Venezuelan literature
Encyclopedia
Venezuelan literature can be traced to pre-Hispanic
times with the myths and oral literature
that formed the cosmogonic view of the world that indigenous people had. Some of these stories are still known in Venezuela. Like many Latin America
n countries, the Spanish conquerors have had the greatest effect on both the culture and the literature. The first written documents by the Spanish colonizers are considered to be the origin of Venezuela's written literature. This has included chronicles, letters, acts, etc. Venezuela's first major writer was Andrés Bello
. Venezuelan literature developed in the 19th century with the formation of Venezuela as a nation state and the political conflicts of the time between conservatives and liberals. In the 20th century, with the modernization and urbanization of Venezuela thanks to the economic boom provided by the petroleum
, some of its finest writers were: Rómulo Gallegos
, Arturo Uslar Pietri
, Salvador Garmendia
.
Rafael Cadenas
and Eugenio Montejo
are among the best known poets of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century.
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
times with the myths and oral literature
Oral literature
Oral literature corresponds in the sphere of the spoken word to literature as literature operates in the domain of the written word. It thus forms a generally more fundamental component of culture, but operates in many ways as one might expect literature to do...
that formed the cosmogonic view of the world that indigenous people had. Some of these stories are still known in Venezuela. Like many 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...
n countries, the Spanish conquerors have had the greatest effect on both the culture and the literature. The first written documents by the Spanish colonizers are considered to be the origin of Venezuela's written literature. This has included chronicles, letters, acts, etc. Venezuela's first major writer was Andrés Bello
Andrés Bello
Andrés de Jesús María y José Bello López was a Venezuelan humanist, poet, lawmaker, philosopher, educator and philologist, whose political and literary works constitute an important part of Spanish American culture...
. Venezuelan literature developed in the 19th century with the formation of Venezuela as a nation state and the political conflicts of the time between conservatives and liberals. In the 20th century, with the modernization and urbanization of Venezuela thanks to the economic boom provided by the petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
, some of its finest writers were: Rómulo Gallegos
Rómulo Gallegos
Rómulo Ángel del Monte Carmelo Gallegos Freire was a Venezuelan novelist and politician. For a period of some nine months during 1948, he was the first cleanly elected president in his country's history....
, Arturo Uslar Pietri
Arturo Uslar Pietri
Arturo Uslar Pietri , was a Venezuelan intellectual, lawyer, journalist, writer, television producer and politician.- Life :...
, Salvador Garmendia
Salvador Garmendia
Salvador Garmendia Graterón was a notable Venezuelan author, was born in Barquisimeto, Lara state, 11 June 1928. His parents were Ezequiel Garmendia and Dolores Graterón. He graduated High school in Barquisimeto, and from then on he was largely self-educated as he was unable to continue formal...
.
Rafael Cadenas
Rafael Cadenas
Rafael Cadenas is a Venezualean poet, and essayist.He teaches at the Central University of Venezuela.-Awards:* Conac's essay prize .* National Prize for Literature ....
and Eugenio Montejo
Eugenio Montejo
Eugenio Montejo was a Venezuelan poet and essay writer, founder of the literary magazine Azar and co-founder of Revista Poesía, a poetry magazine published by the University of Carabobo....
are among the best known poets of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century.
See also
- List of Venezuelan writers
- Latin American literatureLatin American literatureLatin American literature consists of the oral and written literature of Latin America in several languages, particularly in Spanish, Portuguese, and indigenous languages of the Americas. It rose to particular prominence globally during the second half of the 20th century, largely due to the...
- Culture of VenezuelaCulture of VenezuelaThe Venezuelan people have a rich cultural heritage. From the original American Indians to the Spanish and Africans who arrived after the Spanish conquest, the twentieth century waves of immigration brought many Italians, Portuguese, Arabs, Germans, Moroccan Jews, and others from the bordering...