn ..." (Blackburn translated several of Cortazar's early stories under the title The End of the Game.)
A fossil dryolestoid found in Argentina has been named Cronopio dentiacutus.
Other references
- Cortázar has sometimes been called the Grandísimo Cronopio or the Cronopio Mayor by his admirers.
- ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an artistArtistAn artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
Eva Holz has produced several paintings inspired and named after these fantastic creatures.