Gabriel Casaccia
Encyclopedia
Gabriel Casaccia Bibolini (April 20, 1907—November 24, 1980) was a Paraguay
an novelist. He is widely considered by critics to be the founder of modern literature in Paraguay
. Augusto Roa Bastos
, Paraguay's most famous novelist says, “Gabriel Casaccia is the founder of modern Paraguayan narrative, which gives, in good measure, a fundamental character to all of his work and, to its author, the unusual merit of having launched the genre in a country which was fictionally unknown.”
to Benigno Casaccia and Margarita Bibolini and studied at the Colegio Nacional de la Capital. He finished his Law studies at the Law School of the Universidad Nacional de Asuncion
and started work as a journalist, writing for El Liberal, El Diario and several other magazines in Asunción, following which he decided to devote himself entirely to fiction. During his first 17 years of literary production he wrote under both of his family names as "Benigno Casaccia Bibolini". Later on, he adopted the name of Gabriel Casaccia, under which name his best known works were produced. In his youth, he was politically active for a short period when he moved to Argentina, living first in Posadas
, then in Buenos Aires
.
He was married to an Argentinian named Carmen Dora Parola.
He died in Buenos Aires
, on November 24, 1980.
, poet and researcher, says: ”no one since Rafael Barrett
...has highlighted Paraguayan reality so graphically. We refer to that human experience that has been happening in Paraguay for more than four centuries and to which, many times, the social order has seen fit to refer to as “fiction”, but whose potent force in the life of the people cannot be denied.”
"I don't believe that the national reality is an enigma or a mystery”, Casaccia says in a letter to the author of this essay, listing several traits whose negations do not exclude their existing together: ”sentimentality for the past”;” dissatisfaction for the present”; "falsifying history”; “slumbering narcissism”, “lack of national heroes”, “unfamiliarity with freedom”. “All of these and much more,"- Casaccia says, "is our reality”….It has been said that Casaccia is the best representative of the existentialist literature of our country…This type of anti-literature that Casaccia writes is the least rhetorical and the most effective means to unveil reality…”
Hugo Rodríguez-Alcala, in his book History of Paraguayan Literature(1971) writes about Casaccia and “La Babosa” (The Slug): ”...an artist of exquisite sensibility, obsessed by memories of his childhood and adolescence...long years spent in a small town 30 kilometers from Asunción. It is a quiet place, by a beautiful lake, (Ypacaraí Lake
). The houses have large corridors with patios and gardens populated by leafy trees, standing in silence like an invitation to a quiet and peaceful life. How is he going to evoke images of this town-Areguá
? Will it be an idyllic place to which nostalgic feelings gave charm...a rustic beauty? None of this. Maybe, in a kind of reverse sentimentalism, Casaccia will convert it to a scenario of the things he most hates, and not the ones he most loves. There we find teeming, impoverished creatures; restless and crude, wallowing in the banalities of a sordid existence, empty, inauthentic. The seven deadly sins have incarnated their universal essence in Areguá, in its most potent Paraguayan form.…In the nation which adores its heroes, the anti-hero emerged in “ La Babosa”. It will be said that Casaccia lived in a time when literary anti-heroes proliferated…that is granted. But still, we shouldn't forget the basic facts aforementioned: in our author there is an unquestionable reaction against his nation's way of feeling and expressing life , and this reaction acquires its own original character in the concrete circumstances described. All in all, this anti-idealistic and anti-sentimental fury responds directly to an idealistic and sentimental mania which we have to unmask”.
Raul Amaral, a critic of the rich history of twentieth-century Paraguayan culture, in the Introduction to Casaccia's posthumously published novel “Los Huertas” states: ”Something important must be remembered so as not to continue repeating the same mistakes, derived from a negative and incomplete vision. Casaccia does not proceed with the spiritual demolition of Areguá (and much less of all Paraguay) in his narrative, but limits himself to social groups, people and facts rooted in a problem (one or several) that has undoubtedly universal roots. The sorrow, the evil, the malice, do not exclusively reflect nations or places, but are also common to people who live in these particular situations in any part of this world.”
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
an novelist. He is widely considered by critics to be the founder of modern literature in Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
. Augusto Roa Bastos
Augusto Roa Bastos
Augusto Roa Bastos, was a noted Paraguayan novelist and short story writer, and one of the most important Latin American writers of the 20th century. As a teenager he fought in the Chaco War between Paraguay and Bolivia, and he later worked as a journalist, screenwriter and professor...
, Paraguay's most famous novelist says, “Gabriel Casaccia is the founder of modern Paraguayan narrative, which gives, in good measure, a fundamental character to all of his work and, to its author, the unusual merit of having launched the genre in a country which was fictionally unknown.”
Life
He was born in AsunciónAsunción
Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...
to Benigno Casaccia and Margarita Bibolini and studied at the Colegio Nacional de la Capital. He finished his Law studies at the Law School of the Universidad Nacional de Asuncion
Universidad Nacional de Asunción
The Universidad Nacional de Asunción, abbreviated UNA, is a public university in Paraguay. Founded in 1889, it is the oldest and most traditional university in the country.In 2006, there were 36,000 students and 5,500 professors.- Organization :...
and started work as a journalist, writing for El Liberal, El Diario and several other magazines in Asunción, following which he decided to devote himself entirely to fiction. During his first 17 years of literary production he wrote under both of his family names as "Benigno Casaccia Bibolini". Later on, he adopted the name of Gabriel Casaccia, under which name his best known works were produced. In his youth, he was politically active for a short period when he moved to Argentina, living first in Posadas
Posadas, Misiones
Posadas is the capital city of the Argentine province of Misiones, located at the south of the province, on the left-hand shore of the Paraná River, opposite Encarnación, Paraguay. The city has an area of 965 km² and a population of 323,739 ....
, then in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
.
He was married to an Argentinian named Carmen Dora Parola.
He died in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, on November 24, 1980.
Critical commentary
Roque VallejosRoque Vallejos
Roque Vallejos was a poet, psychiatrist and essayist from Paraguay.-Background:He was a forensic surgeon in the High Court of Justice.He served as a member and the president of the Academia de la Lengua Paraguaya....
, poet and researcher, says: ”no one since Rafael Barrett
Rafael Barrett
Rafael Barrett, complete name Rafael Ángel Jorge Julián Barrett y Álvarez de Toledo, was a Spanish writer, narrator, essayist and journalist, who developed most of his literary production in Paraguay, becoming an important figure of the Paraguayan literature during the twentieth century...
...has highlighted Paraguayan reality so graphically. We refer to that human experience that has been happening in Paraguay for more than four centuries and to which, many times, the social order has seen fit to refer to as “fiction”, but whose potent force in the life of the people cannot be denied.”
"I don't believe that the national reality is an enigma or a mystery”, Casaccia says in a letter to the author of this essay, listing several traits whose negations do not exclude their existing together: ”sentimentality for the past”;” dissatisfaction for the present”; "falsifying history”; “slumbering narcissism”, “lack of national heroes”, “unfamiliarity with freedom”. “All of these and much more,"- Casaccia says, "is our reality”….It has been said that Casaccia is the best representative of the existentialist literature of our country…This type of anti-literature that Casaccia writes is the least rhetorical and the most effective means to unveil reality…”
Hugo Rodríguez-Alcala, in his book History of Paraguayan Literature(1971) writes about Casaccia and “La Babosa” (The Slug): ”...an artist of exquisite sensibility, obsessed by memories of his childhood and adolescence...long years spent in a small town 30 kilometers from Asunción. It is a quiet place, by a beautiful lake, (Ypacaraí Lake
Ypacaraí Lake
Ypacaraí Lake is a major waterbody located in Paraguay about 25 km east of Asunción. The lake lies in the western part of the Asunción-Sapucai-Villarrica graben, a tectonic depression of Mesozoic age, and drains to the northwest trough Salado River into Paraguay River...
). The houses have large corridors with patios and gardens populated by leafy trees, standing in silence like an invitation to a quiet and peaceful life. How is he going to evoke images of this town-Areguá
Areguá
Areguá is a city in Paraguay; located 28 km away from the capital city Asunción. It is the capital of Central. Probably the best feature of this Paraguayan town is its geographical location; it lays between a group of rolling hills with a distinctive rock formation and a beautiful blue lake,...
? Will it be an idyllic place to which nostalgic feelings gave charm...a rustic beauty? None of this. Maybe, in a kind of reverse sentimentalism, Casaccia will convert it to a scenario of the things he most hates, and not the ones he most loves. There we find teeming, impoverished creatures; restless and crude, wallowing in the banalities of a sordid existence, empty, inauthentic. The seven deadly sins have incarnated their universal essence in Areguá, in its most potent Paraguayan form.…In the nation which adores its heroes, the anti-hero emerged in “ La Babosa”. It will be said that Casaccia lived in a time when literary anti-heroes proliferated…that is granted. But still, we shouldn't forget the basic facts aforementioned: in our author there is an unquestionable reaction against his nation's way of feeling and expressing life , and this reaction acquires its own original character in the concrete circumstances described. All in all, this anti-idealistic and anti-sentimental fury responds directly to an idealistic and sentimental mania which we have to unmask”.
Raul Amaral, a critic of the rich history of twentieth-century Paraguayan culture, in the Introduction to Casaccia's posthumously published novel “Los Huertas” states: ”Something important must be remembered so as not to continue repeating the same mistakes, derived from a negative and incomplete vision. Casaccia does not proceed with the spiritual demolition of Areguá (and much less of all Paraguay) in his narrative, but limits himself to social groups, people and facts rooted in a problem (one or several) that has undoubtedly universal roots. The sorrow, the evil, the malice, do not exclusively reflect nations or places, but are also common to people who live in these particular situations in any part of this world.”
Works
His total literary production includes seven novels, two collections of short-stories and a play. Ordered chronologically, his novels are: “Hombres y Mujeres Fantoches” (1930), “Mario Pareda”(1939),”La Babosa"(1952), “La Llaga” (1963),”Los Exiliados”(1966), “Los Herederos” (1975) y “Los Huertas” (1981), published posthumously. The short-story collections are “El Guajhu”(1938) and ”El Pozo”(1947). The play “El Bandolero” was published in 1932.See also
- Diccionario Biográfico "FORJADORES DEL PARAGUAY", Primera Edicción Enero de 2000. Distribuidora Quevedo de Ediciones. Buenos Aires, Argentina.